Teacher training in New Zealand?
 

Hi,

I'm currently living in the UK and wanting to apply for a PGCE here. However, I'm worried about getting on course and job prospects after.

My partner works in IT (which is an area of 'future growth' in NZ), so we have floated the idea of moving out there (a friend of ours has also recently done this!)

Would it be a crazy idea to do a graduate diploma in primary education out there?(I already have a BA). What if we then decided to move back to UK, would this qualification be recognised?

Any idea of my job prospects in NZ after getting the qualification?

Or what about ECE?

Confused! Thanks for any advice!

Re: Teacher training in New Zealand?
 

I've recently returned from NZ after teaching there for six years (quake related return). My first bit of advice would be to disregard any anecdotal evidence. People who say: "Oooh, they're crying-out for teachers in XYZ" seldom have any evidence to back it up. Register for job alerts through NZ's Education Gazette and then you will at least have some informed sense of the job market.

I'm a secondary ICT teacher. I spent the first six months just sending out CVs and pestering schools for supply work. Eventually I got a part-time contract which only became full-time once I had an offer elsewhere. My school was in no hurry to commit to staff if they didn't have to. They liked the flexibility of temporary contract teachers. Not saying that's representative of all schools by any means.

Qualifications will have to be assessed before you go out there in order to ascertain their official equivalent. Since NZ teachers are recruited to the UK all the time, I see no reason why a NZ teaching qualification wouldn't be valid in the UK.

Re: Teacher training in New Zealand?
 

I think it is difficult to have your qualifications recognised out here... I would say your best bet it to get your post-grad diploma here. Job market changes rapidly depends where you're willing to live and what area you'll be teaching. There is a post-grad diploma offered in Chch through NZGSE that is well recognised.... for me and my peers made it much easier to find work.