In 1935, there were very few teaching jobs available as a result of the Depression, and MacLennan's field of study, the classics, was in particular becoming less significant in North American education. He took a position at Lower Canada College in Montreal, Quebec, even though he felt it was beneath him, as just his Dalhousie BA would have been a sufficient qualification for the job. He generally did not enjoy working there, and resented the long hours required of him for low pay, but was nonetheless a stimulating teacher, at least for the brighter students. MacLennan would later poke fun at Lower Canada College in his depiction of Waterloo School in "The Watch That Ends the Night". On June 22, 1936, he and Dorothy were wed near her home in Wilmette, Illinois, and settled in Montreal.