Primary School Teacher

[Mljm]

Hi there, our family are hoping to move to New Zealand from the UK, we have been told our best chance is to secure a primary school teacher job before applying for our visa, we would be happy to work anywhere in New Zealand but still assume its going to be a difficult to find suitable employment. Any advice or insight would be greatfully accepted.

[JandM]

This post is not going to be encouraging - sorry.

There is a registration procedure to be gone through before being acceptable as a teacher in NZ. https://educationcouncil.org.nz/cont...rseas-teachers

Even when registered, there is no easy path to getting appointed to a teaching position. There isn't a teacher shortage in NZ, so most vacancies can be filled by NZers or people who already have residence themselves, or a visa giving them the right to work in NZ because of their partner, and the employers are legally bound to consider such people before they would look at a foreign would-be migrant. The only positions where a newcomer might get a look-in are those needing obscure specialisms for which they are qualified (very rare in primary education), or those in a place that is seen as disadvantaged in some way (e.g. isolation) so there is a lack of home-grown applicants.

Then, it is almost unheard of for a teacher to be appointed without being interviewed in person. Even more than that, teachers who have registration and are already in NZ with residence or a partner-sponsored visa (that is, those who can legally take any job their are offered at once), rarely get a job of their own straight out. Instead, they can get taken onto several local schools' lists for supply teaching, then, when they have been used from time to time, if that has worked out well, they may be considered if a permanent position comes up. As you can see, this is not a situation that someone still overseas, dependent for a visa on the offer of a f/t permanent or at least longer-term contract, can readily break into.

You are saying you have been told a teaching job is your best chance. However, does the partner who is not a teacher have a trade or profession? If s/he could land a job offer qualifying for a work visa, the teacher and the children could get visas dependent upon that.