FAQ - Registered Teachers in New Zealand

Below is a list of commonly asked questions. If you have a question that you would like added to this list please email inquiries@teacherscouncil.govt.nz

Questions about the Registered Teacher Criteria

Please click here for frequently asked questions relating to the Registered Teacher Criteria

Kaimānga - Registration series

Where did the idea for a Teachers Council come from?

Teachers had been proposing a unified professional organisation for teachers for 50 years. The proposal to establish the Teachers Council was supported by major political parties and by the NZEI, the PPTA and the School Trustees Association (STA).

What is a teaching position?

The Education Act 1989 defines a teacher as someone employed in a teaching position in the general education system (including a free kindergarten) that:

requires its holder to instruct students or
is the position (however described) of principal (head teacher), or deputy principal (deputy head teacher), or assistant principal (or assistant head teacher), of a state school, a registered private school, or an educational institution established or deemed to have been established under this Act or the Education Act 1964. (s. I20)
(Senior teachers in free kindergartens would be covered by this definition.)

The Council further interprets 'instruct students' as meaning a person having responsibility for teaching and learning. A person has responsibility for teaching and learning if their job description expects them to cause learning (either as an individual or member of a teaching team) and act autonomously and without day to day supervision.

A teacher is required to be employed in a teaching position in which they are able to be meaningfully assessed against and meet the Registered Teacher Criteria, in order to gain full registration and to maintain a practising certificate with full registration.

Who can be employed in a teaching position?

Teacher registration (or authorisation from the Teachers Council) is compulsory for those employed in teaching positions in free kindergartens, primary and secondary schools (state, integrated and independent schools), in early childhood centres in varying stages from 2005 and for Kura Kaupapa Māori from 2006.

To gain registration to be employed as a teacher in the above settings, a teacher must meet the requirements for registration.

Under certain circumstances, a person who is not eligible to apply for registration may be employed in a teaching position under a Limited Authority to Teach.

How can I update my contact details?

You can notify us about your change of contact details online here, call us on 04 471 0852 or email inquiries@teacherscouncil.govt.nz.

I have lost my practising certificate. How can I get a new one?

A practising certificate can be reprinted for you at a cost of $40. You can pay this by credit card (Visa or Mastercard) or cheque. You can also refer to the Online Register for details of your current registration status and practising certificate expiry if you do not wish to pay for a reprinted practising certificate.

My registration has lapsed. What do I do?

If you previously held provisional registration or registration subject to confirmation (STC), you will need to reapply for registration using a TC1 application form. If you held full registration and it has been more than five years since your last practising certificate expired, you will now be unregistered and will also need to reapply for registration using a TC1 application form.

If your practising certificate has expired but you still hold full registration, you may apply to renew your practising certificate using a TC3 application form provided that you meet the requirements to renew your practising certificate and Full registration.

How can I pay the processing fee/late fee?

You can pay your application processing fee and/or late fee by credit card (Mastercard or Visa), or by personal or bank cheque. Overseas personal cheques are unable to be processed; however we can accept bank drafts from overseas.

When does the late fee apply?

A $50 late fee was introduced from 1 July 2009 and applies to those employed in teaching positions who fail to renew or apply for their practising certificates or authorization by the due date. Further information regarding the late fee can be read in the Director's Message of June 2009. You can check the Online register for the expiry date of your last practising certificate, or your authorization letter for the expiry date.

When can I send in my application to update my practising certificate?

Applications to renew a practising certificate can be processed up to six months in advance of your current practising certificate's expiry date. The standard application processing time is 4-6 weeks so it is a good idea to submit your application about 6-8 weeks before the current expiry date. You can check the Online Register if you are unsure of the expiry date of your current practising certificate.

Can my application be fast-tracked?

No, there is no fast-track option. When your application is received you will be issued an acknowledgement letter that confirms you have an application pending, which you can show to your employer or to potential employers. The standard application processing time is 4-6 weeks.

Can I fax in my application?

Faxed applications are unable to be processed and approved. If you fax an application to the Teachers Council the application fee will be processed and you will be contacted to request the original copy of the application form you filled in, which must be sent by post. All supporting documents must be certified copies of the originals and must also be posted to the Teachers Council.

