Overseas teachers ready now

ABOUT 550 overseas teachers have already been screened by the Ministry of Education and are ready for New Zealand schools to hire.

But local principals are not yet convinced it is a ‘‘bulletproof’’ solution to the teacher shortage crisis across New Zealand.

Ministry early learning and student achievement deputy secretary Ellen MacGregorReid said the recruitment drive to attract teachers to New Zealand was already helping to fill vacancies for the extra 850 primary and secondary teachers needed for 2019.

‘‘These overseas teachers are supplementing our locally trained workforce, while we continue to encourage more New Zealanders to train or return to teaching, and overseas Kiwis to come home to our classrooms.

‘‘Our recruiters have received around 3000 applications from overseas teachers, with hundreds currently making their way through the recruitment pipeline.’’

They were from the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United States and Canada.

Ms MacGregorReid said it was ‘‘great news’’ for principals who were searching for fulltime staff to fill vacancies in time for the start of term 1.

Every overseas teacher would meet all the existing standards here for teaching qualifications, registration with the Teaching Council, and immigration requirements.

Principals could contact the ministry’s education recruiters, and they would match available teachers to vacancies. About 100 had been offered jobs so far.

‘‘These teachers will receive targeted support to transition to New Zealand.

‘‘We’re working with the Teaching Council to strengthen training in our curriculum and the culturally responsive practices needed to work here.’’

Otago Secondary Principals’ Association secretary Gavin Kidd said depending on what subject areas principals needed teachers for, it could be ‘‘exciting news, but it may not meet their need either’’.

Kaikorai Valley College principal Rick Geerlofs was worried the teachers might not come with expertise in NCEA and they would need extra support.

‘‘I don’t believe it is necessarily a bulletproof solution.

‘‘It will go some way to filling some severe shortages, but we need to make the teaching pro fession a more attractive proposition for homegrown talent.’’

Otago Primary Principals’ Association chairman Chris McKinlay was pleased with the uptake from overseas teachers and said it could be a shortterm solution to the teacher shortage.

But he was sceptical the teachers would meet professional standards and would be ready to teach.

‘‘It’s positive they [the ministry] feel they are getting really good quality, but all I can say is, I hope they are right.’’

‘‘It’s not until you actually put them in front of the classroom and ask them to teach the New Zealand system in te reo and all that sort of stuff, that we’ll know.

‘‘They will need some upskilling, I’m sure.’’

❛ It will go some way to filling some severe shortages, but we need to make the teaching profession a more

attractive proposition for homegrown talent