Returning from overseas

If you hold a New Zealand teaching qualification, and have been teaching overseas, you’ll need to take the following steps before you can teach again in New Zealand.

Registration and certification

To return to the teaching profession, you may need to re-register as a teacher and renew your practising certificate with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. Visit the Teaching Council’s website for more information:

Registration status – Teaching Council

Renewing a practising certificate – Teaching Council

Police clearance

Obtain police clearance from any overseas country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years. We recommend applying for police clearance before returning to New Zealand to assist with timeliness. You may experience delays if you wait and apply from New Zealand.

International Qualifications Assessment

Get a New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) international qualifications assessment (IQA) if you’ve gained qualifications overseas. 

International Qualification Assessment – NZQA

Salary assessment

For pay purposes, you will need to complete a salary assessment with Education Payroll. This includes providing recognition of relevant work from each educational employer while you were overseas.

Salary assessment – EdPay

If you are a New Zealand-qualified teacher who hasn’t been teaching while overseas, you will still need to take some steps before you can teach again in New Zealand.

Registration and certification

To return to the teaching profession, you may need to re-register as a teacher and renew your practising certificate with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. Visit the Teaching Council’s website for more information:

Registration status – Teaching Council

Renewing a practising certificate – Teaching Council

Salary assessment

For pay purposes, you will need to complete a salary assessment with Education Payroll. This includes providing recognition of relevant work from each educational employer while you were overseas.

Salary assessment – EdPay

Teacher refresh process

If you are an experienced teacher, but have not taught in over 5 years, you will need to:

• apply for a Returning to Teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand Practising Certificate with the Teaching Council
• complete a Teacher Education Refresh programme with the Teaching Council. 

For more information, visit the Teaching Council’s site.

Teacher Education Refresh – Teaching Council

We offer teachers support to strengthen or refresh their teaching practice through professional learning and development.

Strengthen teaching practice through PLD – PLD in Education