Teaching in New Zealand

New Zealand is a country of stunning natural beauty and unique cultures, combining a population of mainly European descent with the indigenous Maori people. The country’s natural beauty and spectacular scenery attracts tourists and expats from all over the world and the nation’s friendly locals welcome newcomers with open arms.

New Zealand offers an excellent education system, priding itself for being among the top 20 countries in the world for their quality of education (according to the 2015 BBC UK Global School Rankings). While the demand for primary and secondary teachers and early childhood educators is high, it can be difficult for overseas trained teachers to secure teaching jobs in New Zealand unless you have training listed on Immigration New Zealand’s skills shortage list and the hiring body can show that it was unable to recruit a suitable New Zealand teacher.

How to find teaching jobs in New Zealand

Schools and early childhood services in New Zealand are responsible for hiring their own staff. Since there is no central staffing agency or government department responsible for teacher recruitment, you must apply directly to school or institution you wish to work for. It is advised that teachers visit online teacher job boards to find and apply for teaching jobs in New Zealand.

The number of school teachers leaving their profession is at its lowest point in 10 years, as is the number of teaching vacancies, reducing the number of positions available for teachers looking for work. This can present some challenges to overseas trained teachers hoping to take their career to New Zealand, but that isn’t to say that there are no teaching opportunities whatsoever. Teachers who do secure a teaching job in New Zealand will need to prove their English language proficiency and have their qualifications assessed by the New Zealand Qualification for the purposes of teacher registration and starting salary. Teachers will also be required to provide a police clearance check from their home country.

There are three types of schools in New Zealand – state schools, “state-integrated schools” and private schools.

State schools are public schools, funded by the government, and educate the vast majority of New Zealand children. These schools are free to attend, but parents may be asked for a contribution to help cover the costs of activities outside of the core curriculum.

“State-integrated” schools are former private schools that have now been integrated into state education. These schools may be run by a particular religious faith (for example, Catholic schools) or use specialist education methods such as a Montessori school. Just over 10% of New Zealand children are enrolled in state-integrated schools.

Finally, private schools account for just under 5% of the student population in New Zealand, and students must pay tuition to attend.

Teachers must have a Bachelor degree and some form of tertiary degree (for example, a state or provincial issued teaching license) to be considered for teaching positions in New Zealand. Teachers will need to have their education and teaching qualifications assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and also gain registration through the Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. In addition, teachers must provide a police clearance check in order to secure a teaching job.

A typical school day in New Zealand usually starts at 9am and runs until 3-3:30pm, including two recess breaks and a lunch break throughout the day. There are four school terms in the year, with a two week break between each term and a 6-week summer holiday.

There are two ways to obtain a working visa to teach in New Zealand. Depending on your qualifications, you may qualify for a working visa in which you will secure a teaching job before your arrival and your school will sponsor your visa. This may be pose a challenge, as the school needs to be able to prove to Immigration that they were unable to fill the vacancy with a New Zealand teacher. Typically, this type of work visa will be limited to teachers whose skills and training are listed on the Immigration New Zealand skills shortage list. On the other hand, many teachers qualify for a working holiday visa and begin their job search after receiving their visa and arriving to the country. In order to apply for a working holiday visa, you must:

• Be a citizen of a country that has a working holiday agreement with New Zealand
• Meet Working Holiday basic requirements, such as age, health and character prerequisites
• Meet specific criteria based on the applicant’s country of origin, including the length of stay and available funds
• Have not qualified under the Working Holiday Visa Scheme before.

Teaching opportunities for ESL teachers exist in large cities where the immigrant and refugee population is higher than the rest of the country. Teachers should hold a TEFL certification to qualify for ESL teaching positions in New Zealand, and Teach Away recommends the online TEFL certificate offered by the University of Toronto.

Register for a teacher account to apply for teaching jobs in New Zealand.