Qualified school teachers can move to New Zealand, and three bodies take part. The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) assesses your overseas teaching qualification through a Teaching International Qualification Assessment (IQA), which compares it with New Zealand's standards for teacher education and says which sector, early childhood, primary or secondary, it best fits. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand then decides on registration and a practising certificate, your licence to teach. Immigration New Zealand (INZ), the government's immigration agency, decides your visa, and its registration tool lists teaching among the jobs where you need to be registered. The Council also asks each overseas-trained applicant to declare a commitment to develop and practise te reo me ngā tikanga Māori, the Māori language and protocols, throughout their teaching career.

Registering as a teacher in New Zealand

The Council's requirements for overseas-trained teachers start with the Teaching IQA: it accepts overseas qualifications that NZQA has assessed as equivalent to New Zealand teaching qualifications, and NZQA no longer pre-approves any. Some credentials are not academic qualifications NZQA can assess, such as the UK's Qualified Teacher Status or a US state teaching licence. With one of those you can still apply, and the Council may look at your full teaching background at its discretion. If your IQA finds your qualification short of the core knowledge in New Zealand teacher education, the Council may still consider your application through a discretionary pathway that weighs your qualifications, experience, appraisals and professional development case by case, and any approval is an exception to policy. Teachers registered in Australia may be eligible under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act instead.

For registration and your first practising certificate, the Council also asks for:

• a declaration of commitment to its Code, Ngā Tikanga Matatika;
• a New Zealand Police vet (a police check), plus police vets from each country where you lived for 12 months or more in the 10 years before applying;
• a declaration that you are physically and mentally able to teach safely;
• evidence of competence in English or te reo Māori.

The Council accepts several kinds of English evidence, from schooling in English in listed countries to test results from the past two years. On IELTS Academic you need 7 in every part, results from the One Skill Retake count, and results from more than one test can be combined. For te reo Māori, one form of evidence is a pass in Whakamātauria Tō Reo Māori Level 3, the national Māori language proficiency exam.

Green List, work visas and residence for teachers

On INZ's Green List, a listed role may let you apply for residence immediately or after 2 years of work, if you meet its requirements. School teacher roles, from primary and intermediate to secondary and Māori-medium primary teaching, are on the immediate side, each needing Teaching Council registration and a provisional or full practising certificate. The Straight to Residence Visa then asks, among other things, for a full-time job or job offer from an accredited employer at the pay rate INZ sets, an age of 55 or younger, and the ability to speak and understand English. INZ adds a note for teachers: this visa is designed for experienced teachers in roles paid at the median wage, not for new graduates or teachers early in their careers who are not yet paid at that level, and it suggests that newly graduated teachers consider the Post Study Work Visa or the Accredited Employer Work Visa instead. Our Green List guide explains the list.

An accredited employer is one INZ has approved to hire migrants, and a job or job offer from one comes first for the Straight to Residence Visa, the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) and the Skilled Migrant Category alike. The AEWV needs a full-time offer, an approved job check for that job, and your full or provisional registration, or the Council's confirmation that the job is eligible for registration. See our AEWV guide.

The Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) residence visa also needs a job or job offer with an accredited employer, followed by an expression of interest, a form showing how you meet the rules. Its points route needs 6 points. Teacher registration is worth 5 points when you hold a Full 1 or Full 2 practising certificate, which the provisional certificate you start on is not, and INZ gives 1 more point for 1 year of skilled work in New Zealand after registration. The SMC guide covers the details.

What does your first practising certificate involve?

You begin on a Tōmua, or provisional, practising certificate, which means you have not yet had the chance to show you can meet the Council's teaching standards on your own in New Zealand. It is issued for three years at a time and designed to be held for no more than five, during which you are expected to complete induction and mentoring and move to a Tūturu, or full, certificate. The Council says some overseas-trained teachers who have already completed induction and mentoring, or taught overseas, may need only one year of formal induction and mentoring in New Zealand, if it approves. The Ministry of Education adds that once you are provisionally registered, your school becomes eligible for an overseas teacher time allowance to provide you with a mentor.

A common mistake teachers make

Applying to the Council before NZQA has assessed your teaching qualification. The Council says you need to apply for a Teaching IQA before you register, and the Ministry of Education recommends starting with it, because some overseas qualifications may not be recognised or may need extra training. Start the IQA early with verified documents. If a school then offers you a job, tell the Council: the Ministry says getting teachers with a definite job offer registered and certified is a priority.

First steps

1. Apply to NZQA for a Teaching IQA of your main teaching qualification.
2. Check which English or te reo Māori evidence you can provide.
3. Gather police vets, teaching references and practicum details, then apply for registration and a Tōmua practising certificate.
4. Look for a full-time teaching job with an employer accredited for the AEWV.
5. With registration, a practising certificate and a job offer, apply for your visa, for example the Straight to Residence Visa.