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Thread: Teachers! Help on the GTP issue

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Christchurch, New Zealand
    Posts
    100

    Default Teachers! Help on the GTP issue

    Hi. Me and my partner are in NZ (4 weeks and counting!). He was a teacher in the UK, trained through the GTP and has 5 years experience as QTS. Because of him not having an academic teaching qualification (i.e a PGCE), he had to register via Track 2 registration. He supplied the NZTC with everything they asked for, but has received a letter back this weekend informing him that his registration has been declined because he has no academic award for teaching. They already knew this!

    They're being pretty unhelpful, their only suggestion has been that he do a teaching qualification here and then try registering again. Possible, but ridiculous considering he has spent the past three years training new teachers in the UK. They had no other issues with his application - they were satisfied with his teaching record, other qualifications and his references.

    They have told him that they have registered GTP trained teachers before, but can't (or won't) tell him what the difference was between his application and those that were accepted.

    Has anyone got through this minefield personally, with a GTP? If you haven't do you know any teachers that have? What did you/they have that he hasn't?

    I completely understand that the NZTC has the right to register who they like, but why offer this route in the first place if they knew that they would decline him.

    Thanks for your help in advance...

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Warkworth , NZ
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    1,404

    Default

    Oh dear! Can't offer any advice really except that whenever I've rung the Teachers Council they've been very helpful.....might be worth a call or 2?

    Good luck!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Christchurch, New Zealand
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    Default

    Yeah we have tried. Problem being that the person you can speak to on the phone is not the person who can make decisions. The council themselves only come in once a month for their meetings...

    OH has found someone who trained that way and is now registered- we're hoping she has some pearls of wisdom...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Essex, UK
    Posts
    17

    Default

    We have exactly the same problem. My wife qualified with the GTP over 5 years ago. We completed all the paperwork for Track 2 and she fulfilled all of their criteria, yet got turned down in January.

    We are not sure of our next step. I must admit after getting turned down we got very disheartened and put our plans on hold. We would still love to move to New Zealand, but we need them to accept her GTP, which doesnt look likely.

    If you do find anyone who has been accepted with GTP please let us know how.

    Colin

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Oxford, North Canterbury, NZ
    Posts
    9

    Default GTP - Great but only in the UK!

    Hi there,

    As a GTP trained teacher in 2003, we too were totally dismayed that it wasn't recognised in NZ (By the way its not recognised by lots of other countries too!).

    The team at NZQA were helpful, honest and upfront in their advice with us and suggested doing a PGCE to show 'accredited academic' status for the teacher training part of our profession.

    I am an Early Years Coordinator in a very busy unit BUT did take on the challenge, completing a Masters level PGCE which I graduated from in Nov 2009 - £1000 lighter aswell!

    My second submission to NZQA was successful and the report was very thorough. This allowed me to register with the teachers council before our EOI was submitted - we fly out fully fledged at the end of July!

    We contacted lots of people including the Education ministers in the UK and NZ and key members of the TDA but no one seems to be prepared to a) make sure the GTP is accredited and recognised or b) accept the GTP until its in the 'Qualifications Handbook' as a recognised qualification.

    We are pleased to be this side of it all now, it was damned hard work to do and as an ITT mentor I know personally how great the GTP training route is - If it boiled down to choosing a candidate based on training I'd choose the GTP every time!

    Good luck in your quest - there are no guarantees with Route 2!

    If you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel - sometimes you have to get up and walk down there and turn it on yourself - its the only way.
    Last edited by Danjac; 14th June 2010 at 05:45 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Christchurch, New Zealand
    Posts
    100

    Default

    Danjac, thanks for the reply.

    We're currently still trying to 'fight' them - on the basis that we know of a GTP trained teacher that they have registered, and her case is similar to my OH. Problem with re-training is that we are a) already here b) OH would not have been allowed to do a PGCE in the UK as he already had QTS. Talk about stuck between a rock and a hard place!

