Now is the best time to teach in NZ

It is the end of the school year. You can go on holiday secure in the knowledge that you gave your students your best, that you helped them learn new things, gain more confidence and because of you most of the them really like coming to school. Your colleagues and your Principal value you and you feel you are part of something great. It is finally Summer and you will soon be going on the well deserved holidays that you booked last October. Perfect teacher bliss. But what if you wanted to break the routine, use your experience as a springboard to something even better? What would it look like?

Teaching in New Zealand

It may take the form of coming to teach in New Zealand. Yes. The other side of the world. New Zealand is as beautiful and the way of life as relaxed as you have been told. And the good news is: the land of the hobbits and All Blacks needs more teachers!

Here are a few things you need to know about NZ and the NZ education system:

• It is the second most peaceful country in the world (Global Peace index 2017)
• The capital, Wellington, is ranked the best place to live in the world
• Families in New Zealand get great support from a range of public services. They include access to welfare and support if someone has an accident or if either parent can’t work because of sickness or unemployment.
• Overall, New Zealand is a country characterised by relatively high achievement compared to the OECD average (see PISA 2015 results)
• Over 90% of parents in HSBC’s 2015 Expat Explorer survey say that the quality of New Zealand education is ‘the same’ or even ‘better’ (50% of respondents) than at home. Nearly 70% of them say their children are more confident and well-rounded from their time spent living in New Zealand.
• Formal education is compulsory for those aged 6 to 16 years with most children starting school on their 5th birthday
• State schools are the choice for the vast majority of New Zealand children (85%).
• Lessons usually start at 9am and run to 3pm or 3:30pm. There are four school terms running from late January to mid-December with two-week breaks between them and a six-week summer break at the end of the year.

And why is now the best time to look for a new position? Being in the southern hemisphere means that while there are vacancies throughout the year, most of them occur between September and January for the new school year (starting in February).

As to why 2018 is the best year to be looking for a new role, it is simple. New Zealand needs more teachers! Just this week this article about needing teachers in Auckland made the national news. To get an idea of the range of vacancies we are currently working on, visit our job page and sign up for job alerts.

Want to know more?

If you need more information about the big move to New Zealand, you can start with visiting our webpage and requesting a guide to teaching in New Zealand.. And if you want direct answers to your questions, you can sign up to one of our weekly webinar dates for overseas teachers. We will tell you everything you need to know about living and teaching in New Zealand. Our experienced team has helped overseas teachers find a role in New Zealand for the past 22 years, they know the drill.

And if you need any more convincing that New Zealand is the place for you, imagine yourself teaching here:

Or there

See you soon!