MOSO

Teachers are often employed on a one-year's contract when starting at a new school - but the pay/benefits are identical to a permanent employee. At primary level this is mostly due to either the teacher being a beginning teacher so they need to complete 2 years probation before they become a fully qualified teacher. This also means they need an experienced mentor teacher at the school who is paid extra - so it depends on staffing available/willing and also covers the school if the beginning teacher doesn't pass their registration.

The other reason at primary is that roll numbers vary depending on numbers especially at the junior level, so if there's a dip in roll they won't re-employ a teacher as they're on a contract.

But it also gives the new teacher the option to move elsewhere if they don't want to continue working at the school or find a better job.

Teacher vacancies are advertised here https://gazette.education.govt.nz/vacancies/ - there are loads this year, far more than in previous years. Jobs for next year are coming out now (my school was interviewing today for next year).

I don't know much about teaching at secondary level - but I do know they get at least 5 hours release time a week compared to primary who get 10 hours per term......one of the many reasons primary school teachers are striking!

BEVS

Important bit is the length of contract for a prospective migrant to apply for residency.

Would a new overseas teacher gain a long term - as in 2 years or more - permanent full time contract?

Mind you a year would get someone a temp work visa.

UK2PTviaNZandChina

My wife and I had very similar route from UK to NZ. If the original poster want to hear about how we fared in NZ, exploring, teaching bringing up our kids and how after 6 years as we escaped the Financial crisis which came at a nasty time for us, and ended up, of all places, most unexpectedly in the International School sector in Shanghai for 10 years, we'd have no problem skyping to answer any questions or throw light. We have many experiences and no axe to grind.

carcajou

It would be helpful if you shared some of your experiences in this forum. We do get a lot of lurkers here who, for whatever reason, never sign up as posters, but do digest valuable information like people's own experiences.

I realise I am coming back to the party late for these other comments but:

MrsFrychan, there is no requirement for overseas trained teachers to demonstrate proficiency in the Treaty of Waitangi:

https://educationcouncil.org.nz/cont...rseas-teachers

BEVS, an interesting legal point you raise, but in a practical sense I think it is moot due to the hiring culture in schools. Sifting through graduate CVs can be something of a crapshoot . . . let alone graduate teachers who trained elsewhere. So, offering a permanent contract to a graduate teacher, with no New Zealand experience, who is on a temporary visa? I would not be holding out hope for this if I was OP.

diddy22

Hi. Been in NZ 10 years and my advice to you would be don't bother, go to Australia. Worked in education for 5 years but had to come out of it as the wages for teachers here are poor, housing is pretty crap and expensive, big divide between the have and have-nots, tall poppy syndrome, high culture of bullying within work and schools, kiwis who say "we must meet up for lunch" but never do as they are very clicky. Great beaches but not much else to do as every town has the same shops, bakeries etc etc. Lacks culture and excitement. Off to Australia where the people are nicer, friendly, open minded, well travelled and don't have the "small country syndrome". Good Luck

A4Ron

One thing that has always concerned me about the NZ education system is the sheer volume of people here who don't know the difference between 'bought' and 'brought'.

I know an English school teacher who consistently says 'brought' when buying products. Terrifying. And that's just one example. What on earth are they teaching them?

diddy22

Woman is used for groups of women - bizarre and cavemanish

BEVS

That's in part the dialect surely. We UKers tend to say Wimmen.

diddy22

Women is for more than one woman, and woman is for one..they use woman for one and for many....

BEVS

I know that

....as I said, that is likely more to do with accent & pronunciation just as UKers will say wimmen. It isn't how it is written.

No big deal really though is it. Most all of us have accents and dialects in the way we speak. My husband is a yamyam. You'd curl up at some of his use of language.

jayandbill

I think you'll find that Social media addiction is as much an issue in NZ as it is in Britain. youngsters seems to have their faces in their phones for much of their day. They don't play outside enjoying the 'great outdoors' any more than the average British youngster, in fact most of what goes on in Britain goes on here as well, including bullying.

christmasoompa

Exactly. If somebody has a child that's glued to their phone and social media, moving to NZ (or any other country) isn't going to magically change that.

BEVS

The kids here are every bit as much into their phones and social media as anywhere else. They honestly are.
It is only if the parents, like our next door neighbours, limit or exclude it that it doesn't take hold.
Some schools here are now adding tablets to the stationery lists , to be provided by the parents of course.

MOSO

"Some schools here are now adding tablets to the stationary lists , to be provided by the parents of course."

You mean stationEry of course! (sorry, couldn't resist being a teacher!!!!!)

BEVS

Oh dear. Of course. Yes I did. I will correct it . So very important.
That will teach me not to try and type using my phone and without my glasses,. Or perhaps I should write spectacles, meaning the glasses upon my nose without which, of course, I could make a spectacle of myself with a weeny overlooked auto-correct