Kindergarten Teaching in NZ -eligibility from UK?

[themilkybarkid]

We arrive in Welly in Jan.
My wife has a BA and did a post grad cert in higher education which she did at teacher training college to be a qualified teacher (infants)
She has over 20 years experience working as a teacher in Nursery Schools and more recently at an Early Years centre.

She is thinking she would like to do some voluntary work in Wellington to make sense and gain experience of the set up in NZ before applying for a p/t job with children 3-5yrs old.

So my questions are:

1. Will she be able to do vol. work (she has a CRB enhanced police check)
2. Will she be 'qualified' to teach in NZ?
3. If not will she be suitable/acceptable for other posts with young children?

many thanks kind forum folk!

[4pommes]

Hi,
Don't know about voluntary work....

To obtain paid employment/agency work your wife will have to get her qualifications fully assessed by NZQA.

After then she can apply to the Teacher's Council for registration.
Only then will anyone consider employing your wife.

Have a look at www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz and www.teachnz.govt.nz

hth

Lydia

[JandM]

Yes, DO look at all the detail on those websites. There has been quite a bit of angst for some forum members who applied thinking they were going to be working in ECE, and then found that their foreign qualifications and experience were not recognized in NZ. Broadly, it seems that NZ ECE qualifications include childcare elements which do not appear in UK ones - one of the rare UK ECE teacher members to gain recognition was one who was NNEB trained (nannying) as well as pre-school/infant teacher trained.

[Margarita]

May I ask what her BA is in? Do you mean a post grad in higher education as in teaching of adults?

If her degree is not in ECE it is very unlikely she will be able to become a qualified ECE Teacher. I may be wrong and her post grad could work but unless it covers 0-5 at least it's highly unlikely. Unfortunaly experiance doesn't make up for lack of correct qualification in this area.

JandM I've done it and I was BA HONS Qualified without postgrad but only because my degree covered 0-8 and involved assessed practicum as well as univeristy study. Quite close to an NZ degree without the Maori aspects

[themilkybarkid]

My wife has worked as a Nursery teacher in ECE for decades - but if experience wont suffice maybe her qualifications will??

• BA (HONS) in Social Studies
• First School (Early Years) PGCE
• plus a Nursery Education Certificate

[Margarita]

It is possible I guess but may be a tricky fight. She doesn't have what you could call a degree equivalent qualification in ECE which is the key requirement. You could try the NZQA route and apply to the teachers council for registration which would give you the answer. Without the degree it is unlikely you could claim the extra points for qualification and experience in a LTSS area but if you do manage to persuade the teachers council enough to give your wife registration you might just be able to get a job offer. It would be a fight there to though as all jobs advertise for a degree or diploma in ECE.

The only other option would be for your wife to go back to study in NZ and complete a post graduate diploma in Early Childhood Education. These are year long courses and can be used to upgrade any degree.

In all fairness I could be wrong and someone may come along with different answers but I've worked with so many people who are having to train again because their international degree is not good enough and been to university with a girl who got her foundation degree assesses only to be told it's not good enough. They are so strict with qualifications especially in the ECE sector that I was so extremely surprised that even mine made it through.

[Familyofmonkeys]

This might help:

http://www.teachnz.govt.nz/thinking-...tions/graduate

[themilkybarkid]

Many thanks Lydiam Margarita and FoM for the information and some pointers

It looks a tough call and discussion/assessment with the teachers council is the way to go.

If a further qualification is required then my partner won't be teaching and may see if assistant or support jobs are available.

But we'll see what they say.

thanks again forum ppl

[lizzie2010]

Hi
I'm really interested to hear your stories, I AM A DEPUTY Manager of a u.k. pre-school and SENCO for my setting too...I QUALIFY WITH A BA(Hons) in Early yEars education and childcare in June so I am really keen to make the move with my family, I am 43 in March so think I need a job offer to get points???