ECE or Primary endorsement
Teachers who have been registered through the discretionary pathway may need an endorsement for Ministry of Education funding and regulatory purposes.
What is an ECE or primary endorsement?
Teachers who are registered through the Teaching Council’s discretionary pathway, work in ECE settings and have an ECE/Primary endorsement from the Council are considered to have a recognised qualification for Ministry of Education funding and regulatory purposes.
The Council has been providing this endorsement for overseas trained teachers who were registered through the discretionary pathway process since August 2018. The Council is now able to consider whether discretionary pathway registrations granted prior to August 2018 can be offered this endorsement.
Who can apply?
Overseas trained teachers who were registered and issued with a practising certificate via the Council’s discretionary pathway process* prior to August 2018.
*the discretionary pathway includes consideration of other qualifications and experience if a person's qualifications do not meet core knowledge requirements of an initial teaching qualification in NZ.
What information does the Council need to process applications for endorsement?
Please send the below documents to: reviews@teachingcouncil.nz. The subject line of your email should state: Review application ECE Primary endorsement and include your name and teacher registration number. Please do not send paper applications as these can cause processing delays.
- A current CV listing your teaching service, including since being registered in New Zealand
- Testimonials received from New Zealand employers in an ECE service or Primary school, since being approved for New Zealand registration. These should include (where available) information about completion of induction and mentoring
- A list of professional development and any additional qualifications completed since being approved for New Zealand registration.
Note that as the Council has information on record about your overseas teaching qualification/s (including practicum component) we do not require these documents to be re-submitted.
How does the application process work?
The Council will consider whether your skills and experience are of sufficient width and depth for early childhood or primary aged children, including evidence such as completion of induction and mentoring, testimonials from employers, and professional development relevant to these age groups. The review will also examine your original teaching qualification to determine whether it has any of the elements we would expect to see as part of an ECE or Primary qualification, including evidence of practicum experience with these age groups.
Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis, and as with other discretionary pathway applications, when using the ECE/Primary criteria, we will be looking for evidence across all the criteria to recommend endorsement or otherwise.
Granting an ECE or Primary endorsement indicates there is enough evidence for the teacher to be recognised as satisfactorily trained to teach for registration purposes and qualified for funding and regulatory purposes in ECE settings. It should not be viewed as an endorsement for employment purposes, which is outside the Council's mandate.
When your application is received, you will be contacted to advise a timeframe for review.