[icemaiden]

I wonder if anyone can answer this for me please. I just received my assessment back from NZQA and they have assessed me as being a level 7 despite me having a Bachelors Degree with Honours (which they seem to class on their website as a level 8).

Can anyone enlighten me about this please? I have already dropped a line to NZIS to ask them whether it will make any significant difference to my application as I can't find the points allocations for the qualifications. Again, maybe someone would be kind enough to enlighten me.

[Mrs Pony]

Found this...

http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/stream/work/skilledmigrant/caniapply/claimingpoints/recognisedqualifications.htm


Points
Undergraduate qualification = 50


Bonus Points
Recognised basic New Zealand qualification (e.g. trade qualification, diploma, bachelors degree, bachelors degree with honours) = 5

[icemaiden]

Thank you Renee - it looks like it'll only make 5 points of a difference then, i.e. 120 instead of 125. Still, I can't believe they say one thing on their website and then contradict themselves with their assessment. I just didn't want to start spending more money than necessary in appealing, etc.

Hope your plan B is progressing ok. Stay positive - we'll have a coffee when we both get to Wellington:)

[icemaiden]

Update: I just got an unbelievably fast response from NZIS London who confirmed that the levels make no difference at all to my application. Breathe again ...

[tea drinker]

Glad that is all sorted :yes

[napiers]

I wonder if anyone can answer this for me please. I just received my assessment back from NZQA and they have assessed me as being a level 7 despite me having a Bachelors Degree with Honours (which they seem to class on their website as a level 8).

Can anyone enlighten me about this please? I have already dropped a line to NZIS to ask them whether it will make any significant difference to my application as I can't find the points allocations for the qualifications. Again, maybe someone would be kind enough to enlighten me.

Glad it's all OK from the points aspect.

I wasn't sure about this at first as I was assessed at Level 7 and have BA Hons too. I checked with a few other people on here who had the same as me. What I imagine it boils down to is that in NZ to get an honours degree you have to do another year on top of your 3 year degree rather than a standard 3 year degree like here. I've been through this with OH who studied for 3 yrs in NZ and just has a degree and has told me (a few times) that just because it doesn't say honours like mine does it is exactly the same! :) He says they actually would have to work to get an honours degree. I like our system better! :D

HTH.

[thewoodies]

I am waiting on my assesment i did a 4 year degree B ED (Hons) wonder if it will make a difference - if i ever get to hear from them - i will let you know - its been 3 months!!!

[napiers]

I am waiting on my assesment i did a 4 year degree B ED (Hons) wonder if it will make a difference - if i ever get to hear from them - i will let you know - its been 3 months!!!

Don't know about a BEd. I did my BA hons and then did a PGCE and I'm still Level 7 overall - as the others teachers who replied to my thread when I asked (and they'd done various routes to teaching.) I think that Honours is an extra qualification in NZ. So if we'd done the same degrees etc in the 'NZ' way we would have no Honours on our degree. From what OH is telling me we would have had to do an additional year. It seems like Honours degrees are just what we do and they don't. I would imagine that for teaching a BEd would still be level 7 because it's the standard length course (even though you can do the 'fast track' in 3 yrs now!!) Would be interested in what yours says though because if it's higher than level 7 then I might have something to say to NZQA!!!

[icemaiden]

Mine also took almost three months. NZQA received it on 13th June. You should hear soon.

[napiers]

And FYI I posted my teaching certs etc to NZQA just after Easter hols and got them back in the last week of term, so approx 3 months. I had practically no communication from them - I hounded them initially just to check they had stuff, then they asked me for PGCE transcript which I couldn't supply. They then said that was fine and assessed it all and I heard nothing until it was sent back! So if my experience was anything to go by and you haven't been asked for extra info then hopefully it should be with soon. :roll

[Parsley]

If you've got a BSc (Hons) and the degree was four years cos the third year was a year in work with assessments, would that give you the level 8 instead of level 7 then?

[napiers]

I don't know! OH has added extra comments about Honours degrees. He said that he would have had to qualify to even do an extra year's study to get an honours degree by averaging over a certain number of marks during his degree. Then he would have had to do the extra year study. He says it's like doing the first year of a masters degree - so it really is a step up. When you get your honours degree if you then decide to do a masters then it will take less time. I guess it depends whether the 4th year of your degree was equivalent to a masters standard? My guess is that it doesn't matter if your UK degree is 3 or 4 years (after all language degrees and some others, like in Scotland I think are usually 4 years) if it was a standard degree (however long) then it'll be level 7. I should think that to get a level 8 you would have to do a separate course at a significantly higher level to a degree. All I know is that a PGCE doesn't push it do a level 8 because it's still at bachelors degree level.

When the NZ side wake up some of them might have a better idea. I think most of us in the normal way of things would be a level 7.

[Parsley]

Ach, bum - so doing a 4 year degree plus a PGCE on top of that won't bump the level up. Oh, well, it's not really an issue for me at the mo, as we haven't done OH's reccie trip yet (I'd go tomorrow if I could sell the house!) and we're not at the stage of applying for PR. Thanks for the info tho'. :)

[thewoodies]

Don't know about a BEd. I did my BA hons and then did a PGCE and I'm still Level 7 overall - as the others teachers who replied to my thread when I asked (and they'd done various routes to teaching.) I think that Honours is an extra qualification in NZ. So if we'd done the same degrees etc in the 'NZ' way we would have no Honours on our degree. From what OH is telling me we would have had to do an additional year. It seems like Honours degrees are just what we do and they don't. I would imagine that for teaching a BEd would still be level 7 because it's the standard length course (even though you can do the 'fast track' in 3 yrs now!!) Would be interested in what yours says though because if it's higher than level 7 then I might have something to say to NZQA!!!

Not worth all that extra effort and student debt then!!!!:laugh:laugh:wah

[thewoodies]

I am waiting on my assesment i did a 4 year degree B ED (Hons) wonder if it will make a difference - if i ever get to hear from them - i will let you know - its been 3 months!!!

I got level 7 for my degree:yes

[icemaiden]

It seems then that our Honours system doesn't count for much with NZQA then. When I looked at their initial assessment points, a 'normal' degree got a level 7 and an honours got a level 8. There seems to be quite a few of us have only been awarded a level 7 then. It seems odd. However, as NZIS confirmed, it doesn't matter at all.

[andrewp]

...However, as NZIS confirmed, it doesn't matter at all.

At first I was worried because South African honours (4 year) degrees also were being assessed as level 7. However, since you get the same number of point it really makes no difference.

[Potato]

I got Level 7 for a BSc (Hons), it didn't surprise me because somewhere on their site it says that UK Bachelors Degrees with Honours are assessed as being Level 7.

[Craggyfarm]

Hi, My experience with the NZQA lasted several months. I paid for fast service and did all the donkey work for them. Honours Degree in Engineering in 1976, no transcripts but eventually sourced a list of modules. Additionally I am a Chartered Engineer and should have got Level 8 but only got Level 7 because honours courses in NZ are 4 years duration and mine was only 3 years. Naturally we worked harder! Julian

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

Hi guys...just wanted to bump this up rather than posting a new thread. I was not aware that most undergrad degrees in New Zealand were three years rather than 4 years...since the equivalent in America is almost always four years. (We don't really have an equivalent to the Hons degree, although you can graduate with honours, i.e. summa cum laude, magna cum laude, etc.) Does this extra year mean that my Bachelor of Arts would be assessed as a level 8 rather than a level 7? And would it make any difference either way? We're currently stuck at 100 points so any extra little bonus would be a huge help...

[thewoodies]

Glad it's all OK from the points aspect.

I wasn't sure about this at first as I was assessed at Level 7 and have BA Hons too. I checked with a few other people on here who had the same as me. What I imagine it boils down to is that in NZ to get an honours degree you have to do another year on top of your 3 year degree rather than a standard 3 year degree like here. I've been through this with OH who studied for 3 yrs in NZ and just has a degree and has told me (a few times) that just because it doesn't say honours like mine does it is exactly the same! :) He says they actually would have to work to get an honours degree. I like our system better! :D

HTH.

I only got level 7 i am B Ed (hons) 4!!! year degree 4 terms teaching in schools!!!!! (UK)

[napiers]

I only got level 7 i am B Ed (hons) 4!!! year degree 4 terms teaching in schools!!!!! (UK)

I guess that's the same as my BA (hons) plus PGCE. Except I didn't have 4 terms in school but a whole 15 weeks (I think!!). The extra time for teacher training, whether a BEd or PGCE, doesn't appear to count for any extra! :rolleyes:

[susan81]

I've had friends here with the same problem -- honours degrees from Canadian universities getting a level 7 instead of a level 8. One was told that it was a matter of the number of 4th year courses/ credits in the degree -- not just the length of time to complete.

[Jock_Tamson]

I got Level 7 for a BSc (Hons), it didn't surprise me because somewhere on their site it says that UK Bachelors Degrees with Honours are assessed as being Level 7.

What about Scotland?

I had to do 4 years there to get BA (Hons)...