Top 5 reasons to become a Montessori Instructor in Vancouver
Would you rather be stuck behind a desk all day or be up and active playing, caring, and educating infants and toddlers? If you’d rather be active, then you may have the makings of a great Montessori instructor.
Being a Montessori instructor in Vancouver is a rewarding experience as you get to shape the minds of our youngest community citizens. You have many places to get your Montessori teacher education, but we recommend Vancouver due to its local job prospects and excellent schools for your education (such as Capital College, with its Montessori and ECE teacher education programs that have been approved by the Registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training.
Keep reading to learn the qualities of a good Montessori teacher and our top 5 reasons to pursue your Montessori instructor training and practicums in Vancouver, BC.
Qualities of a good Montessori teacher
Would you make a good Montessori teacher? Here are the top eight qualities that makes an effective Montessori teacher:
- Love for kids: You’ll be surrounded by children all day, a rewarding experience that will support their social and academic development.
- Creative: Your creativity will shape the unique and enriching experiences your children will cherish and learn from.
- Communication: Being a good communicator is essential for communicating with children, as well as communicating their development, successes, or concerns with their parents
- Good observer: Montessori children need constant supervision, so being a keen observer can help keep the children under your care safe and support them when needed. It also helps you recognize when you should leave them to explore independently.
- Flexibility: When working with children, your ability to be flexible based on their needs is essential to ensure they get the early learning experience they need for success.
- Empathy: Honest empathy skills can help you better empathize with and support children who may be scared, nervous, or just having a bad day and need someone to be there for them.
- Patience: Children can be unpredictable and may take longer to perform tasks than you’re used to from an adult or older child. Practicing patience and “going with the flow” is important to maintaining a calm environment in your classroom.
- Life-long learner: As an educator, you need to stay at the forefront of early childhood development and strategies.
If you have these eight skills, here are the top five reasons to begin your Montessori teacher educational journey in Vancouver:
1. High levels of employment satisfaction
There’s something special about being around happy, active children all day at work. Their enthusiasm for creativity and learning is contagious.
Many Montessori teachers report being very satisfied with their jobs. One study in North Carolina found that 95% of Montessori teachers surveyed were satisfied with their jobs, compared to 82% of all teachers nationally. Comparatively, a PEW research study found that just 51% of all American workers are satisfied with their jobs (slightly higher at 80% in Canada).
2. You get to “play” all day.
As a Montessori teacher in Vancouver, you’re not stuck behind a desk for 8-hours a day. You get to be up and active, “playing” with your children all day. It’s so much better than being stuck behind a desk!
You’ll read books with them, support their exploration and creative play, and help them learn new concepts, watching as they apply them to their play and real life.
3. Lots of practicum placements are waiting for you
You hear the difference between “book” and “street” smarts. To be a good Montessori teacher, you need an academic understanding of childhood development and hands-on experience applying your book smarts in real life.
Education and certification in Montessori and early childhood education prepares you with the “book” smarts you need to understand the development and capabilities of children ages 0-5. You also learn about the unique Montessori teaching and care philosophy and how to apply it to children under your care.
You also need time to practice, apply your skills, and build your “street” smarts through practicum placements in real early learning settings. This gives you the opportunity to see how your knowledge and theory education applies to real life. This helps solidify your learning and gives you a good boost in your resume for when you graduate.
4. You’re making a difference!
A good Montessori teacher’s first and perhaps most important quality is a love for children. As an early learning childhood educator, you’re setting the foundation of children’s academic and social future. That’s a big responsibility, and only those who believe in the children’s capacity for learning and exploration can fully support their development.
As a Montessori teacher, you are a teacher and caregiver. You provide a secure and nurturing environment for children—a place where they can feel loved and safe while their parents are at work or attending to their needs. Parents trust you to create this environment, and you are the one who ensures that their trust is well-placed in your community.
5. Good employment prospects (and pay)
Across Canada, the need for caring and qualified Montessori teachers is growing as families recognize the importance of these early learning and care experiences. More teachers will be needed in the coming years to meet this demand.
To support the needs of this workforce, the British Columbian Government is providing a wage top-up program to provide Montessori and ECE teachers with higher wages. This $6 per hour wage top-up brings the median wage for ECEs and Montessori teachers up to $29 per hour, much higher than minimum wage and the standard living wage in Metro Vancouver.
How to become a Montessori teacher in British Columbia
Students who graduate from Capital College’s ECE and Montessori programs obtain solid academic knowledge and marketable job skills essential for success in today’s global marketplace. Capital College’s next cohort of Montessori teacher training starts in August!
- Experience the efficiency of our 38-week program, where you’ll acquire practical and hands-on knowledge to become a qualified Montessori teacher in the Montessori Infant and Toddler Program.
- In our 52-week program, you will earn your Montessori Early Childhood Teacher Diploma to work specifically with children ages 3-6.
- For a truly comprehensive learning experience, choose our ECE-Montessori Combined program. In just 70 weeks, you’ll graduate with your Montessori Early Childhood Teacher and Early Childhood Educator Diplomas, equipped with a depth of knowledge to excel in your career.
Capital College courses are approved by the Registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB) of the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training.
Enroll now, as spaces are limited in our next cohort of Montessori teacher training.
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Should you pursue a Montessori teacher education in Vancouver? Learn who makes a great Montessori teacher and why Vancouver is the perfect place to start your career.
Considering a rewarding career in the Montessori education system? Learn the qualities of a great Montessori teacher and the benefits of becoming a Montessori Teacher in Vancouver, BC.