Becoming an English professor is no easy feat, but those who are passionate about literature, critical theory, and higher education know how exciting and rewarding the career will be.
In Canada, the route to becoming an English professor can take 8 to 12 years after high school graduation, especially when it comes to completing your postgraduate education at a Ph.D level.
Step 1
Complete a Bachelor's degree in English, Literature, or Linguistics
Duration: 3-4 years
Step 2
Earn a Master's degree in English or a related specialization
Duration: 1-2 years
Step 3
Get a PhD in English
Duration: 4-7 years depending on research progress and direction
Step 4
Gain teaching experience while studying or after graduation
Step 5
Build a solid research profile, especially through journal publications and academic conference participation
Step 6
Apply for tenure-track positions at universities and colleges
📚Understanding the Role of an English Professor
What does an English professor actually do? Completing your training and education will require self-motivation and discipline, as doctoral programs always require of students. It also takes patience, determination, and a flexible mindset to succeed in the world of academia.
As prospective English professors, here are your main responsibilities in these three areas:
Teaching
- Covers both undergraduate and graduate courses
- Topics taught would fall under literature, writing techniques, and language studies
Researching
- Important role at research-intensive universities
- Their findings will be published in journals/books or presented at conferences
Administration
- Being part of the English department and reviewing teaching courses
- Organising academic-related conferences and events
🎓Educational Pathway to Becoming an English Professor
To be considered for English professor jobs in Canada, you must attain a graduate degree from a recognized and accredited university. A doctorate is one of Canada's most important criteria for becoming an English professor. It helps you to stand out as an authority and expert in your chosen field.
Keep in mind that the career path for English professors in Canada doesn't follow a strict formula. Therefore, there is no definite time it takes you to attain the status of a professor. This is due to the experience you may need in your field and other factors such as publishing books and writing articles in your field.
A professor of English language in a college or university might take the following steps to achieve their career goals.
📝Earn a Bachelor's Degree in English
A bachelor's degree in English literature or a combination of areas combined with English is typically the starting point of becoming a professor. You will lay the groundwork for your future studies with courses in literary analysis, critical theory, and composition. This is a good time to gain work experience through tutoring, writing for school publications, or getting a part-time job at school.
📝Earn a Master’s Degree
Some universities hire instructors with a Master of Arts (M.A.) in English or related fields, but most tenure-track positions require a Ph.D. Your M.A. will enable you to gain research experience, participate in smaller courses and seminars, and specialize in your preferred area (ex., Black Literature, Canadian Literature, Renaissance Drama, etc.). You may also gain experience as a teaching assistant.
📝Obtain a Ph.D. in English
A Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is typically required for tenure-track positions, and will ensure your curriculum vitae is competitive. Ph.D. programs involve coursework, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation. Your dissertation must be defended in front of a group of advisors. Many Ph.D. candidates work as teaching assistants or adjunct instructors.
The time you spend in a doctorate program is also an opportunity to build your reputation by presenting at conferences, publishing work, and networking.
📝Apply for Tenure-Track or Lecturer Positions
With your doctorate in hand, you can start applying for adjunct, lecturer, or visiting professor positions. Tenure-track positions are highly sought after and competitive. Tenure is a long-term contract that provides job security and academic freedom. You will need a strong teaching portfolio, research publications, and a solid professional network.
📝Work Toward Tenure and Promotion
Tenure-track professors must complete several years of teaching, research, and service to be considered for tenure. After tenure, you can pursue promotions to Associate Professor and eventually Full Professor based on your work and contributions to the college or university.
👩🏫Gaining Relevant Experience
Acquiring relevant experience will be instrumental to becoming an effective English professor in Canada. You can gain some experience quickly by tutoring on platforms like Superprof, assisting professors in the university, or becoming an English instructor in high school.
👥Teaching Experience
With experience in the field of teaching, you will easily understand and develop the right skills for instruction, mentoring, and helping students reach their academic goals. Students look up to English professors for help in the university. Field experience can help you bring an instructional skillset to the table and assist your students as they aim for diverse academic goals.
But that's not all that experience can help you do. For example, do you know that experience determines the salary of English professors in Canada?
💡Research and Publications
Alongside your teaching experience, universities also prioritize a professor's credibility as an academic researcher. If you are currently a graduate student, we strongly encourage you to publish early by collaborating with academic mentors (such as your current supervisors) or by presenting parts of your dissertation chapters at conferences.
Where you can publish
- Peer-reviewed journal articles
- Academic books
- Book chapters
- Conference papers
How your research matters
- Research quality
- Number of publications
- Contribution to the academic field
- Potential for future research
💰Salary Expectations and Job Outlook
The salary of an English professor in Canada will vary significantly from one individual to the next, largely because compensation relies on several different factors, including:
- Your current academic rank and desired academic rank
- The university or college you are teaching at (location and also ranking of university)
- Whether you are sessional or tenured
- Local cost of living (province or city)
- The experience and expertise you bring to the job (both teaching and research)
The salary of English professors in Canada is greatly affected by their academic rank, which ranges from assistant professor to associate professor to full professor. Full professors typically earn around 55% more than assistant professors. 1
📊Salary Overview By Province
Here's an overview of the latest wages for university professors in different parts of Canada.
