Education and Early Childhood Learning

In Manitoba, the Teaching Certificates and Qualifications Regulation M.R. 115/2015 was amended regarding certification and recognition of experience. Refer to Regulatory Amendments – October 24, 2024 for more information.

A valid Manitoba Professional Teaching Certificate entitles the holder to teach any subject Kindergarten to Grade 12.

Yes you can apply for a teaching certificate and your application can still be evaluated. If you are eligible for certification, a Statement of Eligibility (SOE) may be issued. An SOE is not a teaching certificate but it is proof of the applicant's eligibility for a Manitoba Professional Teaching Certificate.

No, in order to be eligible for a Manitoba Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate you must meet the regulatory requirements, which includes Canadian citizenship or landed immigrant status. In order to be eligible for a Manitoba Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate you must meet the regulatory requirements, and at minimum hold a valid work visa. A Manitoba Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate will match the end date of the work visa or up to a maximum of 3 years.

If you hold a work valid visa, and you meet all of the minimum requirements for teacher certification in Manitoba, you may be eligible to receive a Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate valid until your work visa expires. You would be required to present another valid work visa in order to apply for an extension to your Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate. You must meet the requirements for Canadian Citizenship or Landed Immigrant Status in order to be eligible for a Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate.

Yes, if you are living outside of Manitoba at the time you apply for certification, your application can still be evaluated. If you are eligible for certification, a Statement of Eligibility (SOE) may be issued. An SOE is not a teaching certificate but it is proof of the applicant's eligibility for a Manitoba Professional Teaching Certificate. Once the applicant obtains a Valid Work Visa, becomes a Canadian Citizen or achieves landed immigrant status, the applicant would then provide proof of citizenship along with a current background check to Professional Certification Unit (PCU).

A SOE may allow you to negotiate a contract with a school division or district in Manitoba.

The minimum requirements for Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate are set out in Manitoba Regulation M.R. 115/2015.

A Bachelor of Education degree or a degree deemed by Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning to be equivalent to a Bachelor of Education is required to be eligible for certification.

If you are a Canadian citizen, or a permanent resident as defined in the Immigration Act (Canada), and you meet all of the minimum requirements for teacher certification in Manitoba, you may be eligible to receive a Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate.

If you do not meet the requirements for the Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate, you may be eligible for a Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate. You are required to complete additional course work within a specified period of time in order to be eligible for the Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate.

A Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate is issued for a period of three years. An individual must complete the requirements for the Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate as outlined at the time that the Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate is issued. Applications for an extension to a Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate may be made at the end of the three year period. Only one three-year extension can be granted. No salary penalties result from Provisional Professional Teaching certification.

A Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate may be issued where a person holds:

• a degree, diploma or certificate recognized by the jurisdiction in which it was completed and
• has at least 120 credit hours of recognized coursework in a degree program that includes all of the teachable areas, and
• a minimum of 30 credit hours of professional course work, including student teaching.

• the Professional Certification Unit is responsible for teacher certification, salary classification and experience recognition.
• PCU requires that any of your post-secondary education completed outside of Canada or the United States of America be assed by World Education Services.
• Your application will be evaluated once all required documents are received.
• Previous teaching experience is not considered in assessing your eligibility for a teaching certificate.
• Once PCU receives your application and the WES assessment of your academic credentials, it will proceed to:
  • Evaluate your degree(s) and coursework to ensure you meet the academic requirements.
  • Review your university courses to determine if you meet the teachable subject requirements.
  • Review the credit hours that you have completed to determine if you have met professional preparation requirements.
  • Provide the official evaluation results to you by mail.

There is no central employment agency in Manitoba for teachers. You must negotiate directly with the school division or district, independent school or other employing authority. View the list of employing authorities, as well as maps of their locations within the province.

1. Public Schools
   Public schools are governed by locally elected school division boards and operate under the regulatory framework of the provincial government. All public schools require teachers to hold a Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate or a Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate. All public schools require teachers to be proficient in either English or French.
2. Funded Independent Schools
   Funded independent schools have their own governing bodies or boards. Some schools are affiliated with a specific religious or denominational group. All funded independent schools require teachers to hold a Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate or a Provisional Professional Teaching Certificate. Most schools require teachers to be proficient in either English or French.