How long can you keep my application open for?

If the information provided is sufficient to make the decision to approve or decline an application, the Council will make this decision. It is therefore important that all specific service and qualification requirements have been met at the time of applying. The application processing fee is non-refundable.

If more information is requested, it is expected that this is obtained promptly and sent to us. Please keep us informed about any difficulties/delays. We would usually only keep an application open for these reasons for up to 6 months.

Will you tell me when my application has been approved?

If you have provided us with an email address on your application form, an email notification will be sent to you when your application is approved. Written notification is also sent by post. Please note that a practising certificate may take up to two weeks to arrive by post.

I am waiting on some supporting information. Can I send in my application for registration in the meantime?

Yes. Please ensure that you make it clear in your application form that you are waiting on additional information, and provide an expected timeframe for submitting the information if possible. Please note that applications can be held open for a maximum period of six months.

Who can apply for an extension to teach?

The Principal of your school can request an extension to allow you to continue teaching beyond the 10 day limit, if you currently have an application pending with the Teachers Council for a practising certificate. An extension may be granted to your school if you are employed in a teaching position and the Council is unable to approve your application before your current practising certificate expires or it is likely that you will exceed the 10 day limit before the application can be finalised.

Who can certify my documents?

A photocopied document can be certified as a true copy of the original by your Principal, a Solicitor, Justice of the Peace or Notary Public. The person certifying your document must write the following or similar wording: 'I certify that this is a true copy of the original document'. They must then sign the document and show their designation and address (in the case of a Principal, the name of the school is sufficient), and the date.

My application has been approved but I still haven't received my practising certificate. Why is this?

You should allow approximately two weeks for your practising certificate to arrive in the post following the approval of your application. The Online Register is updated with your registration status and practising certificate expiry date at the time of the approval of the application. If you have waited more than two weeks for your practising certificate, contact the Teachers Council to check that we have your correct postal address.

When must I provide an overseas police clearance?

If you have lived outside of New Zealand for a period of 12 months or more within the last ten years, you are required to obtain a police clearance certificate from the country in which you have lived. This police clearance must cover the length of your stay in the country. You are not required to provide a new clearance with your future applications, unless you spend a further period of 12 months or more in an overseas country.

How do I apply for a police clearance from the UK?

You can apply for a Subject Access Request on the ACRO SA1 form. Further information is available on the Metropolitan Police Service website: www.met.police.uk/information.

If you are immigrating to New Zealand you can apply to the Association of Chief Police Officers, ACRO, P O Box 481, Fareham, PO14 9FS, UK. Request a police certificate. Further information is available from their website: http://www.acpo.police.uk/.

Or you can apply to Disclosure Scotland, P O Box 250, Glasgow, G51 1YU. Request a basic, or standard or enhanced disclosure. More information is available on their website: http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/.

How do I apply for a police clearance from Australia?

Apply to Australia Federal Police, Criminal Records, Locked Bag 8550, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Request a National Police check and ensure you enter Code Number 21 for the purpose of the National Police check. Further information is available from their website: http://www.afp.gov.au/.

I have an overseas police clearance in a foreign language. Does this need to be translated?

If you have documents that are in a language other than English, you must supply translations. These must be word for word translation prepared and certified as correct by an official service.

Can I still hold registration if I have been day relieving?

Yes. However if you have provisional registration it is important that you gain a position that enables you to gain full registration as soon as possible, as provisional registration is limited to a maximum period of six years before completion of a refresher programme is required. If you are registered subject to confirmation and employed as a day relief teacher you can reapply for registration subject to confirmation and a practising certificate.

All teachers who are employed in ongoing teaching positions where they can be meaningfully assessed against and meet the Registered Teacher Criteria are expected to be working towards meeting all of the Registered Teacher Criteria to gain full registration.

If you hold full registration you need to meet specific teaching service requirements in order to maintain Full registration.

I have not been teaching in the New Zealand general education system for a long time and no longer hold registration. Can I still renew my practising certificate?

