Qualification assessment for employment

Hi all,

I'm now starting the (hopefully not too long and arduous) process of applying for jobs with the Government in NZ. I'm currently doing an application for the Ministry of Health and the form says that of you have overseas qualifications they may need to be assessed by NZQA if they haven't already been done for immigration purposes.

My qualification have not been assessed as I've got my visa through the family stream, however my University and my qualifications, both undergraduate and postgraduate, are listed in the exemption list for immigration purposes. I know no one will be able to give me a definitive answer, but is it likely therefore that they will be accepted by the Ministry of Health or other government departments? Obviously I'll need to provide copies of certificates etc.

What do you think?

Thanks
Laura

I'm fairly certain that you're going to have to have them assessed by NZQA. What goes for INZ, just wanting to know that a person is 'educated', isn't the same as for a potential employer who is covering their back by having every employee's bona fides checked out.

I work for the government and I agree with JandM for two reasons.

Firstly, in most cases your quals need to be an exact match with the requirements for the job and secondly, combined with your work experience, they will define your pay scale as well.

So I think it is best to get them assessed before the jobhunt to avoid delay or disappointment afterwards.

Good luck with the jobhunt! :nice1

Just to add to what others said, exemption list for immigration purposes does not means exemption from employment assesment. It will be a good idea to get is sorted to avoid unnecessary delays.

Regards

I was going through the NZQA website and saw this

http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualificatio...r-immigration/

[QUOTE]1. Check if your qualification is on Immigration New Zealand's List of Qualifications Exempt from Assessment. This lists the qualifications that will get points without the need for an NZQA assessment.

Note: This list is for immigration purposes only. The inclusion of a qualification on this list does not have bearing on the status of the qualification for professional registration, further study, salary or employment purposes.
QUOTE]

It does depend entirely on the role you're applying for, judging by the responses here. I too work for a government body (Crown entity) and I didn't have any extra queries about my qualifications. However, if you're applying for a medical field, I'm guessing they will want reassurances that you're suitably qualified.

Why don't you call/email MoH and ask them what they recommend for the purposes of this job?

Thanks guys. I'm not applying for a medical field, I am a policy officer. The only government department that have mentioned it in any of the jobs I have looked at so far is the Ministry of Health and it's on a general form for all jobs so I wonder if it is because they often employ people in medical roles. Ministry of Social Development haven't mentioned it for instance, nor the Law Commission. For most policy jobs (with the exception of super specialist positions) they want you to have a degree in a vaguely useful subject - I have an undergrad and 2 post-grad degrees in Law so I fit that bill.

From memory for the job I'm applying for they want a tertiary qualification in law - I have 3 of those, so I more than meet the requirements.

They only say the qualification MAY need to be reviewed before an offer of employment can be confirmed - not before you are offered a position. Also I'm confident that my qualification, if assessed, will be confirmed and that they will meet the requirements of the role.

So, on balance I don't think I'm going to get them assessed unless I'm asked to as I may not need it (I'm not convinced I have that good a chance at this job) and tbh I don't have a spare $780 at the moment which is what it costs!