Primary Teachers - Upgraded
In yet another policy change (we are seeing quite a few of these coming through), primary school teachers have come out as the winners, being moved to Tier 1 of the Green List, meaning that instead of a two-year pathway to Residence, primary school teachers can now apply for Residence directly (called Straight to Residence).
This is quite a significant move and follows secondary school teachers who were also upgraded, some time ago. Teachers have always occupied a place on our various shortages lists, although to varying degrees, because the profession is a bit of a moving target in terms of “shortages”. During the Covid period, we saw an enormous number of NZ Teachers return from overseas, so shortages slowed down, however with the influx of migrants in the post-Covid border opening, many of whom have relocated their family’s here, the number of teachers needed has increased at the same rate.
We have fewer graduates coming out of University, largely because starting salaries for teachers can be challenging in times of high inflation. Experienced teachers often do quite well, but coming in to the profession and working your way up is often harder. As a consequence the pipeline for new teachers dries up and we end up (sometime down the line) in crisis mode.
This recent shift is a response to this very same dilemma (more on this below) and is a clear signal that we want teachers and we want them now.
Straight to Residence vs. Work to Residence
Moving primary school teachers from the work to residence scheme, up the ladder to the straight to residence pathway is a fairly big move. It means that many qualified, trained teachers will now be able to secure residence, as soon as they have registration in New Zealand and a job offer in the profession. That is a big win for those migrants, in the job, looking to make the move here. If you could make this move, without having to work in NZ for two years, before securing residence, that creates a whole lot more certainty.
Faster Path To Residence
Primary school teachers join Tier 1 of the Green List with a Straight to Residence pathway.
However in order to do this, there are a few criteria (there always are) and so this process wont work for absolutely every teacher looking to make the move.
The first major hurdle, is that you need to be able to secure provisional registration here, which involves an assessment of your qualifications to confirm that they are equivalent to an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degree. This is usually a four year bachelor program, or a combination of bachelor and postgraduate studies. Qualifications (most of them at least) are assessed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) to confirm their equivalence and that report is sent to the Teachers Council.
Applicants also need to have recent teaching experience, depending on when their degree was completed, they will require criminal background checks and also English language tests, along with an online application form to complete.
Once registered, teachers can then secure a practicing certificate and most will secure provisional registration initially, with the ability to increase that in NZ once they are working. The trickier part comes with salaries, because these are based largely on qualifications to start with and then increase over time spent in the role. If you are coming from offshore, you can request a salary assessment from the Ministry of Education, who will review your experience and then increase your salary (in steps) accordingly.
So there is a fair bit to consider here, but for a qualified, experienced teacher, the signal from this Government is - we want you.
Teacher Shortages
So why the sudden shift for primary school teachers? Well this comes down to the quality of the data that the Ministry of Education uses to forecast teacher numbers across the country. Their most recent figures were “wholly unreliable” according to the Minister of Immigration, who is also, rather conveniently, the Minister of Education.
1250 Teachers Short
The Ministry of Education has warned that we may be short 1250 teachers for this year.
Erica Stanford (the Minister for both) had previously questioned these numbers, which underestimated the impact changes to the teachers collective pay agreement would have, resulting in a prediction that undershot by 1250.
That number obviously needs to be filled and with fewer graduates, the only viable alternative is to look offshore for good quality, English speaking teachers, willing to make the move. Offering those individuals a direct pathway to residence is definitely one lever to pull and so the winners here are all those primary school teachers, who have ever considered the move to New Zealand, but stopped short, given the previous two year process to make that happen.
Personally, I think its great that the Minister has acted on this so very quickly, because often these sorts of changes can take a longer to come in to effect (this changes happens later next month). However it wont be the only lever that needs pulling. Topping up our education sector with foreign skills is obviously a good thing, and something we will always need to consider, but equally we need to be looking at the local supply of those teachers as well.
More investment in to training, reviewing salary levels and working conditions and helping new teachers get in to the industry, in a way that encourages them to stay, will all be tools that need to be used as well.
Next Steps?
If you are a teacher, looking to make the move, now would be a good time, but remember the process consists of multiple steps, the first of which being to ensure you have the right qualifications to secure registration and then completing both the assessment and registration processes. With those tasks completed you will be in a good position to start applying for jobs here, and once you have one, then applying under the Straight to Residence pathway, will give you a straight shot to a new life in New Zealand.
Our advice, as always, is to first work through your eligibility with a professional, work out what your options are and if teaching the youth of New Zealand is on the cards, then put the plan in to action.
Contact us today, to find out more!
Until next week.
