An International Baccalaureate teacher who spent decades working abroad has launched an online school after struggling to find a teaching job in Nova Scotia.
Jason Bogart, who has taught in Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, Brunei Darussalam and China, said his return to Halifax was met with limited opportunities in the public school system.
“I had been thinking about an online school for over five years, and tutoring students beyond any barriers is something that satisfies me. My wife and I had planned to come back to Halifax, and having started scoping the market, opportunities to teach in the public school system seemed slim. I knew this was my now-or-never situation. I decided to take the jump and set up the online school,” Bogart said in an interview with The Coast.
That project has become Corestone Tutors—a new service focused on the International Baccalaureate programme. Bogart said the platform aims to fill gaps in student support, from understanding assessments to accessing university counselling.
“Our goal is to fill the gaps, set clear goals, and guide you every step of the way so you can get the results you desire,” he said.
Set to launch this month, the school is now hiring IB-trained tutors, generating jobs for other educators in similar positions.
“Initially after I graduated from Saint Mary’s in 1996, the job situation in Halifax was very tough. I applied to be an ice cream server, and I did not get that job. I looked at a physical newspaper, and saw the opening to teach in Korea”, said Bogart. “So I applied, sent my CV in , and within four hours I heard back, and I had an interview. And within a few weeks, I was in Korea being a teacher.”
After completing a Bachelor of Education at Acadia University and receiving his Nova Scotia teaching licence, Bogart spent 17 years teaching in Hong Kong before taking positions in the Middle East and Asia.
“I was open to moving back home, and moving back with my family, but a lack of options made me turn to Linkedin to looking for teaching positions, and then I found a position in Jordan and then I later made the move to Germany, Brunei Darussalam and then I taught in China,” he said.
Bogart said teaching continues to inspire him, not only through the classroom but also in one-on-one moments with students.
“Recently, I had a student who has dyslexia who I had taught in Malaysia. As an educator, you are not just a teacher, you are an advisor, you are a mentor, and a guide. It feels very fulfilling to see a student reach their goals, and watching them weave the tapestry of their career, and those ah-ha moments as a teacher is what makes this all fulfilling. That is the drive that gets me going forward,” he said.
For Bogart, he now has the time to put his dream into motion of having a virtual teaching program where he can have a positive effect on students around the world in helping them reach their goals, their academic goals. “Corestone Tutors is an extension of my teaching… I want to be in the public school system and be involved with students and giving back to the community here in Halifax,” he said.
This move to go digital was catapulted since COVID, and Bogart said that online education has skyrocketed.
“I enjoy teaching because it introduces me to new students, ways of life, and it is the opportunity to keep learning and growing,” Bogart said. “I always love a new challenge and anything that keeps me engaged.”
“It is exciting, it is interesting, it is terrifying; it is this whole spectrum of emotions, but at the same time, the thought that I am going from being in a position looking for a job to helping others find jobs is a roller coaster of emotions,” Bogart said.
Though navigating banking and development has been a challenge, Bogart said the purpose behind the project keeps him motivated.
“What keeps me going is the fact that this is going to be based in my home, and can help people all over the world,” he said.
This article appears in Sep 1-30, 2025.