Jobs

Click here to read about the work of Environment Canada's meteorologists in the areas of:

• civil and military weather forecasting
• ice forecasting
• meteorological applications and consulting
• research and development.
• commercial services

For a description of the challenges, rewards and excitement of meteorology, click here to read what one of Canada's operational meteorologists has to say.

Becoming a Weather Forecaster

If you are planning to become an operational meteorologist, there are some things you must know.

Operational meteorology is a high-energy, 24-hour a day, 7-day-a-week business. The job calls for a unique kind of individual who is able to look at large amounts of information, consider it and then produce a forecast to a deadline. You must be able to adapt to shift work.

In most cases, you will undergo an in-house training program for operational meteorologists. The program teaches the practical application to our work of meteorological theory learned in university. Taking from nine months to one year to complete, it is based on a combination of self-study and on-the-job training with a qualified meteorologist in a forecast office. During this time, you will be paid an entry-level salary.

Meteorologists who are recruited directly into non-operational positions may not need to undergo this operational in-house training.

New employees in operational positions may be required to be mobile within their region or across Canada during the first five years of employment. Visit our Locations page for a list of Environment Canada's operational forecasting offices.

Like many other organizations, Environment Canada is defining the behavioural characteristics and qualities it is looking for in its employees. We will be using these core competencies, as they are called, to design selection tools and to facilitate employee self-assessment and development. Clearly, few if any among us possess all of these qualities, but this is the ideal we are striving toward. This is still very much a work in progress, but to see an example of the competency statements we are developing for meteorologists, click here.

For more information, follow these links to see sample work descriptions for the three levels of operational meteorologist in Environment Canada: working level forecaster, lead meteorologist, and meteorological program supervisor.

Educational Qualifications

You will need a bachelor's degree in meteorology, or a bachelor's degree in mathematics, physics or related sciences plus an approved diploma or certificate in meteorology. A master's degree may be required for some positions.

The following universities in Canada offer the degrees and certificates required:

• Dalhousie University
• McGill University
• UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal)
• University of Toronto
• York University
• University of Alberta
• University of British Columbia
• University of Victoria

Other Canadian universities provide courses in the atmospheric sciences. For further information on all these programs, please consult the website of the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS), which has links to these and many other academic institutions.

Other Career Options

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