[Colin70]

My wife has been working as a qualified primary school teacher for 5 years. She is now at management level as Key Stage 1 Co-Ordinator. Unfortunately, she qualified via the GTP (Graduate Teacher Program) which we know is not recognised in NZ.

We are aware that we need to follow Track 2 registration with the teachers council, which means submitting evidence of her experience and training.

Has anyone here gone via this route yet? We are not entirely sure how much evidence we need to submit. We have a big box full of her assessments and training forms, but can't imagine we need to send it all!

Any advice is gratefully appreciated:D

[JandM]

I don't have direct experience of your situation, but in general terms I'd say you'd be better advised to send too much than not enough, and have them refuse you, or need to use up extra time by calling on you for more proof. List everything you're sending, in the order you're presenting it, on a header sheet, and say what it proves about her. Then whoever is considering it can select just what they need.

[tea drinker]

Don't know but would think about...
contracts -especially for management posts
job descriptions
references
threshold details?
evidence of CPD?

transcript of training

Will add to this if I think of anything :)

HTH

[Colin70]

I don't have direct experience of your situation, but in general terms I'd say you'd be better advised to send too much than not enough, and have them refuse you, or need to use up extra time by calling on you for more proof. List everything you're sending, in the order you're presenting it, on a header sheet, and say what it proves about her. Then whoever is considering it can select just what they need.

Excellent idea, better to have too much than not enough! Thanks.

And thanks tea drinker, some good points in there.

:clap:clap

[lockstock]

This is a tricky one. I started last January with a young teacher from the UK who was on the GTP programme. She hadn't received her TC reg when the school employed her (their fault not hers) and had serious problems trying to get her pay correct from the start. She struggled for more than 6 months on $27k (about £10k) whilst the school said they were sorting it out for her. It turns out they weren't and had 'forgotten'. She finally had to get union involved to try and sort out the registration issue. That was very stressful for her because she had been teaching (successfully) for nearly 10 years in the UK.

She had to return to the UK suddenly due to a serious illness in the family and had planned to return to NZ. In the meantime she gathered together all the docs and evidence the TC asked for in order to assess her application - including evidence of her work in NZ. The school and the union backed her application but, after several weeks of waiting she was still turned down because of the GTP issue. She won't be returning to NZ now.

I would be very careful to maintain constant contact with the TC and make absolutely sure you can get them what they ask for. Hopefully the management experience will strengthen you case. Good luck but please be aware their criteria are very stringent.

[Colin70]

Thanks for the input lockstock, appreciate it.

We are aware that it is going to be difficult, I have hunted high and low on the internet for any stories of people successfully getting the GTP recognised - I am still searching!

We have been told it can be done, I'm going to do my hardest to make sure we are successful.

[moonglum]

Weeeeeel,
My application to the NZTC via track 2 is currently awaiting their consideration (hopefully in Feb - they dont meet in Jan). If you look here:
http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/registration/how/eligibility/index.stm
you will see what documents they need for track2.
I spoke to some people at the NZTC there, and they said that I didnt need to send any lesson obs done during GTP, just the summative document.
I have no idea if I'll get registration - I suspect not, but worth a try.
I am currently toying with the idea of just doing a PGCE in the UK if I dont get registration via track2 - its an expensive option - since I wont get funding to do it - but it should ensure registration in the end.

Nick

[Colin70]

Thanks for the link and the info Nick.

So how come you don't think you'll get registration?

Please keep us up to date with your application, fingers crossed for you.

[moonglum]

Call me a pessimist,
but since I have yet to come across anyone who can actually say they have got registration via this route - I'm assuming it is all but impossible.
The NZTC is an odd organisation - it was set up just a few years ago with basically the sole purpose of being the gate keeper into the teaching profession. And they take their role very seriously!
I think they are basically about 20 years behind the UK, and think that unless you have a 'proper' teaching degree and have written 14000 word essays on the theory of cognition you arent really able to teach.
In the UK, they have realised that in many ways, an experienced physicsist with life experience and (in my case at least) 10 years of research into weapons systems can inspire the kids at least as well as someone who knows the theory of how to inspire kids!
Will keep this (and several other) forums updated!

Nick

[Colin70]

Call me a pessimist,
but since I have yet to come across anyone who can actually say they have got registration via this route - I'm assuming it is all but impossible.


Here's hoping that you will be the first to report success then!!

[moonglum]

Well, latest update is that I missed the cutoff for the Feb meeting - sicne there are so many people applying at the moment.
This means at best I'll get my teacher registration 14 days before my ITA expires.
So basically, I need t resubmit my EOI and start all over again.
By which time my police check will have expired etcetc

Fun this isn't it!

[lockstock]

I don't think you need your TC reg for your visa application. Don't let everything expire - put that you applied for reg in your covering letter. Get it in the post asap.

[moonglum]

Unfortunately thats not right. Since my current job is a teacher, they require NZTC reg to process the visa - there is a big yellow covering note saying this, plus I virtually begged the immigration people to let me off - but they said no.
Very irritating, since I'm not claiming *any* bonus points for being on the long term shortage list as a science secondary teacher.
Ho hum!

[lockstock]

Unfortunately thats not right. Since my current job is a teacher, they require NZTC reg to process the visa - there is a big yellow covering note saying this, plus I virtually begged the immigration people to let me off - but they said no.
Very irritating, since I'm not claiming *any* bonus points for being on the long term shortage list as a science secondary teacher.
Ho hum!


Apologies for mis-information. They must have changed it all in the past year or so without telling me. hope it all goes well anyway.