According to New Zealand’s immigration ministry, foreign primary school teachers in the country can now apply for residency as soon as they get a job offer. They don’t have to work for two years first like before.
New Zealand Immigration announced on its official website that this new policy will start on March 26. To apply for residency, foreign primary school teachers need to work at least 30 hours a week and have contracts that last at least 12 months.
This decision was made because New Zealand is facing a big shortage of primary school teachers. Last month, the country’s Ministry of Education said there would be a shortage of 1,250 teachers this year. That includes 750 at the primary school level and 500 at the secondary school level.
RNZ reported that New Zealand’s immigration minister, Erica Stanford, said the teacher shortage would impact not just students, but also other school staff.
If international students want to become teachers in New Zealand, they must graduate from a teacher education program that is recognized. Also, they need to get an IELTS score of at least 6.5.
Related topics:
