Applying for Provisional Teacher Registration

All teachers must be registered to teach in schools, kura and some early childhood education services in Aotearoa New Zealand. The first step for a new teacher graduate is to apply for provisional registration.  

Legal requirements for registration in New Zealand

The Education Act 1989 requires you to hold registration and a practising certificate in order to be employed in a school in New Zealand for more than 10 days per calendar year.

The Ministry of Education has targets in place for ratios of qualified and registered teachers in early education and care services in New Zealand.  You may be required to hold registration and a practising certificate as part of these requirements.

To apply or reapply for provisional registration:

If you wish to be employed as a teacher and begin your induction programme to gain full registration you need to first apply for provisional registration and a practising certificate. You do not need to have any teaching experience or recent teaching service to do this.

Processing timeframe and extension requests

The standard processing timeframe for an application for a practising certificate and registration is 4-6 weeks. You need to ensure that you submit your application for registration to the Teachers Council at least 6 weeks prior to commencing employment in a teaching position. If you are unable to do this, submit your application form as soon as possible and ask your Professional Leader to request an extension to allow you to be employed as a teacher beyond the 10 day limit. You must not start in a teaching position without this authorisation being granted.

Extensions can be issued to teachers employed in sectors where registration is a mandatory requirement.

How do I move to full registration?

If you are a provisionally registered teacher and would like to move to full registration, you need to be employed in a teaching position for a minimum of 12.5 hours per week for 2 years and have successfully participated in a supervised advice and guidance programme. The Council has discretion to consider teaching service in minimum blocks of at least 10 weeks at a time.

The policies and guidelines below provide essential infomation on the processes and standards required to move to full registration: