lockstock
17th February 2008, 06:34 PM
Here's one I had to find out the hard way. I spent a fortune getting my quals assessed (fasttrack) with the NZQA - not to mention scrabbling around getting all the stuff together in the first place (and the photocopies and certification thereof). Then another load of forms and a fee to the Teachers' Council for registration. All that information plus more photocopies also went to NZIS for the PR visa.
I get the job and have to fill in more forms to get my salary scale assessed and, incredibly, the Ministry of Education want sight of and certified copies of...wait for it...all my original certificates and letters from previous employers proving experience etc and the letter from the NZQA. When I queried this with the school secretary (as formidable as any I have met in the UK!) and said that surely the NZQA assessment - a prerequisite for teacher registration - PLUS a Teacher Registration number was enough, I was told no, the Principal needs to see the documents and certify them.
I had no idea where the paperwork was until the originals got sent back with the visas and the experience verification letters turned up in the container. As a result, I have been put on basic pay until they sort it all out. I'll get back pay eventually but it's really annoying when you spend all that money getting stuff assessed and then that agency's word isn't good enough. Bizarre when you consider that all NZ's qualifications are verified by NZQA. Someone's on a nice little earner somewhere.
The other annoying bit is that the government is giving us a laptop computer. Ungrateful wretch I hear you cry. I wish I had known on December 31st in PCWorld when I bought one because I didn't want to pay NZ prices (and even they aren't that bad!).
OK spleen vented.
I get the job and have to fill in more forms to get my salary scale assessed and, incredibly, the Ministry of Education want sight of and certified copies of...wait for it...all my original certificates and letters from previous employers proving experience etc and the letter from the NZQA. When I queried this with the school secretary (as formidable as any I have met in the UK!) and said that surely the NZQA assessment - a prerequisite for teacher registration - PLUS a Teacher Registration number was enough, I was told no, the Principal needs to see the documents and certify them.
I had no idea where the paperwork was until the originals got sent back with the visas and the experience verification letters turned up in the container. As a result, I have been put on basic pay until they sort it all out. I'll get back pay eventually but it's really annoying when you spend all that money getting stuff assessed and then that agency's word isn't good enough. Bizarre when you consider that all NZ's qualifications are verified by NZQA. Someone's on a nice little earner somewhere.
The other annoying bit is that the government is giving us a laptop computer. Ungrateful wretch I hear you cry. I wish I had known on December 31st in PCWorld when I bought one because I didn't want to pay NZ prices (and even they aren't that bad!).
OK spleen vented.