Returning to Teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand Practising Certificate

The Returning to Teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand Practising Certificate (RTTANZ) provides a pathway back into teaching for experienced teachers (those who previously held full certification) whose practising certificate is expired and who have no satisfactory recent teaching experience. You will also need to complete a teacher refresh process.

This type of practising certificate does not get renewed. The Council expects that once you've gained satisfactory teaching experience and have met all the other requirements for practising certificate issue or renewal, you will seek to move to the practising certificate type you previously held.

First, please check the status of your teacher registration - you may be required to reapply for registration. 

When you apply for a practising certificate with the Council, a registration officer will review your application to confirm your teaching experience in the last five years. If you have had none  they will identify what kind of refresh process you need to undertake and recommend you are issued with RTTANZ.

When you are ready to move from a RTTANZ practising certificate, please contact the Council to confirm which practising certificate you should apply for.

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Unregistered teachers who have never held a practising certificate

If you are not registered as a teacher and have never held a practising certificate, you will need to:

Once you’ve completed TER, you will be issued with a Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate.

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Which refresh process is right for you

You can check which refresh process might be right for you below, however, when you submit your application for a practising certificate, we will advise if you are required to complete one of the refresh processes and which option you should do. You may be eligible to teach while you complete the refresh process.  

New/ Beginning Teacher Practice Plan (NBTPP)

You will be required to complete a NBTPP if you: 

  • Are seeking to renew your Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate
  • Were issued with this practising certificate type less than five years ago
  • Cannot meet the requirement for satisfactory recent teaching experience

Find out more details about NBTPP.

Return to Practice Plan (RTPP) 

You will be required to complete a RTPP if you: 

  • Want to renew a Tūturu | Full (Category One) or Pūmau | Full (Category Two) Practising Certificate
  • Cannot meet the requirements for satisfactory recent teaching experience

Find out more details about RTPP. 

Teacher Education Refresh (TER) programme 

You will be required to complete a TER programme if you: 

  • are applying for your first Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate and you graduated from your Initial Teacher Education programme more than five years ago 
  • last held a Provisional Practising Certificate (now Tōmua | Provisional) and have not been able to gain satisfactory recent teaching experience for five or more years  
  • have held a Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate for more than five years and want to renew it
  • are an overseas teacher and your education qualification was completed more than five years ago and you have not taught in the last five years
  • apply to renew a practising certificate but your overseas teaching experience was not equivalent to a teaching position in New Zealand, and you are not able to meet the requirement for satisfactory recent teaching experience.

You may be required to undertake a TER programme if you are seeking to renew a Tūturu | Full (Category One) or Pūmau | Full (Category Two) Practising Certificate and have renewed either of these practising certificate types using a RTPP for more than five years. 

Find out more details about TER programmes. 

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