[atuffchick]

I'll start by saying what a painful and long process it has been to have my US credentials evaluated and acquire my New Zealand teacher registration and then I'll request some blue bananas because I am holding my New Zealand practising certificate in my hand....

I have the following US certifications
Secondary English
ESOL Specialist (k-12)
Reading Specialist (k-12)

I'm puzzled about a couple of things about my New Zealand certificate and hope someone can help me out.

1) It doesn't state if I am primary or secondary certified
2) It doesn't state what content areas I can teach

Thanks

[JandM]

Congratulations! :bluebanana:clap:raebanana

[GrumpyGoat]

I'll start by saying what a painful and long process it has been to have my US credentials evaluated and acquire my New Zealand teacher registration and then I'll request some blue bananas because I am holding my New Zealand practising certificate in my hand....

I have the following US certifications
Secondary English
ESOL Specialist (k-12)
Reading Specialist (k-12)

I'm puzzled about a couple of things about my New Zealand certificate and hope someone can help me out.

1) It doesn't state if I am primary or secondary certified
2) It doesn't state what content areas I can teach

Thanks

This has been very confusing for me as well but I think I have it figured out now.

I will lay it out how I understand it. (Others are invited to correct as necessary.)

If you have a university degree, you can teach secondary.
If you have teacher training, you can teach primary.

You can teach whatever subject you can convince a principal that you are qualified to teach. :laugh

[atuffchick]

No ****...really? I can simply walk up to a school hand them my card and (assuming I am convincing enough) teach Physics or Chemistry with my Doctorate in Language and Literacy....this emigrating thing gets better everyday:) jk

[atuffchick]

BTW, thanks for the clarification GrumpyGoat

[tea drinker]

My sixpence worth

I thought that to teach Primary you had to be Primary trained and 2 years experience
To teach Secondary, be Secondary trained (not sure about experience)

Primary is on ISSL
Secondary is on LTSSL

My practising certificate doesn't state Primary or Secondary

I have a teaching degree (Primary) undertaken at a University - most of my teaching lectures were shared with both Primary and Secondary students

[Parsley]

Absolutely no idea what the answer to your question is, but well done for getting the practicing certificate!

:bluebanana:bluebanana:bluebanana

P:D

[atuffchick]

JandM and Parsley, thanks for the enthusiasm!!

Tea drinker-If you are teaching, what are you teaching now? NZQA didn't put any restrictions or notes on my evaluation, who checks it? Is this even something I should be worried about?

[tea drinker]

Not there yet so perhaps the question will be better answered by someone who is ;)

[beanbeanz]

I hold NZ teacher registration and the actual card does not state what you are qualified to teach ... just that you are a registered teacher.

However, when you apply for a job you need to get salary assessed to determine your pay scale. To do this you provide transcripts that show what you did you degree in as well as teacher training.

As far as I know, in order to teach secondary (I'm primary trained) the general requirements are that you have to have taken at least two full year courses in the subject as part of your degree. There may be further requirements that they cannot be first year/ level 1 courses.... I'm not 100% on this though, as it's just what I've heard from friends.

I do think it's very negotiable with regards to individual schools. If you can convince the board/principal that you are competent to teach a certain subject even though you may not hold qualifications they may let you anyway.

Also, if you felt like you wanted to teach primary, all you would need to do is convince the school that you're capable.

Here's something I found on the NZTC website:

"What if I have a qualification for one sector (ECE, primary, secondary) and want to teach in another?

For registration purposes, your teacher registration is valid for any sector. Some employers may employ you with a qualification for another sector. You will need to check with them what you will be paid."

[Carey]

"What if I have a qualification for one sector (ECE, primary, secondary) and want to teach in another?
For registration purposes, your teacher registration is valid for any sector. Some employers may employ you with a qualification for another sector. You will need to check with them what you will be paid."


Be careful with this one; I was offered a job at an Early Childhood centre and was taken on as qualified with a degree in primary teaching. But then Ministry of Education( not my employers) decided that I was un-qualified to teach in early childhood despite said degree and NZQA assessment etc, so pay was dropped and I was demoted to un-qualified and had to be accompanied by a qualified person at all times. Got out as soon as I could back into primary teaching where my heart has always been (and I didn't have to be supervised!) and where the pay is reasonable compared to the pittance of EC. I was working for the same as a straight out of school 17 yr old!

Found the whole thing somewhat demeaning and a real shame for early childhood (who are desperately short of employees), where trained and experienced primary or secondary teachers have to study for a yr full time to work in EC to be qualified.

[GrumpyGoat]

I considered trying to move into ECE (as there are LOADS of part time jobs) and have a Kiwi friend who is a primary teacher who recently completed the classes. It is a 15 month program with lots of student teaching.

It did seem a bit excessive to me for someone who already has training and experience with teaching children. I have a 4 year degree and post graduate teacher training (that was a 2 year program).
Really, I would need ANOTHER 15 months to teach younger kids? Seems silly.
I mean, I understand pedagogical practices and I know all my ABCs and 123s and can read a really good story. And I live with 2 little ones. What more is there? :D

My Kiwi friend thought there was discussion by the MoE to provide a quicker bridge type training program for trained teachers to get them into the classroom quicker. I believe the only training that is accepted for ECE is NZ based training so it is impossible to import teachers for this area even though there is such a shortage. Does anyone know anything about this? I have no real info only gossip.


Oh well, I may just go back to high school (when DD starts school)and be grumpy in the maths hall. Or economics or finance.

But as I volunteer in my kid's primary school and kindy (and I had 18 kids in my house yesterday!!), I think the younger kids look like more fun to play with!!:nice1

[JandM]

The current rules are set in concrete, but there are proposals to change them.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/531124
http://www.educationforum.org.nz/documents/e_newsletter/06_09/Jun09_ECE.html