Fact sheet: Teacher supply initiatives

Promoting teaching as a career: The increase to teacher salaries as part of the Collective Agreement settlement in 2004, is expected to have a positive and ongoing impact on teacher supply generally. This is evident in greater retention rates in the year to May 2004 in both the primary and secondary school sector. Television advertising has also proven to be a highly effective recruitment measure.

Allowances and grants: The International Relocation Grant is available to attract New Zealand teachers living overseas and overseas-qualified teachers relocate to New Zealand from other countries. The rate for New Zealand trained teachers remains at $5,000. The rate for overseas-trained secondary teachers has been recently increased to $4,000. The Secondary Subject Trainee Allowance: The Secondary Subject Trainee Allowance (SSTA) is a financial incentive (of $10,000, paid in three instalments) for graduates and near graduates with specific degrees to become secondary teachers of subjects where there is a high demand.

The SSTA target subjects are currently: biology, chemistry, computing, English, mathematics, physics, technology, and te reo Mâori. Technology is a new subject from 2005.

New 2005 TeachNZ Secondary Subject Scholarships: From 2005, prospective teachers of chemistry, mathematics, physics, technology and te reo Mâori have the option of applying for either the new TeachNZ Secondary Subject Scholarships or the SSTA. Recipients of the scholarship will receive their core study fees for each year of study; plus an allowance of up to $10,000 in total over the period of study for full-time students. Recipients will be bonded to teaching for the same amount of time that they receive the scholarship.

In December 2004 the Minister wrote to all senior secondary NCEA enrolees in mathematics, physics, chemistry, technology and te Reo Mâori advising them of the availability of these bonded scholarships.

SSTA Loan Support Scheme: The SSTA Loan Support Scheme is an incentive for secondary school teachers of target subjects to remain teaching in New Zealand until at least their fifth year of teaching. The Scheme consists of three annual payments of $2,500 in the teacher’s second, third and fourth years of teaching to be credited against a teacher’s student loan. As at 30 November 2004, 264 applications had been received for SSTA Loan Support.

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