Teacher Education Refresh – The Facts

In the last few months, we’ve been approached by a number of provisionally registered beginning teachers who are worried that they might not get their full registration in time. They’ve heard they’ll need to complete a refresher course to renew their registration. Here are the facts: As outlined in the New Zealand Teacher’s Council website, the Teacher Education Refresh programme has been designed for two groups:

1. >Teachers who have held provisional registration for at least six years.
2. Teachers who completed their initial teacher education qualification more than six years ago, and are applying for registration for the first time.

Every provisionally registered teacher who has reapplied for a new practising certificate since 2012 has been sent a letter advising that the TER requirement is being introduced from 2015. The Council will also write to teachers who may be required to complete the TER programme, giving them advanced notice. This communication will be sent six to eight months prior to the expiry of their provisional registration using the contact details we have. Teachers who have changed their address since they last applied for registration can update their contact information here.

If a teacher has questions about whether they are required to complete the TER programme, or wish to discuss their individual situation, they should email TER@teacherscouncil.govt.nz.
— New Zealand Teacher’s Council, http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/content/teacher-education-refresh-ter-programme

If you think you might be in this situation, it is worth getting in touch with the NZTC to double check. (They also have a FAQ document you can download).

This may be an incentive for teachers who have been feeling a bit down about job hunting to get stuck in again. Looking for a role after not finding full time teaching work for several years after graduation brings its own set of challenges. In our next blog post we’ll have some advice for teachers who are in this position.