[David with a dream]

Hi again and keep up all the good threads on the site. My wife Lesley is a History teacher and would love to hear from secondry school teachers who work/have worked in NZ schools. Good points, bad points how it compares with the UK. Salary v's cost of living. Salary v's work load. Really any thing you teachers can come up with to give Lesley a really good handle on teaching in NZ.
Look forward to reading your postings...................... :cheers

[Alex]

Hi David,

The OH is a teacher, and although she hasn't worked in NZ yet, she says that the curriculum is less structured and prescribed there, so the teacher has more scope to teach "interesting" things. I think there is more teaching and less classroom management. She is really looking forward to teaching, as she thinks the kids will be easier to handle and motivate, and she'll get less questions like, "why do we need to know this"! :laugh Of course this is just what we have found out, and may not be representative of the real situation ;) I think that Carol is a teacher?

I believe the salaries are lower, and that for the first little while you may get a lower salary whilst your years of experience / qualifications are assessed. Once this is done, the salary should rise, but will still be lower than the UK.

[Carol]

HI David - I'm a primary school teacher...

I guess it is just like every other teaching position in that it really depends where you end up teaching as to what the kids are like.
Not sure about the curriculums - I was talking to a history teacher the other day at my son's high school ("college") who was really unhappy about the "overcrowded curriculum"
Salaries are less - considerably less than the UK. NZQA will have assessed your salary and place on the scale before you start working - your experience does count but at half the years so if you've worked ten years in the UK you will get 5 years here.
THe four term year means we in primary work an extra week or more compared to UK terms - and believe me a ten (or worse!!) ELEVEN week term feels like an eternity with no half term break!!
And I guess at secondary the usual problems of and bullying apply - again in some schools worse than others.


All that sounds a little negative......sorry!

If you find the right school - it is wonderful working here.
The kids are a dream.


I've been in my current school for 8 years now - I found a good one and I'm staying!
:nice1

Carol

[Lukas]

...there are few opportunities for History Teachers...as far as I know is not a compulsory subject.