Can’t decide what do with your degree? Thinking of teacher’s college? Maybe you should think again. Once a fall-back career choice of undecided undergrads (and, yes, a noble profession), teaching has become a frustrated job market. Only 41 per cent of recent graduates land a teaching position and only a small portion of those get hired full-time, according to “Transition to Teaching,” a study by the Ontario College of Teachers.

Less than a decade ago there was a healthy demand for qualified teachers in Ontario, when an aging population and a record high of retirements made ample positions for new grads to fill. Postsecondary institutions responded, upping enrolment in teachers college classrooms all over the province.

Today, it’s rare for a recent grad to landing a stable, full-time job. Instead, newly-minted teachers bide their time in occasional teaching positions, waiting many months and sometimes years for a permanent job. Location and grade level matter when considering the availability of these teaching positions, with the lowest demand being elementary school teaching, and the GTA being one of the better areas in Ontario to seek a teaching job.

Aspiring teachers in the GTA have a 45 per cent success rate in hunts for regular positions, compared with just 21 per cent outside of the region. But there’s a sobering statistic to go with it: the Toronto District School Board had 10,000 applicants for fewer than 1,000 jobs last year. Those who fare the worst are graduates of border colleges that offer teaching certificates fitted for Ontario’s standards. Only about 10 per cent of these will start in a regular teaching job within a year of graduating.

There is good news, however, if you parlez francais or enjoy binomials. Positions at French-speaking schools are still in high demand, as are teaching positions for math, science, and technology, subjects that are harder to staff due to the more lucrative career choices open to those best qualified.

So, what do you do if teaching is your passion? First, make sure it is your passion. With job prospects so poor, expect plenty of competition from your fellow would-be teachers, and plan on working hard to land that plum full-time classroom gig.