Career Centre
The Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario (CIS Ontario) offers new and experienced teachers the most professionally challenging and rewarding careers available. CIS Ontario schools are dynamic, autonomous, tuition-based, and self-financed. As such, they provide teaching environments of the highest standard.
Hiring for teaching positions is done by individual schools. Application letters and resumes should be sent to the Head or appropriate officer at a particular member school.
- Download a PDF Brochure here with links to CIS Ontario member school websites.
- Use the School Search function to find member schools you may be interested in.
- Access CIS Ontario member school career opportunities here.
- View the career questions and answers below.
There are over 900 private schools registered with the Ontario Ministry of Education. CIS Ontario (The Conference of Independent Schools of Ontario) has 46 member schools – 43 in Ontario and 3 out-of-province Associate Members. Our schools are termed “independent” as they all have Independent Boards of Governors who are responsible for the long-term policy directions for their individual schools. As such, CIS Ontario schools have a measure of accountability built in.
CIS Ontario schools offer a wide range of alternatives for parents. Schools run from large to small, urban to rural, day and boarding, single gender and co-educational. It is important for potential teachers to investigate the mission and culture of schools they are interested in to ensure a ‘best fit.’ A sense of each school’s culture can be gleaned from the school website – these website are accessible through the School Search function on the CIS Ontario website.
CIS Ontario schools meet and exceed the curriculum expectations of the Ontario Ministry of education. In addition, many schools offer the International Baccalaureate Programme, Advanced Placement Courses, Montessori education, Reggio Emilia inspired programmes and other specialty programmes.
No. CIS Ontario is an association of Ontario independent schools whose mission is to advance educational excellence in Ontario independent schools. We accomplish this mission by providing tools and programmes to:
- Provide unique inter-school student experiences.
- Provide opportunities for ongoing professional development and networking among member schools.
- Provide opportunities to share resources and best practices and experiences across and among member schools.
- Facilitate collaborative activity.
- Disseminate relevant research and information.
- Promote sustainability of the CIS Ontario member school community through advocacy and promotion.
Each school is responsible for their own staffing and hiring. Teaching positions in CIS Ontario schools are posted on the Job Search page of this website and are usually advertised in the Globe and Mail. Many schools will also post employment opportunities on their school website. You can access school websites through the School Search function of this web site.
CIS Ontario sends teams of teachers to all of the Faculties of Education in Ontario to deliver presentations on teaching careers in independent schools at their job fairs. In addition, CIS Ontario runs a Career Opportunities Day at The Ontario Science Center in Toronto in early March. Check the Career Calendar for dates of Career Fairs and other opportunities.
Staffing is normally determined between January and March and school will advertise positions as they are determined. Hiring is normally completed before June of each year for the following year. This enables new teachers to visit the school, meet their colleagues, gather curriculum materials and begin their mentoring and induction activities.
Schools will normally provide a contact name and instructions for submitting applications in the job postings. Some schools will accept ‘spec’ resumes but that policy varies from school to school.
CIS Ontario schools work to build balanced teaching teams, consisting of new, mid-career and experienced teachers. Depending on the demographic of a school’s teaching staff, schools do hire new teachers as appropriate.
CIS Ontario schools seek certified teachers as a rule. If there are specialized requirements for positions, they will be articulated in the job postings. The majority of teachers in CIS Ontario schools are certified to teach in Ontario and are members of the Ontario College of Teachers. The remaining teachers bring specialized skill sets to CIS Ontario schools.
The majority of CIS Ontario schools have compensation packages that are equivalent or slightly better than the local Boards. Schools that do not meet this criterion are committed to achieving parity through time.
The majority of CIS Ontario schools do contribute to OTPP. Those schools that do not contribute to OTPP have private retirement plans for their teachers.
In Ontario, private schools do not receive public funding. CIS Ontario schools are self-financed through tuition and contributions from current and past parents and graduates of the schools. CIS Ontario does not lobby for public funding as we believe in the existence of a strong, publicly funded education system for all children. Our schools offer alternatives for parents.
Yes. CIS Ontario schools are committed to the on-going professional growth of their teachers.
Yes. CIS Ontario schools offer a full range of robust programmes in athletics, arts, and community and social service. All teachers are expected to be active participants in their school’s co-curricular programmes.
All CIS Ontario schools offering secondary school credits in Ontario are inspected by the Ministry of Education. The majority of CIS Ontario schools are also accredited by the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) through their rigorous cyclical review and accreditation process.