| Community / Area | Low ($/hour) | Median ($/hour) | High ($/hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 30.46 | 58.89 | 92.31 |
| Alberta | 26.92 | 62.17 | 89.42 |
| British Columbia | 32.69 | 55.81 | 87.02 |
| Manitoba | 23.18 | 48.90 | 76.92 |
| New Brunswick | 37.36 | 60.10 | 96.15 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 34.76 | 57.69 | 79.67 |
| Northwest Territories | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Nova Scotia | 22.00 | 50.26 | 80.77 |
| Nunavut | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Ontario | 33.65 | 64.10 | 101.44 |
| Prince Edward Island | 32.05 | 57.69 | 87.02 |
| Quebec | 27.00 | 61.15 | 85.90 |
| Saskatchewan | 24.73 | 55.29 | 92.31 |
| Yukon Territory | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Source: Job Bank Canada 2
English professors (and humanities professors) typically earn less than professors in the STEM industry, medicine, engineering, or business. The table above only offers a general overview of the hourly wage and salary range.
💹Employment Trends
Overall, job opportunities over the next 3 years for humanities professors are expected to remain moderate all across Canada.
Source: Job Bank
Findings revealed that new vacancies will open consistently, with the retirement of university professors, as 49% of university professors right now are 50 years old and older. So there would be a balanced supply and demand market condition.
For aspiring English professors navigating the world of artificial intelligence, their expertise and skills could be highly in-demand and valuable, where autonomy is important to promote creativity through language and storytelling over efficiency in just a few clicks. 3
🎯Navigating the Job Market
To stand out in the midst of countless applications to become an English professor in Canada, you'll need to have a solid curriculum vitae (CV) before getting a chance to be interviewed by universities.
📍Preparing a Competitive Application
When crafting your CV, it's good to organize it into clear sections.
Don't be afraid to go into the details and highlight the names of the peer-reviewed publications and major conferences to establish credibility. Tailor your CV according to the focus of the universities that you're applying.
- For research-intensive universities: Highlight your strong publication record and grant potential
- For teaching-focused universities: Highlight your teaching experience and familiarity with various English teaching curricula
The same principle applies to writing cover letters. You must customize them instead of submitting identical cover letters. Make sure you indicate why you would fit the institution in terms of what you could teach and how you would contribute to departmental needs. Research matters!
📍Interview Process
There are usually three stages for the interview process.
Online/phone interview
- Questions will usually revolve around research interests, teaching experience and future academic goals
Campus interview
- Shortlisted candidates will be invited to meet faculty members, students and the department hiring committee
Teaching demonstration
- Conduct a sample lecture, prepare teaching materials and show how you would engage with students
🚀Career Advancement and Tenure
When it comes to career advancement in academia, especially if you want to become an English professor in Canada, you have to understand the concept of tenure.
⭐Understanding Tenure
Tenure is a form of academic appointment that offers job security to a faculty member. He or she is also given academic freedom to contribute to the university through teaching and researching. The probationary period of an assistant professor's tenure can range from 7-10 years before they're promoted to associate professor. 4
⭐Professional Development
To be promoted until you become a full professor, you need to continuously develop your career through consistent research and networking.
Consistent research activities
- Applying for research grants
- Publishing new research
- Collaborating with local and international professors for research
Networking among fellow academics
- Attending academic conferences
- Becoming a member of The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) 5
- Joining provincial language associations
Aside from experience, skills are another crucial aspect you should consider if you are serious about pursuing a career as an English professor in Canada.
You need many skills to demonstrate your level of competence for the position and also use as a ladder for higher career pursuits.
Clear and engaging communication skills for lecturing, discussion facilitation, and providing feedback to students.
⚖️Challenges and Considerations
Of course, becoming an English professor in Canada comes with its own set of challenges, especially workload beyond the classroom.
Job Market Competitiveness
- Contract and sessional positions
- Limited tenure-track openings, especially for humanities
- Expectations of being versatile: can contribute in literature, creative writing, linguistics studies
Work-Life Balance
- Preparing lectures, marking exams, supervising students beyond working hours
- Conducting independent research and applying for research grants
- Serving on departmental and university committees
That's why it's important to set feasible working goals and dedicated periods for teaching, research, and administrative work to avoid burnout.
What is your main challenge faced in academia?
We hope you have found this article insightful, especially on learning the salary prospects of an English professor in Canada.
References
- Liam Whitaker, D. (2026, April 12). Professor Salaries in Canada: 2026 Breakdown by Rank, Province & More. Academic Jobs. https://www.academicjobs.com/higher-education-news/professor-salary-canada-2026-or-by-rank-and-province-or-academicjobs-12534
- Canada, E. S. D. (n.d.). University Professor in Canada | Wages - Job Bank. Www.Jobbank.Gc.Ca. Retrieved July 11, 2026, from https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/wages-occupation/4643/ca
- Keeping It Real: Majoring in English in the Era of Artificial Intelligence : Commonwealth Honors College : UMass Amherst. (2025). Commonwealth Honors College. https://www.umass.edu/honors/news/majoring-english-era-ai
- Kritik - 5 Steps to Achieving Tenure. (2018). Kritik.Io. https://www.kritik.io/blog-post/5-steps-to-achieving-tenure
- CAUT |. (n.d.). Www.Caut.Ca. Retrieved July 12, 2026, from https://www.caut.ca
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