Frequently asked questions
Returning primary teachers
Demand for primary teachers has increased due to two recent Government announcements such as the introduction of Classroom Release Time and the lowering of the staff to pupil ratios for new entrants, requiring an extra 762 teachers from term 1, 2009. Both measures mean there will be increased opportunities and most primary schools, particularly in the Auckland region, will require additional staffing now and in the future.
1 Are there any retraining courses?
TeachNZ contracts universities to offer retraining courses for returning teachers. The courses vary as some may be distance learning, while others may be face-to-face. You should contact your local university to register your interest in a primary teacher retraining course.
2 How can I get a job? Do they still have the Education Gazette?
Each school employs its own staff. Vacancies are advertised in the Education Gazette Tukutuku Korero. The Gazette is still the main avenue for advertising teaching position vacancies as well as being the official medium for the Ministry of Education’s notices and staff are expected to read the official notices on a regular basis. The gazette is available at schools, libraries, Ministry of Education offices and online at www.edgazette.govt.nz
3 Are there other ways of getting a job?
Another way of getting a teaching job is to use a recruitment agent. You just contact the agent who takes your details and liaises with schools to find a position for you. Details about recruitment agents who do this work can be found on the TeachNZ website www.teachnz.govt.nz You can also take the personal approach and make an appointment with the principal or the deputy of a school where you would like to teach. Take your CV and expand on it as you have a one-on-one chat about your return to teaching.
4 Is there any financial assistance to help with returning to teaching?
There is no Returning to Teaching Allowance for primary teachers. Keep your eye on the TeachNZ website and the Primary Teachers Collective Agreement to check out any assistance that might become available.
5 Is there any relocation assistance?
If you are an overseas-trained teacher recruited from outside New Zealand to a full-time entitlement position of 20 weeks or more, you may apply for an International Relocation Grant of $4000NZ (GST included). The grant is $5000 for returning New Zealand-trained teachers. The grant is paid as a subsidy towards your expenses associated with moving to New Zealand. This grant must be applied for through the principal of your employing school within eight weeks of starting your teaching job. If you were not to see out the minimum period of employment under this scheme you could be required to reimburse the grant.
6 What does an application for a job have to include?
You need to provide a covering letter and a curriculum vitae. The CV should include details of your qualifications, teaching service length with details of type of positions from the most recent to the earliest etc, your curriculum specialities and any co-curricular activities/experience you have had, a teacher training transcript, references and referee names and contact details, plus a copy of any NZQA verification and a copy of your teacher registration information.
7 What do I need to do about teacher registration?
All teachers in New Zealand schools must hold current registration – either provisional or full registration – with the New Zealand Teachers Council, and a practising certificate. There are three categories of registration:
• Provisional (for teachers applying for registration in NZ for the first time and for teachers who have not held full registration before).
• Subject to Confirmation; (for experienced teachers who have not taught for two out of the previous five years); and
• Full (for experienced teachers who meet the specified requirements)
If you have previously been registered and that registration has lapsed then you will be required to apply to renew that registration. An application form can be found on the Council’s website www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz The site also has detailed completion guide notes to assist with the application process.
8 What do I do if I got my teacher education qualifications overseas?
If your overseas qualifications have been evaluated by NZQA you won’t need to have them evaluated again when you want to return to teaching. Just check your New Zealand teacher registration details to see if your practising certificate is still current and if it is out of date, renew it with the New Zealand Teachers Council..
9 I taught overseas and now want to teach in New Zealand. What do I have to do?
Teachers with overseas qualifications will need to have these evaluated by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority if they want to teach in New Zealand. Once this evaluation process is complete they should then apply to the New Zealand Teachers Council for registration and a practising certificate.
10 What about my qualifications? Will they be OK?
If you obtained teacher education qualifications from a New Zealand teacher education provider you will only need to be sure that you have the original documents or certified copies to attach to your teacher registration application form. The same provision applies to returning teachers with overseas qualifications but they must also attach certified copies of any New Zealand Qualifications Authority statements on their qualifications.
11 How do I know whether my English is good enough to teach in New Zealand?
To be eligible for New Zealand teacher registration you must be proficient in at least one of the official languages of New Zealand (English or Maori). You are considered proficient in English/Maori if you completed your teacher education in New Zealand in English/Maori. If you completed your teacher education in English and in a country where English is an official language you just need to supply evidence that that was the case when you seek teacher registration.
12 English was not an official language where I got my qualifications. What do I have to do to get registered?
If you have taught in English in a country where English was the first or primary language for two of the last five years, you need to produce evidence that you can communicate effectively in English in a teaching setting. Otherwise, you must have completed one of the English/Maori language tests, such as IELTS, where you got a score of at least seven for each component. More details of these tests can be found on the Teachers Council website.
13 What about the police clearance I’ve heard you have to get?
Regardless of your nationality, you must obtain clearance in the form of a police certificate from any overseas country where you have spent a significant period of say more than twelve months in the last ten years if you were over the age of 16 years. But, if you have lived or stayed in New Zealand, you must complete Section 1 of the registration application form where you consent to the disclosure by the New Zealand Police of any information they may have pursuant to applications for teacher registration.
