Job Discussion Forums

[vincent]

I am a New Zealand resident returning home after several years teaching EFL in Asia. Can anybody give me information regarding the current ESL teaching scene in New Zealand?
Will a B.A + CELTA + EFL/ ESOL experience qualify me to work in a language school in N.Z and if so are there jobs to be found?
Also, how about primary teaching jobs for males? Would a Dip. Grad. student be likely to find work (particularly in the Christchurch area) or are there many male graduates looking for jobs?

Any info would be greatly appreciated, including any views on the advantages of teaching ESL or young primary learners.

[moot point]

Hi Vincent,

Again a shame that nobody has responded to your post yet. I actually confused yours and Nipper78's in my response. It seems we are all in similar situations about wanting to seek employment and subsequently happy lives in NZ.

Are you planning on doing your Dip/Tchg in NZ? If so, which school did you choose and why?

[ambernz]

Hi there,

There are many jobs in NZ for secondary and primary teachers of either gender, so don't worry about that.

English secondary teachers (not ESOL unfortunately) have now been added to the list of teachers that are high demand. Other subjects are science, maths, technology (woodwork), and Maori language. I think that physical education may also be there but check out the TeachNZ site for info. They are willing to bond you for the same number of years that you will need to study, so 1 year study = 1 year teaching in NZ within 2 years of finishing your studies.

You will probably hear this over and again but there is very little to no teaching work around. I'm in Wellington and things are very very quiet. If the school has refugees then they should have students but the international student market is really depressed. I have been back for over a month and haven't even had any relief work, so have given up on esol for the time being.

Another problem is that many teachers have upskilled to DipTESOL or an MA and as you can imagine many places, especially those that are reputable, are requiring post grad qualifications.

I personally think that it would be a good idea going into primary teaching as there are so many children in schools these days that are having problems with language and literacy skills. Being from a language background means that you would be more prepared than some to deal with issues like these. A friend was working in primary school and had several non-native speakers in her class and was particulary grateful that she had esol skills because of it.

Good luck and if you need any more info let me know.
Amber

[vincent]

Moot point and AmberNZ, thanks for the replies.

Amber it was interesting to read your comments in regards to ESOL and primary/secondary teaching in N.Z. I would very much like to consider teaching ESOL in NZ however the prospect of finding employment looks tough in light of the downturn in student numbers.

I have heard that there are a limited number of primary positions in Christchurch. Amber, do you have any additional comments on this?
Have you yourself switched professions due to the lack of employment prospects in teaching ESOL?

Thanks for the feedback. If anybody else out there is willing to shed some light on the subject I would greatly appreciate it.

Regards
Vincent

[ambernz]

There are some good websites that can help you with finding teaching positions, I think the Education Gazette is the most popular one. I'd try that first but you can also go to the ministry of education site

http://www.edgazette.govt.nz/
http://www.moe.govt.nz/

The teachnz site has some info on training courses as well Moot Point

http://www.teachnz.govt.nz/

And yes I've switched positions and as of today am now working for the government, the payand conditions are great and I was wanting to head this way eventually anyway so it has all worked out for the best. I'm still working in education but I needed a bit more of a challenge as teaching efl in Asia was not exactly stimulating.

I would have loved to go back to my university teaching job but the numbers aren't there. As the downturn is much greater than people overseas think, and if teachers are wanting to come here, they really can't depend on ESL work to do it. If you have a teaching qualification you should be able to find something quite quickly although it may not be in the place that you might choose first off, but then you are at least here and making money and I don't really think that anywhere in NZ is a truely horrible place to live. Well, there are a few places I wouldn't like, but the good thing about such a small island is that you can drive for a couple of hours and be somewhere absolutely amazing!!! Even Taihape isn't that bad anymore! They have a great cafe now!!!!

I hope you find something, so good luck!
Amber