If your registration has expired you will need to reapply for registration and a practising certificate using a TC1 application form. Full registration expires five years after the date your last practising certificate expired. If you previously held full registration and it has expired, you may reapply for registration under the category subject to confirmation (STC) and a practising certificate by submitting a TC1 application form.

If you currently hold full registration but your practising certificate has expired, you may be eligible to renew your practising certificate provided that you meet specific teaching service requirements.

You can check your current registration status and practising certificate expiry date by checking the Online Register.

What does 'subject to confirmation (STC)' mean?

Registration subject to confirmation (STC) is a category of registration that may be granted to teachers who, for valid reasons, have not been able to be meaningfully assessed against the Registered Teacher Criteria recently. Often this happens when a teacher has had no recent teaching experience, or has been employed in a position that was too part time or too casual for their professional leader to make a meaningful assessment about whether or not they meet the Registered Teacher Criteria.

Having STC registration and a practising certificate means that you are registered as a teacher and are able to be legally employed in a teaching position within the general education system in New Zealand.

How long can I stay registered Subject to Confirmation (STC)?

You can reapply for STC every three years if you are unable to be meaningfully assessed against and meet the Registered Teacher Criteria to gain full registration. If you intend to work as a day reliever, for example, you can continue to reapply for STC registration and a practising certificate every three years for as long as you need to be registered.

If you are employed in an ongoing teaching position where meaningful assessment is possible against the Registered Teacher Criteria, and your professional leader has been able to make an evidence informed judgement that you meet the Criteria, then you should apply for full registration.

I'm provisionally registered. How do I get full registration?

In order to gain full registration a provisionally registered teacher must complete at least two years of teaching with an induction and mentoring programme provided by a fully registered mentor teacher in New Zealand. You must be employed in a teaching position of at least 0.5 of the full time teacher equivalent (FTTE) and the teaching must be completed in blocks of no less than six weeks. Day to day relieving and any teaching of less than six weeks is unable to be considered towards the requirements for full registration. Long term relief teaching can be considered, provided that it meets the above requirements.

Further information about gaining full registration can be found in the Induction section of the website, and in Section Two, Part C of the Registration Policy.

What are the Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions/Registered Teacher Criteria?

The Registered Teacher Criteria describe satisfactory teaching for registration purposes. They were introduced in 2010 and made mandatory in 2011 for all teachers seeking to gain and maintain full registration. The Criteria are available to read on the website and in the Registration Policy.

The Satisfactory Teacher Dimensions preceded the Registered Teacher Criteria as the standards that teachers needed to meet to gain and maintain full registration.

Who can endorse my application to renew my practising certificate ?

If you are currently employed in a continuous teaching position (this may be full time, part time, fixed term or long term relief teaching), and you have been in that position for at least six weeks, the endorsement should be signed by the Principal or professional leader of your school or learning centre. If you have been employed in your teaching position for less than six weeks, the endorsement should be signed by the Principal or professional leader of the school/learning centre where you most recently taught for at least six weeks in a continuous teaching position.

If your Principal or professional leader is not fully registered, the endorsement must be countersigned by a fully registered teacher from your school/learning centre.

My current Principal is on leave. Who can endorse my application to renew my practising certificate?

The senior staff member at your school who has been appointed the Acting Principal should endorse your application. If the Acting Principal does not hold full registration, the endorsement should be countersigned by a fully registered teacher that you work with.

I am/was most recently a Principal of a school; who can endorse my application to renew my practising certificate?

The endorsement section of your application to renew your practising certificate should be signed by the Board of Trustees Chairperson and co-signed by a fully registered colleague. If you are not currently teaching and you were the Principal at your last school, the endorsement can be signed by the current Principal of that school.

I am the professional leader (owner/manager/director/licensee) of an early childhood centre and there is no one above me. Who can endorse my application to renew my practising certificate?

To maintain your teacher registration in the category of full you must be involved in an ongoing appraisal process where you receive feedback on your teaching, have an opportunity to discuss and plan for your professional growth and are able to provide evidence of how you meet all of the Registered Teacher Criteria in your role.

You must be able to demonstrate and have evidence of meeting the Registered Teacher Criteria through planning, assessing and reporting on your ākonga's learning, being part of a professional learning community, knowing and building on what your ākonga bring to their learning, etc.