    He does have the option of doing a GradDipTeaching here, but that will cost money, and as we don't have PR, a lot of money until we do get it. For the time being, he is trying to get other jobs and seeing how that goes whilst we are waiting for a reply from the teacher's council. If it all amounts to nothing, then re-training here might be his only option - but he's pretty loathed to do it as in the UK he was a ITT mentor too! On top of that, if he did it, there's nothing to stop them changing their minds in 1/2/3 years time and deciding they will accept it. I'm not epecting a complete u-turn but we're trying to seek further advice from them to see if they would accept some sort of masters study (so he is at least becoming further qualified in the process) or further study under a provisional registration period.

    "There are no guarantees with Track 2". Whilst I completely understand them saying this, when you provide them with a porfolio including all the documents they requested, with 6 years teaching experience, HOD for 3 years, ITT mentor for 3 years and excellent references (not to mention a teacher of the year nomination) you would think they would actually fully consider it, rather then a cut and paste response saying "sorry you don't have a PGCE - why don't you do one". The whole point of you having to do a track 2 is because you don't have a PGCE! From their reply, it seems to me that they didn't really consider his application at all, and they were always going to reject it.

    He has now done his full quota of 10 days of unregistered teaching in schools, and all of the staff he has met at several different schools think its a ridiculous situation. He is being employed part-time as a school sports coordinator, and the head is willing to apply for a limited authority to teach for him, so we're hopeful that that may lead somewhere.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Christchurch, New Zealand
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    Default

    An update - for anyone who's interested or might be searching for this issue. OH spoke to teacher's council this morning. Most of it was useless, bureaucratic excuses - his references are pretty much worthless as they don't come from an accredited institution and so can't be verified - what references do?! She did confirm that they have, in the past few years, got tougher on the GTP as they have found out more about it - mainly the fact that it is variable depending upon which local authority you do it with. Agreed, but surely this is true of any qualification?

    Anyhoo - ways forward:

    They are looking into prescribing some sort of 'top-up' course for people in this position, which she will be able to give more details of in a couple of months. Finger's crossed it materialises and its a sensible, not-too-expensive (in terms of time and money) and it offers a gaurantee that based upon your current experience, so long as you pass it, you'll get registration.

    On doing a master's here in NZ, she was able to say 'that would increase your chances of gaining registration' (but no gaurantees can be given so could be a huge waste of money/time).

    Some GTP institutions are offering 'upgrades' to an academic qualification - although I suspect that also includes more study, and you would have to still be in the UK to do it.

    Obviously, doing a PGCE in the first place would be much easier if you're that far in advance.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    7

    Default

    I qualified in 2000 in the UK under GTP and I'm working in NZ (since 2003).

    NZQA were not at all helpful but at at least I did my qualifications accepted. It sounds as if the situation has become even tougher. I'm happy for you to PM me but I'm not sure how relevant my experience may be.

    Good luck.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Timaru
    Posts
    13

    Default Teachers Registration

    The Teachers' Council (a protective body set up and staffed by NZ Teachers) are only interested in PGCE and the NZ Dip Tchg qualifications. The total of your teacher training must map on to the Dip Tchg Syllabus if they are going to regiister you. They are NOT interested in competence, experience or GTPs and will only authorise a LAT (Limited Authority to Teach) under duress even though they are losing teachers to Australia hand over fist. However there have been precedences .......... see Calbabe's thread......... and the Grad School in Christchurch (highly recommended) can qualify you with a Dip Tchg in less than a year.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Christchurch, New Zealand
    Posts
    100

    Default

    Yep OH is looking at doing the Grad School's course - most frustrating thing? Their course is assessed in exactly the same way as the GTP - a portfolio of evidence of practical teaching. Only difference is that NZTC say its good, so it ticks a box. I just know that in two years time they'll decide to accept the GTP (again) after he retrains to do the same thing he can already do. The joys of bureaucracy!

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