Average Teacher Salary by Province in Canada (2026 Guide)

What Is the Average Teacher Salary in Canada? (Quick Answer)

Across Canada, reported hourly pay for teachers runs from about $29 to $60, with a national median near $46 (Job Bank). On a full-time salary grid, that generally means starting in the mid-$50,000s and climbing past $100,000 for the most experienced, highest-qualified teachers, with real variation by province.

This guide from the Remitly blog walks through how those grids work, province by province, so you can compare an offer or plan a move with real numbers instead of guesswork.

• Alberta’s grid, for example, spans roughly $63,000 to $119,000 (Edmonton Public, 2024 to 2027).
• Your category and step matter more than which province you’re in.

TLDR;

• National salary range: Roughly the mid-$50,000s to $100,000+ per year, depending on qualifications, experience, and location.
• Top province: Alberta is among the higher-paying provinces, with some teacher salary grids reaching roughly $119,000.
• Salary grid: Your pay is typically determined by two key factors—your qualification category and your years of recognized teaching experience.

Average Teacher Salary by Province: 2026 Data

Because each province bargains separately, the clearest comparison comes from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, via the Government of Canada’s Job Bank.

These figures include newer and part-time educators, so they sit below a top-of-grid teacher’s full-time pay. Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, and Nunavut post the highest medians, thanks largely to northern allowances; Nova Scotia and New Brunswick sit lowest.

How Provincial Salary Grids Work in Canada

Most provinces place teachers on a grid with two axes: a category based on education, and a step that rises with experience.

1. Your teacher education program, plus any AQ courses or a master’s degree, sets your starting category.
2. Each year, you move up one step until you reach the grid’s maximum, usually between year five and year eleven.
3. Moving between provinces doesn’t automatically carry your full years of experience with you; some boards cap outside service, so confirm your placement in writing before accepting an offer.
4. If you trained outside Canada, certification by the province’s teaching body usually comes before grid placement. The certification path most Canadian teachers follow is a useful starting point.

A teacher arriving with five years of experience and a master’s degree, for instance, often lands partway up the grid rather than at step one, though exactly how many years count is set by the hiring board, not a national rule.

Factors That Affect Teacher Salary in Canada

Beyond which province you teach in, a few things move you up or down the grid:

• Education level: Your qualifications can affect where you’re placed on the grid. For example, in Ontario, teachers are generally assigned to qualification categories, while in British Columbia, salary placement can also reflect recognized education and certification levels. A bachelor’s degree may therefore lead to different placement than additional qualifications or graduate-level study.
• Years of experience: Each year of recognized teaching experience typically moves you up a step until you reach the top of the grid. In provinces such as Alberta and Manitoba, collective agreements commonly use salary schedules that combine years of experience with education or qualifications.
• School type: Public-school salaries generally follow negotiated collective agreements, but the details vary by province and school board or division. Private and independent schools may set their own salaries, which can be higher or lower than the public-school grid.
• Extra responsibilities: Taking on additional duties can increase your total compensation. For example, teachers may receive allowances for roles such as department head or other leadership responsibilities. Some jurisdictions also provide additional compensation or benefits for northern and remote postings, particularly in places such as northern Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, as well as Canada’s territories.

If you’re unsure how your own background factors in, Canada’s free career services for newcomers can help before you apply.

Teacher Salaries in Canada’s Highest-Paying Provinces

Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta post the highest grid ceilings in the country. Ontario’s teachers bargain through OSSTF and ETFO under a central agreement with the province’s boards, running through 2025 to 2026. British Columbia’s grid for the teacher salary in BC is negotiated between the BC Teachers’ Federation and the BC Public School Employers’ Association, with district grids set through a 2025 to 2029 agreement. The four-year contract for the teacher salary in Alberta, imposed by the province in late 2025 after a teachers’ strike, moves the province toward a single unified grid; Edmonton Public’s schedule runs from roughly $63,000 for a new teacher to about $119,000 at the top step.

Cost of living tends to track pay here: Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary rank among Canada’s more expensive cities, so a higher salary doesn’t always stretch as far as it looks.

Teacher Salaries in Other Provinces and Territories

Quebec negotiates one province-wide scale for all public teachers, rather than board by board; the current agreement runs to 2028. Quebec’s median salary picture across occupations gives useful cost-of-living context.

Atlantic Canada’s grids sit lower on paper, but lower housing costs, and in some communities a rural allowance, offset part of the gap. In the territories, Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories each add a northern living allowance to help recruit teachers to smaller communities, which is part of why Yukon and Nunavut post such high reported wages.

Frequently Asked Questions About Teacher Salaries in Canada

What’s the starting salary for a new teacher in Canada?

Starting pay depends on your province and grid category, but new teachers commonly begin in the mid-$50,000s to low $60,000s full-time. Edmonton Public, for example, starts new teachers at about $63,000 for 2024 to 2025.

Which province pays teachers the most?

Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta post the highest grid maximums, with senior, qualified teachers earning past $100,000. Nunavut and Yukon also post high wages once northern allowances are included.

Does a master’s degree increase teacher salary?

In most provinces, yes. A master’s degree or AQ courses usually move you into a higher category, raising both your starting point and ceiling, though the exact increase varies by province.

Are teachers paid during summer break?

Most Canadian teachers are paid an annual salary spread evenly across 12 months, so pay in July and August is part of the salary earned during the school year, not a separate summer wage.

Do private school teachers earn the same as the public school teacher salary in Canada?

Not necessarily. Public pay follows a negotiated grid across a district or province, while private schools set their own pay, above or below the public scale.

Can internationally trained teachers access the same salary grid?

Generally, yes, once credentials are assessed and you’re certified by the province’s teaching body. How much prior experience counts toward your step varies by board, so confirm it before accepting an offer.

Key Takeaways: Teacher Salaries in Canada (2026)

• Full-time grid salaries generally run from the mid-$50,000s to over $100,000, depending on province, category, and step (Job Bank, 2023 to 2024; Alberta ATA grid, 2024 to 2027).
• Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta post the highest grid ceilings; Yukon and Nunavut post high wages once northern allowances count.
• A grid combines an education-based category with an experience-based step, so understanding both matters more than one province’s headline number.
• Public and private school pay can differ, since only public grids are collectively bargained.
• Internationally trained teachers can generally access the same grid once credentials are assessed and certification confirmed.

Conclusion

The biggest factor in what you’ll earn as a teacher in Canada isn’t the province on its own, but understanding how your category and step get set, and getting that placement confirmed in writing before you accept a job. If you’re weighing a move, looking at the average teacher salary in Ontario and our guide on how to become a teacher in this province is a useful next comparison, and if you’re newer to the country, setting up your banking as a newcomer is worth sorting out early. Either way, a good next step is checking your target province’s teacher federation website for its current agreement.

Last reviewed: September 2026