Foreign teacher tests to go
English language tests for teachers educated overseas are likely to be canned next year.
The test, which costs $385, takes about three hours.
Questions range from writing instructions for a housesitter, to recalling train departure times, or writing a 250-word essay on whether material possessions have become more important than ‘‘old fashioned values such as honour, kindness and trust’’.
The review of language requirements for foreign teachers coincides with proposals to loosen immigration requirements to bring hundreds of primary, secondary and pre-school teachers into New Zealand next year.
Some in the sector say the changes are necessary to plug a chronic teacher shortage, while others cautioned that all teachers need to be able to read and write English well – whether they were trained here or abroad.
‘‘There have been conversations in the sector around a number of people thinking that, as it stood, it was a really difficult assessment,’’ New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) president Lynda Stuart said.
‘‘We need to ensure the people we have in our classrooms are actually fluent in English and have a clear understanding about the cultural nature of our country.’’
At present, overseas teachers from non-English speaking countries need to score a level 7 in all sections of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to gain certification from the Teaching Council and work as a qualified teacher.
Prospective teachers can get a waiver if they can prove all their education was in English.
The council was now reviewing its language requirements to make them ‘‘more tailored to the teaching environment and to all cultures’’, a spokeswoman said.
People who fail the test are not given any feedback as to why.
It is likely other language tests will be offered alongside the IELTS.