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Teaching jobs in New Zealand
New Zealand offers some wonderful opportunities for experienced
teachers to live and work there. With the population of New Zealand
reaching over 4 million people for the first time recently, and
with New Zealand becoming a more popular and attractive destination
to live and raise a family, there is an ever increasing need for
quality teaching staff. Currently there is a shortage of skilled
personnel right across the spectrum of teaching throughout the country
and there is currently an active recruitment drive by the New Zealand
government to address that issue. In particular, secondary school
(ages 13 – 17) teachers of mathematics, technology, science,
English, and physical education are in high demand. |
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New Zealand is a bi-lingual country with both English and Maori as
the country’s accepted languages. Prospective teachers in
New Zealand need to have a strong command of the English language
and will be expected to have an understanding and appreciation
of the Maori culture.
While
the pay structure for teaching jobs in New Zealand is not considered
extremely high, New Zealand has one of the lowest costs of living
in the Western world so your dollar goes a lot further. Salary
is entirely dependant on the role you are going for and your previous
qualifications and experience. It is vital therefore that you
are able to provide documentary proof of your past education and
experience.
Teachers with overseas qualifications will need to have their credentials
assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
This body will verify that your qualifications are of a similar
standard to those offered in New Zealand and will assist you with
registration as a teacher and help you with regard to salary negotiations.
You can download an application and obtain further information from
the NZQA website here.
Bear in mind that the process can take up to 6 weeks, although for
a fee you can have the process fast tracked.
Once you have your qualifications assessed by the NZQA you can apply
to register as a teacher in New Zealand with the Teachers
Council of New Zealand. You must do this before you can be granted
a work visa if your intention is to come to New Zealand specifically
to find a teaching position. There are other avenues to obtaining
a work visa, but if you intend to apply for positions from abroad,
you need to obtain teacher registration first and then your work
visa. You can request an application form from the Teachers Council
here.
When applying to the Teachers Council you will need to provide the
assessment of your qualifications by the NZQA as well as any supporting
documents to demonstrate your ability in English if you come from
a country other than England, U.S., or Canada or similar English
speaking countries. You can get a full list of exempt countries
from the Teachers Council. One other document that you should prepare
before heading for New Zealand is a Police certificate of character.
These are easily obtained in your own country but can take a very
long time to obtain from New Zealand. You may be required to present
one for immigration purposes, and for the sake of a little foresight,
it can save a lot of time later. |
If you're applying for a teaching job in New Zealand as a way into
the country, you might like to read our feature on 'Finding
Overseas Jobs', and have a look at the immigration
requirements for New Zealand.
Once
you have had your qualifications assessed by the NZQA, and have
been registered with the Teachers Council, you are free to apply
for work in New Zealand as a teacher. You may then apply for a
work permit on the grounds of employment as a teacher and you
should, under normal circumstances, be granted a work permit for
a set period of time.
To
find primary school and secondary school teaching positions you
should first look to The
Education Gazette, which is produced by the New Zealand Government.
Primary and Secondary school positions cover the main bulk of
teaching positions in state schools across New Zealand, while
higher education and University positions are normally advertised
in newspapers or on the institution’s own website. It should
be noted that while your application for a work permit will be
looked upon favourably if you are a secondary school teacher,
primary school teachers are only currently in demand within the
Auckland area, so your application will be enhanced only with
an offer of employment from that region.
In
addition to The Education Gazette, private agencies are a good
source of teaching jobs. If you utilise the services of an agency
for employment only be sure that you are not required to pay for
their services. These agencies will receive their commission from
the educational facility that hires you. If you use an agency
for immigration purposes also there may well be a fee expected
of you.
New Zealand offers much to those who have something to offer in
return. If you’re bound for New Zealand and teaching is your
vocation you should be in for an exciting time ahead. We’ve
put together a collection of Internet resources that will help you
in your search for employment as a teacher in New Zealand –
click here.
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