Discover the findings of new study of Ontario Certified Teachers

January 15 2024

The College’s first Focus on Teaching: A Survey of Ontario Certified Teachers report is now available. The report provides valuable data about employment trends, career opportunities, and demographics within the teaching profession.

The online survey of 15,765 respondents shows that:

• More than 70 per cent of respondents chose the teaching profession as their first career and 80 per cent were classroom teachers.
• College membership is a long-term commitment. Almost all respondents (96.8 per cent) stated that they intend to maintain their Ontario College of Teachers membership in the future.
• Almost 70 per cent held a full-time, permanent contract with their school board.
• A third of respondents are teaching or planning to teach past the age of 60.

Focus on Teaching replaces the College’s Transition to Teaching report which gathered information about employment patterns and experiences of Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs) in the early stages of their careers. It was published annually between 2002 and 2023.

The new Focus on Teaching survey is the first to be distributed to the College’s entire membership to establish a more robust record of long- and short-term fluctuations in Ontario’s teacher workforce.

It will also establish a broader data set that can be used to inform important decisions about the future of the profession.

The survey was voluntary and open to all OCTs from June 24 – July 14, 2023.

Read the full Focus on Teaching report.