Jamaica's female professonals finding greener pastures in Canada.

Data released from the Canadian High Commission indicate that more and more skilled, professional women are opting to migrate to Canada to grab the many career opportunities in that country. According to the High Commission, between 2014 - 2017 approximately 6,300 Jamaican women became permanent residents in Canada, most settling in the east-central province of Ontario.

The western province of Alberta has been the second most welcoming area for Jamaican female professionals over the past four years. The High Commission cite a combination of career opportunities and other factors as possible reasons for the migration:

"While we do not have data to confirm this, we expect that the pull factors for women are likely the same as for men, namely a combination of economic, career and personal factors,"

While definitive data is not yet available on the occupations Jamaican women are now employed in, the High Commission said they are varied. They were however able to identify the top jobs they are noted to be involved in:

"Some of the top occupations are licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, admninistrative assistants, financial auditors and accountants, social and community service workers [as well as white collar professions such as] advertising, marketing and public relations," the High Commission revealed.

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Teachers happy teaching online (Employment Opportunities online)

After eight years of teaching English in Taiwan, Venice Irving came home to Jamaica but couldn't find a stable job. Or rather, a job with a salary that she found appealing.

Instead of being dejected she decided to replicate what she herself had experienced. That is, to utilise the skills she learned overseas to help others achieve financial independence through higher salaries.

And so her consulting company, BIW Consultants, was born in 2012. The mission was to place Jamaican English teachers physically at schools in Taiwan, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and China.

A couple of years into her consulting work, she started teaching English online and soon after she began to train other teachers in Jamaica to teach online. This meant that they didn't need to be an English teachers, they only needed to have certification to teach English. And did we mention that online schools pay teachers in US dollars? Well, they do. And so the mission of BIW Consultants expanded to include a brand called Happy Teachers which placed people online and offline to teach English.

The essence of Happy Teachers, as Irving puts it, is to simply make her clients happy. But this virtual online business has a problem – not enough teachers to meet the demand. According to Irving, native-speaking English teachers from Jamaica are in high demand to teach in European and Asian online schools, and physically in Middle Eastern schools such as Dubai.

One of her partners from Poland insists that she will hire Jamaican teachers because they have a strong work ethic and are overall excellent teachers. People trained by Happy Teachers through BIW Consultants have been hired by online schools in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Japan and the Philippines.

Now not just anyone can become a Happy Teacher. There are requirements as Irving explains: “We are looking for teachers with a first degree in any area and at least a year's teaching experience. But most importantly, you must have an authentic joy and desire to teach.”

One of the key demographics that overseas recruiters are seeking is people who have work experience. And if you are not already a trained English teacher, you can become certified to teach English as a second language.

Irving explains, “If you are a current teacher then you could teach online in the evenings or on the weekends, depending on your schedule. If you are not an English teacher, then you could do a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification. The time it takes to complete this certification is totally dependent on your free time.”

Irving notes that she has had motivated students who complete the online training in one week; however, the average time is about three months to do the 100 hours of work required for TEFL certification.

With regard to the range of salaries, Irving explains the difference between teaching online and travelling abroad to teach physically in a school. “Online companies' starting salaries are US$8 to US$10 per hour. Some companies pay US$22 to US$35 per hour, and then a few others pay US$50 and above for specialised English teachers. If you travel abroad you can usually make more than teaching online. Starting monthly salaries for teaching in a classroom abroad are US$1,500 to US$2,000 and above.”

Now all of that may sound wonderful, but we wondered if there are there any downsides to teaching English to non-English speakers? Irving then shared, “The greatest challenge is the culture that you will face. Because of this, the first thing I say to my clients is to get familiar with the culture of your students. It will save time and acclimate you faster to the class. Also, even though there are an abundance of jobs in the EFL industry, competition is great for the jobs as there are many native speakers and professionally certified teachers around.”

So culture and competition are the two key points to note if you are planning to teach online. And there is more: “In the brick and mortar classroom, the teacher is free to move the learners around, grouping them in different ways and laying out the class in a way that will make the activities run smoothly. The online teacher is usually stationary, facing a computer screen. Most online classes use conferencing software so they work best when they are kept with five or less people. Despite the differences between physical and online learning, in the hands of a well-trained teacher, both delivery methods can be used to achieve the same goals.”

It then comes down to the person taking on the challenge. Irving next shares her vision for her consulting business. “Our vision is to expand our borders beyond Jamaica to provide sources of income through job creation.”

And so it seems that the demand for Jamaican teachers abroad is in good hands.

Recruiting for Overseas Employment Programme will begin soon! (Jamaica)

Recruitment for the Overseas Employment Programme, administered by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, will be held between June 26 and July 17.

This programme provides opportunities for hundreds of Jamaicans on Canadian and American farms yearly.

Recruitment for the programme is done based on the needs of employers. The last recruitment was done in 2015 and resulted in a pool of approximately 3,000 persons from which to select.

To ensure successful placement in the programme, persons must satisfy a number of requirements. Candidates must:

• Be between 21 and 45 years old
• Possess a Tax Registration Number (TRN) and a National Insurance Scheme (NIS) number
• Possess a valid passport
• Be literate
• Have not been refused a visa in the last year by the Canadian or United States of America authorities
• Not have been previously deported from any country
• Possess no criminal record

Application forms are available through several avenues, including Members of Parliament, mayors and councillors, the ministry's parish offices, civic organisations, trade unions and agricultural schools.

After the forms have been completed and submitted to the ministry, they are processed and then interviews are scheduled islandwide.

Normally, four locations are visited across the country – 110-114 East Street in Kingston; Mandeville, Manchester; Montego Bay, St James and St Ann.


Director of Manpower Services in the ministry, Andrea Miller Stennett, explained to JIS News that after the interview stage, candidates are put in a pool for placement.

“They are then required to submit a police record before they do a medical examination. If the candidates are found to be in good health, they are placed with an employer and then we call them to do biometric tests,” she outlined.

They then fulfil the visa requirements for Canada or the United States, after which travel arrangements are made.

Miller-Stennett, however, cautioned candidates that even if they have met the requirements outlined by the ministry, there is no guarantee that they will be employed.

“The ministry cannot guarantee placement on any farm overseas, even if the candidates are successful with our processes, because there is a visa process that they have to go through where the Canadian and US authorities make a determination as to whether or not they are admissible,” she said.

Approximately 375 farmworkers left the island for Canada in January. Last year, 15,611 workers participated in the Overseas Employment Programme. Of this figure, 8,934, or more than 50 per cent, went to Canada. This represented an increase of 844 new workers when compared with the same period in 2015.

More information on the Overseas Employment Programme can be found on the Ministry's website: www.mlss.gov.jm or by calling (876) 922-9500-14.