Abstract

The education system in Quebec is currently faced with a paradigm shift. One of these shifts is that the teaching profession attracts less and less people due to several factors; another one is that as the cultural make – up of Quebec society is changing, with more and more students from varied cultural backgrounds attending the schools. One way the Ministry of Education can address both these problems is through the hiring of immigrant teachers – either those with plenty of experience already, or people new to the profession. However, for all the interest shown by immigrant teachers to integrate the Quebec education system, there still seem to be unique obstacles and barriers faced by these willing and ready teachers.
The interpretive phenomenological approach used in this study gives a voice to those people who live the situation under investigation. Through interviews conducted with participants from school centers across the Greater Montreal Region, this study aims to do just that – allow immigrant teachers to tell their own stories and relate their experiences accessing and participating in Professional Insertion Programs in the Quebec school system.