You need to have a professional leader or equivalent to complete the endorsement for the purpose of renewing your practising certificate. This person cannot be an employee of your centre/service.

If you have an appraisal process set up with a person who is not a registered teacher then there also needs to be a process involving a fully registered teacher who has opportunities to observe your teaching practice, provide feedback and have discussions in relation to meeting the Criteria.

Further guidance can be found on the Registered Teacher Criteria page.

The professional leader of the last learning centre where I was employed has not seen me teach. Who can endorse my application to renew my practising certificate?

The current professional leader of that learning centre should endorse your application based on records held at the learning centre relating to your teaching performance. However, the endorsement should also be countersigned by a fully registered teacher with whom you worked at the time you were employed at the learning centre.

I taught overseas for several years. Can my overseas teaching experience be considered towards the service requirements for renewing my practising certificate and full registration?

No, overseas teaching service does not count towards renewing your practising certificate and full registration. The service requirement to maintain full registration is either

two years of continuous teaching service completed in New Zealand within the last five years; OR
one year of continuous teaching experience completed in New Zealand within the last three years

Two years means an accumulated period of teaching of not less than 72 weeks completed in blocks of six consecutive weeks or more.

One year means an accumulated period of teaching of not less than 36 weeks completed in blocks of six consecutive weeks or more.

If you do not meet the above teaching service requirement you will need to reapply for registration subject to confirmation using a TC1 application form.

Can teaching service completed overseas be considered towards the requirements for gaining full registration?

Yes, provided that you were employed within the general education system or a learning centre recognised by the education authority of the overseas country. Up to one year of teaching completed overseas in such a setting may be considered towards the requirements for gaining full registration, provided that you taught under the supervision of a mentor teacher. As the quality and type of induction programmes vary considerably in overseas countries you will need to provide evidence of the supervised teaching, usually in the form of a statement on letterhead from the professional leader of the overseas learning centre that details the content and structure of the support programme.

I don't want to teach for the next five years. Should I keep up my registration?

You need to hold registration and a practising certificate if you are going to be employed in a teaching position for more than 10 full days or 20 half days per calendar year in a school or kindergarten. You can reapply for registration and a practising certificate in the future if you decide to take up a teaching position. At the time of application, the category of registration you are granted will depend on your registration history and teaching service completed within the last five years.

If you are provisionally registered you will need to keep in mind that provisional registration can be granted for a maximum period of six years. If you need to access a further period of provisional registration after six years you will be required to successfully complete a refresher programme before reapplying for registration.

How long can I stay provisionally registered?

Provisionally registered teachers are expected to gain full registration within three years but can take up to a maximum period of six years. Provisionally registered teachers who need to reapply for provisional registration after six years will need to successfully complete a refresher programme.

Gaining full registration means that you have undertaken induction and mentoring for at least two years and have been supported over that time to make the transition from being a student teacher with limited experience to being a confident and effective teacher. Gaining full registration also means that you have met the Registered Teacher Criteria - the standards that describe satisfactory teaching for registration purposes. All provisionally registered teachers should seek to meet the Criteria and gain full registration as soon as possible, with the appropriate support.

What is a refresher programme?

Refresher programmes will be developed from 2012 and further details will be provided on this website as they become available. Due to the staged implementation of the policy regarding recency of teaching qualifications and limiting the duration of provisional registration, no teacher will need to complete a refresher programme prior to 2015.

What is a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT)?

A Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) is an authority for a specified person to teach in a specified school/centre in a temporary capacity; it is not a form of registration. Limited Authorities may be used to cover teaching positions of a variety of roles. The Council's policy must be followed before offering a teaching position when the person is not registerable. They should only be used in the case where a registered teacher cannot be found for the specific role.

How does a learning centre become an approved setting for gaining and/or maintaining full registration?

If an educational institution wishes to apply for recognition by the Teachers Council as a setting for teachers to gain and/or maintain full registration, an application must be submitted for consideration by the Council. See Section Three of the Registration Policy for further information regarding the policy and application procedure.

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Information for Registered Teachers