You may not teach in a public school in Manitoba, however you may teach at:

• Colleges and universities
• English as an Additional Language (EAL) programs
• Some independent schools

In Manitoba, there are seven levels of salary classification. In general, each classification represents a year of university studies beyond Manitoba Grade 12 or its equivalent. However, there are some restrictions on the type of studies accepted for classification. For example, to be considered for salary classification, courses must be taken within a degree program and the degree must be conferred (awarded). For example, five courses taken at various universities, and in different programs, would not be credited towards your salary classification. For more information, please contact the Professional Certification Unit.

Teaching experience is not recognized for certification purposes.

Teaching experience is assessed for employer pay scale purposes only.

In general, the Professional Certification Unit (PCU) will recognize the teaching experience you gained in a public school system while holding a valid teaching certificate in that jurisdiction.

To have experience recognized, the employing authority where you taught must complete the, Verification of Teaching Experience (Outside of Manitoba) form. See Overview of Application for information. Any past teaching experience cannot be used to substitute academic requirements. Professional Certification Unit collect experience so that Manitoba employers may use the accumulated years of teaching experience for salary purposes.

Note: Experience reported on the claim form but not supported by an employer verification containing all the required information will NOT be credited or considered in the evaluation.

You may appeal the assessment of your credentials as it relates to certification, salary classification and recognition of experience.  There are two steps to the appeal process. 

The first step before pursuing a formal appeal is a Request for Reconsideration which must be submitted within 45 days of the date of the letter you received from PCU advising you of your evaluation outcome.  There is no fee associated with this step of the appeal process.

A formal Request for Appeal may be made following a Reconsideration decision in those cases where the applicant continues to be dissatisfied with the decision.  A Request for Appeal must be accompanied by a fee of $99.00 and must be submitted within 45 days of the date of the Reconsideration decision. The provincial body that hears appeals will be charged with ascertaining whether there has been an error in interpreting and/or applying the regulatory requirements.  If the appeal is successful, the fee will be refunded.  For detailed information regarding the appeal process and to access the forms for each step of the process visit Reconsiderations and Appeals.

Contact your local Law Enforcement Agency to complete the Criminal Record Check including a Vulnerable Sector Search. This search is available only in Canada. A Criminal Record Check from The Commissionaires will not be accepted. The original Criminal Record Check including a Vulnerable Sector Search must be submitted to the Professional Certification Unit.

Residents of Winnipeg may complete checks using the Winnipeg Police Service Online Criminal Record Check. Results must be shared directly to “Manitoba Education and Early Childhood Learning Professional Certification” through the online service to be considered original.

Information about the Child Abuse Registry Check and the application form are available on their website. The original Child Abuse Registry Check must be submitted to the Professional Certification Unit. It becomes part of your file and is not returned.

There is no financial support to complete the teacher certification process. At a minimum, you must pay the Professional Certification Unit a service fee for your certification application. You may also have to pay the World Education Services (WES) a service fee to evaluate your post-secondary education obtained outside of Canada or the United States of America post-secondary institutions to acquire transcripts of your post secondary education, education ministries for a statement of professional standing and or verification of experience.

You may be required to complete further education to obtain full certification. The following programs may provide you assistance with the cost associated for completing this further education requirement.

Employment Manitoba

Employment Manitoba delivers a full range of employment and training services to residents of Manitoba. Internationally Educated Professionals in need of assistance to re-enter their professions may be eligible for financial supports to help pay for costs such as tuition, books and living expenses. To learn more about these supports and the eligibility requirements, please visit an Employment Manitoba Centre in person. Visit the Employment Manitoba Centre website to find the Employment Centre nearest to you.

Manitoba Student Aid

Manitoba Student Aid is a supplemental financial assistance program for Manitobans who do not have sufficient resources to pay for their post-secondary education on their own. They provide various types of funding on behalf of the Manitoba Student Aid Program and the Canada Student Loans and Grants Programs. This funding includes repayable government student loans and non-repayable grants and/or bursaries. All applications are assessed to determine eligibility and financial need. To learn more visit Manitoba Student Aid.

If you have other questions about certification as a teacher in Manitoba, please contact the Professional Certification Unit