The teacher shortage problem hits public schools hard, but despite the advantages of attracting teachers, private schools are not spared. Here, too, the recall lists are dry and non-legally qualified staff are regularly called in to reinforce them.
Published at 1:20 am. Updated at 5:00 am.
The issue of shortages and their consequences has been at the heart of recent public sector negotiations as it is discussed in detail at the start of the school year.
In private schools, this question does not arise in August, but during the school year, depending on illness, paternity or maternity leave, explains David Bowles, president of the Federation of Private Educational Establishments and general director of Charles-Lemoyne College, on the south coast of Montreal.
Unlike the public sector, where teacher vacancies occur at the end of the summer and the beginning of the school year (which has cornered the Legault government), private school recruitment efforts are focused on the spring area, so we start with of the school year, with a few exceptions, “all staff have,” Mr. Bowles notes. On the other hand, when it comes to one-off vacations, “it’s very difficult,” says Mr. Bowles.
There are currently around forty positions advertised on the Association of Private Educational Institutions website, two thirds of which are for teachers.
At Charles-Lemoyne College, Mr. Bowles explains, “We try to find students in education, we call college retirees, we sometimes ask parents if they know anyone in their network.”
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The president of the Federation of Private Educational Establishments of Quebec and general manager of Charles-Lemoyne College, David Bowles
Parents who pay large sums to send their child to a private school face strong pressure when a private school has difficulty replacing the teacher, we believe. Whether money or not, Mr. Bowles notes that “parents are generally very involved. If there's a shortage of French or math teachers, we hear about it.”
Not everything is idyllic
What is little known is that the CSN represents around forty private educational institutions. Léandre Lapointe, in charge of the private education group at the National Federation of Teachers of Quebec (FNEEQ), paints the same picture: the start of the year with full teams but occasional substitutions that cause pain. Head.
It can take three to four weeks to find someone to replace you. The problem has grown over the last three years.
Léandre Lapointe, responsible for the private education group at FNEEQ
If they are unable to find qualified teachers, management will, for example, hire someone who has a bachelor's degree in history but has not studied education at all, he adds.
Yes, private schools often represent “small, very collegial environments” that have their charm, that often accept good students, notes Mr. Lapointe, but not everything is idyllic there either. “They are still teenagers who, like all teenagers and good students, can be affected by performance anxiety. »
Mr. Lapointe also recalls that at the beginning of the pandemic, when it took several weeks for public schools to offer distance learning, teachers at many colleges “had to get this up and running in a matter of days.”
The issue of paternity leave
Contrary to the image we often have, many private schools are very large. Montreal-based Regina Assumpta College, for example, has 2,250 students and 108 teachers.
Its director general, Julie Duchesne, explains that “we have to work harder than before” to find replacements in the short term.
We are receiving more and more requests for paternity leave. It's very good that fathers take this vacation. But it is very difficult to find people interested in a five-week exchange.
Julie Duchesne, General Manager of Regina Assumpta College
“We make sure to reserve our interns” when it comes to such foreseeable absences, Ms. Duchesne adds.
Patrick Lupien, teacher and president of the Regina Assumpta College teachers' union, also emphasizes that short breaks attract few candidates, especially if these replacements – due to illness or paternity – take place during the year and extend over two school years.
Mr. Lupien points out that when someone falls in battle or is absent due to maternity or paternity, it becomes a concern for the entire school, not just the principal. “Employees also research their network because if someone without legal qualifications joins them, it means more work for management and colleagues [appelés à l’aider] », emphasizes Mr. Lupien.
Because helping someone who has never taught before makes an already difficult task even worse. “In secondary level 1, for example, groups in public schools have a maximum of 28 students. In the private sector there can be up to 36.”