Overview

• Professional Development Requirements
• Renewal of Practising Certificate
• Extension to a Practising Certificate

Professional Development Requirements

• Continuing education in teaching, or in your teaching subject(s), through:
  • Tertiary courses
  • Professional development contracts
  • Workshops, seminars and conferences, or
  • Professional reading.

• Relevant research–based activities, such as:
  • Action research
  • Developing a new programme
  • Lecturing about teaching and learning, or
  • Writing or producing an educational book, article or resource.

• Directly assisting other teachers or student teachers by, for example, being:
  • A supervising or tutor teacher
  • A student teacher mentor or associate teacher
  • A curriculum leader within a learning centre.
  • An advisor or resource person.

• Professional activities such as:
  • Co–operative planning, review and programme development with colleagues, or
  • Active participation in subject associations or education organisations.

Renewal of Practising Certificate

The expiry date is noted on the practising certificate (the wallet card) and the register on the website.

The Council sends reminders to individual teachers prior to the expiry date.

Schools and centres should have a system to highlight when practising certif icates are due to expire.

This can be linked to the school’s or centre’s appraisal system.

The council will now accept applications for renewal of practising certificates as early as six months prior to the expiry date. NZEI recommends early application to ensure the practising certificate remains current.

Teachers need to be aware that, if their practising certif icate expires and the renewal process has not been completed, there are two actions that allow them to continue to teach legally.

They may teach for up to twenty half-days in a year, after which -
the employer must apply for an extension in order to continue to employ that teacher.

This extension means that although the teacher does not have a current practising certif icate, their employment remains legal.

If a practising certif icate expires, NZEI would advise that application for an extension is made immediately (ie prior to the twenty half-days being completed).

When a teacher applies for renewal of a practising certif ic ate, the Teachers Council sends an acknowledgement letter. This acknowledgement letter conf irms receipt of the application, and informs the teacher that an extension can be issued to the employer.

This letter is not evidence that the teacher holds teacher registration and a practising certif icate, but can be supplied to an employer as evidence that the Teachers Council has received an application.

Where the practising certif icate expires, and the teacher is already employed, the teacher may teach for twenty-half days without a current practising certif icate. Once that time is competed, the employer must have an extension in order to be able to continue employing that teacher.

The Teachers Council has now introduced a late fee of $50.00 (including GST) for teachers employed in teaching positions who fail to renew or apply for their practising certificates by the due date. This is additional to the cost of the practising certificate fee of $120. For more information visit their website - www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz

  Renewal of Practising Certificate

Requesting an extension to allow a teacher without a current practising certificate to be employed legally.

The teacher must send an application for registration or the renewal of a practising certificate to the New Zealand Teachers Council on the Teachers Council’s Form TC1 or TC3.

The principal/professional leader must request an extension to be able to continue to employ the teacher beyond the twenty half days allowed under the Act. The request must

be in writing by:

- fax to 04 471 0870, or

- e-mail to inquiries@teacherscouncil.govt.nz or

- post to PO Box 5326, Wellington.

- include the teacher’s name and registration number

- be made on letterhead

The Council will now accept applications for renewal of practising certificates as early as six months prior to the expiry date. NZEI recommends early application to ensure the practising certificate remains current.

In the early childhood education sector, the Council can grant extensions to practising certificates only to those who are employed in settings where teacher registration is compulsory. Information on the implications of this for funding is available separately.

The Teachers Council has now introduced a late fee of $50.00 (including GST) for teachers employed in teaching positions who fail to renew or apply for their practising certificates by the due date. This is additional to the cost of the practising certificate

  Extensions