Herculean efforts are not enough: diversifying the teaching profession and the need for systemic change

Internationally educated teachers (IETs) seeking to resume their careers in Canada often demonstrate tremendous endurance, fortitude, and resilience in the process of navigating their new professional landscapes, yet neoliberalism and the myth of meritocracy obscure the pervasive systemic barriers characterizing their professional experiences. Critical action research undertaken with graduates of an academic and professional bridging program for IETs in Manitoba reveals a complex interplay of challenges with respect to diversifying the teaching force in intercultural settings. Data collected with IETs seeking full-time teaching positions suggest resuming their careers is by no means guaranteed for many IETs who, in spite of what can be deemed herculean efforts to follow the advice of mentors and make themselves as ‘marketable’ as possible, continue to face significant barriers to employment in a context largely characterized by an over-supply of qualified applicants. Guided by Cummins’ work on collaborative relations of power and a Polanyian critique of economic determinism, my analysis illuminates a multi-pronged systemic approach that has the potential to help ensure the numerous contributions of IETs in Canadian schools can be fully realized.