OPEN: Relief teacher pathways

What are we proposing?

Part One:  Introducing new support features, which might include a new practising certificate, for day-to-day relief teachers

The current practising certificate categories are designed to meet the needs of teachers in either permanent classroom roles or non-teaching education roles. However, day-to-day relief teachers may not fit neatly into either category. The Teaching Council is seeking feedback on whether to introduce a new practising certificate tailored to relief teachers, enhance existing support measures, or retain the current settings.

Our aim is to find ways to make it easier for day-to-day relief teachers to gain and renew certification, while maintaining high standards. In our survey we have developed three options to choose from:

Option A – Introducing new support features and a new practising certificate for day-to-day relief teachers.

Option B – Implementing new features to support day-to-day relief teachers.

Option C – Keeping the status quo.

What kind of features could be introduced for day-to-day relief teachers to make recertification easier?

• Annual certification: Introducing a one-year practising certificate for day-to-day relief teachers, recognising that their circumstances often change more frequently than those in permanent roles. This approach may better suit teachers nearing retirement, parents of young children, and overseas-trained teachers seeking short-term opportunities.
• Endorsement support tool: Developing a tool to assist professional leaders in endorsing relief teachers, particularly when they have limited direct engagement with them.
• Tailored standards: Adapting Ngā Paerewa mō te Umanga Whakaakoranga | Standards for the Teaching Profession to better reflect the nature of day-to-day relief teaching. These would largely align with existing standards but place less emphasis on planning and reporting, and more on understanding learners and how they learn.
• Fit-for-purpose PLD: Providing professional learning and development opportunities that are accessible and relevant to relief teachers, acknowledging that traditional school- and centre-based PLD may not meet their needs.
• Satisfactory teaching experience: Adjusting expectations to ensure that part-time and casual teaching experience can be more easily recognised and validated.

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Part Two: Introduce a new Limited Authority to Teach for day-to-day relief teachers

We are consulting on a proposal to introduce a new type of Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) that would give some non-teachers, such as teacher aides and others already working within a school or centre, permission to work as a day-to-day relief teacher on a short-term basis.

This LAT largely mirrors existing LAT types, and applicants would need to meet certain criteria around their qualifications, experience, and language competency, would be subject to a police vet, and would need to provide a written reference from a school or centre attesting to their suitability to relief teach and attesting to a shortage of certificated relievers. They would also need to make a declaration around their commitment to the values and expectations set out by the Teaching Council. We are also seeking your feedback on whether former teachers could apply. 

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What we will do with your feedback

The Teaching Council will analyse and consider your feedback before making decisions on these proposals. An analysis of submissions will be published.

If this consultation leads to further policy changes, we will undertake a second round of consultation. This could include consultation on new standards for relief teachers and the cost of an annual relief teacher certificate.

The Teaching Council is required to consider any request to release the submissions under the Official Information Act (OIA). Any submissions released under the OIA will be anonymised. You cannot veto the release of your submission under the OIA, but you can let us know if there are specific reasons why you would like your feedback to remain confidential, and we will consider those reasons before deciding on any OIA request that is received.

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