Once you have decided to live and work in New Zealand as a teacher, there are a number of important things you must do, and should know, when making the move. Read this page for more information. You can also view and download the guide and the checklist for overseas teachers moving to New Zealand in the popular resources section of this page.
Register for a Teach in New Zealand webinar
Register for an upcoming webinar in your preferred time zone to learn more about the timelines and processes involved in coming to teach in beautiful New Zealand.
Listen to speakers from The Ministry of Education New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand, The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), and The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.
What you will take away:
- an overview of the overseas recruitment process
- key areas to get right for quick processing
- an opportunity to ask questions.
If you have any questions in the meantime, submit them through the form and we will respond. We'll answer the most common questions in the webinar.
Please note:
- We are collecting information on your country of residence to help us build a better picture of who is interested in coming to New Zealand to teach.
Key information on moving to New Zealand to teach
There are a few things you can do before you arrive in New Zealand, including applying for a New Zealand bank account and an IRD (tax identification) number. You can find some practical tips on the New Zealand immigration website.
Your overseas teaching qualification needs to be approved and recognised by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).
You will need an International Qualification Assessment (IQA) to show your qualification is comparable to a New Zealand ITE qualification. The pre-approved list of overseas qualifications was disestablished in December 2024.
International Qualification Assessment – NZQA
Your qualification will be assessed as quickly as possible if you provide verified qualification documents.
Our initiative that allowed teachers to have their overseas teaching qualifications assessed for free by NZQA has ended. There are currently no plans to reintroduce this initiative.
There are language competency requirements you need to meet before you register as a teacher in New Zealand. Check to see if you meet the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand’s language competency requirements.
To enter the teaching profession in New Zealand you need to register as a teacher and apply for a practising certificate with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Apply for registration and certification – Teaching Council
Please note, if you have received an employment offer to teach at a New Zealand school, kura or early childhood centre, let the Teaching Council know. It is a priority to get teachers registered and certified when they have a definite job offer.
There is currently high demand for teachers in New Zealand, including:
- secondary school teachers for subjects including sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics
- teachers in remote or rural regions
- teachers of te reo Māori and teachers in Kaupapa Māori/Māori-medium settings
- relief teachers.
You can learn more about teaching opportunities across New Zealand on the Education Gazette.
Early childhood jobs can be listed in the Education Gazette but can also be listed on independent job sites such as Seek.
You may also want to use a recruitment agency to help you in your search for finding a job.
Jobs for partners and family
If your partner or children want to look for roles, the careers.govt.nz job vacancy and recruitment webpage has a list of job sites in the geographical and work areas available.
To live and work in New Zealand, you must have a valid work visa. You must apply for your visa through Immigration NZ. There are several visas for different circumstances and occupations. Information about the different visas and how to apply is available on the Immigration New Zealand website.
Primary and secondary teachers from overseas are eligible to apply for a ‘straight to residence’ visa. This means you can apply for a visa before you move if you have a job offer from an accredited employer.
Straight to Residence Visa – Immigration NZ
Early childhood teachers from overseas are eligible for a ‘work to residence’ visa. You must be working for, or have a job offer from, an accredited employer. Your employment or offer must be full-time, and permanent or fixed-term for at least 12 months.
Work to Residence – Immigration NZ
If you are wanting to take a working holiday as a teacher in New Zealand, you may be eligible for a working holiday visa. Working holiday visas are available to travellers, usually aged 18 to 30, but 18 to 35 in a select few countries. The visa lets you travel and work in New Zealand for up to 12 months.
For pay purposes, you and your school will need to complete your salary assessment with Education Payroll. This includes providing recognition of relevant work from your previous educational employers.
As an overseas-trained teacher coming to New Zealand, you may be eligible for the grant which covers relocation costs of up to NZD$10,000.
Professional learning & development and mentorship
Teaching in a different education system means you will have a lot to learn about how the system works. There will also be cultural differences to understand, such as the Māori practices and language that we use in schools and kura. That’s why we offer to help you make a smooth transition to teaching in New Zealand.
Professional learning and development is important as it enables you to grow and thrive. We have a network of regionally allocated professional learning and development facilitators and providers. See our PLD site for more information.
Professional Learning & Development – Ministry of Education
One of our PLD providers, Tātai Aho Rau Core Education, provides professional learning and development support for beginning teachers, including overseas-trained teachers with provisional certification.
Go to the Tātai Aho Rau Core Education website for more information on this programme. You can also view an introductory webinar, which outlines future PLD offerings.
When you first move here, you will be allocated a mentor to support you during your transition to our system. Depending on your teaching area you will get a time allowance of 10 weeks for primary, intermediate and special schools, while composite (years 7-10) and secondary schools will get 20 weeks.