14 What are the pay and conditions like now?
Primary and secondary teachers in New Zealand have pay parity but the unions negotiate separately with the government and at different times. A $300 million pay deal negotiated for primary school workers has recently been ratified. It covers collective agreements for support staff, primary school principals and teachers, and area school teachers and principals. The agreements delivered primary teachers a 4 per cent annual pay increase for up to three years.
15 What about relieving work?
Another way of finding a teaching position is to present yourself as a relieving teacher at a school. If you get some relieving work – and this is a good way to get familiar with how schools are working these days – it is a good way for a school to get to know you. Then, if your relieving teaching has been successful and you fit the criteria outlined in the advertisement when a vacant position becomes available, you are in a good position to make an application.
16 Can I just be a reliever?
Some teachers prefer relieving to a full-time position as it better suits their situation. However, unless you want to work in a large school, day to day relieving work can be a bit spasmodic. Often, you also need a lot of experience at different levels within the school to be valuable to the principal. It is wise to be very professional and to leave a record of exactly what you have done while the appointed teacher was absent. There are sometimes long term relieving positions of ten weeks – one term– or more and these are usually advertised in the Education Gazette unless the principal knows a suitable local reliever who may be able to fill the position. Recruitment agents may also be of some help here.
17 What do relievers get paid?
A day reliever working on a few days here, few days there basis would be paid 1:190 of the appropriate annual salary according to their qualifications and experience provided that this amount is not above Step 10 of the Collective Agreement. Long term relievers are those who work for six weeks or more and they are paid at the appropriate annual salary they would normally receive if they were permanent employees. Full details can be found in the Collective Agreement on the Ministry of Education website www.minedu.govt.nz
18 Can I work part time if I choose?
There will be opportunities where you can work part time if that is what you prefer. Schools often have part-time positions in different areas of the school and you would need to approach the principal of a school where you want to teach to see if this is possible. Part-time positions are often advertised in the Education Gazette but if you form an association with a school you will soon know what is likely to happen in the future
19 What is the New Zealand Curriculum Framework?
It is the foundation policy statement covering teaching, learning, and assessment of all students in all New Zealand schools. It acknowledges that individual students have unique learning needs, identifies the knowledge, understanding, skills, and attitudes which all students must develop if they are to play a full part in the world in which they live and work. To find out about what the framework includes visit the TeachNZ website at www.teachnz.govt.nz and go to the ‘returning to teaching’ section and click on ‘school curriculum’.
20 How many terms do schools have?
Schools now have four terms each academic year instead of three. This means that the terms are of about ten weeks duration which makes planning much easier and children cope better with more regular breaks in the school year. Schools are open for the same number of days per year but they are just arranged differently. Term dates for 2008 appear on the TeachNZ website as well as on the Ministry of Education website at www.minedu.govt.nz
21 How are schools governed and managed these days?
Since 1989 schools have been governed by boards of trustees and this has not changed in recent years. The boards of trustees establish the governance procedures which the principal must use to manage the school with the support of the staff. There is a staff representative on the school’s board of trustees.
22 What about international students? I’ve never taught them?
Many primary schools enrol international students from countries such as South Korea, Japan and China. If the school where you obtain a position has a number of students, you can be assured that you will get full information on how the school manages them from staff who are usually especially employed by the school to manage the programme of enrolments the school offers.
23 Assessment? Has the way we gauge a child’s progress changed much?
You won’t have to worry about NCEA in the primary school! On its website, the Ministry of Education has up-to-date information on a New Zealand developed assessment tool which helps teachers uncover strengths and gaps in student learning. asTTle (Assessment Tool for Teaching and Learning) tests reading, writing and mathematics skills and is available in both English and te reo Māori from curriculum levels 2 to 5 (years 5 - 10). The results gained by teachers enables them to identify individual and group strengths and weaknesses, gauge progress, monitor patterns and trends, and to compare these with national standards. This enables a teacher to be able to develop personalised approaches to help individual students where they need it most. Information is in the ‘School’ section of the website under ‘Curriculum, Teaching and Learning’.
24 ICT…where can I find out more about that?
The best website would be www.minedu.govt.nz. This the main website for ICT in Schools from which you can access publications and links to information about the strategies, programmes, research, and events supporting and promoting the effective use of information and communication technologies in schools. Further information is available in Te Kete Ipurangi which is the Ministry of Education’s bilingual website for schools. Access to this site is on the www.minedu.govt.nz home page – just click on ‘Useful Links’.
25 Will I be able to get a job in my local area?
Currently, the greatest need for additional primary teachers is in the Auckland area. Rolls are still growing as the population continues to expand. The Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions are also seeing population increases. The population drift north from Invercargill and Southland, together with the increase in migrant numbers, is seeing some expansion to school rolls in Christchurch. Other regions of New Zealand have minimal population growth but natural attrition and government policies regarding pupil:teacher ratios means that there is still some demand for returning primary teachers.
26 What is Classroom Release Time?
Classroom Release Time is an entitlement for every teacher and forms part of the NZEI collective agreement. It entitles full-time teachers to 10 hours release time per term for professional learning needs.