Missing links

Teacher shortages continue

By Megan Dunn

New Zealand is currently in the midst of a nationwide teacher shortage with the lack of teachers causing widespread issues within the education sector.

Currently, there are approximately 1000 job vacancies across the education sector, a near unprecedented amount. The recent rise of talent heading overseas post pandemic, lack of graduates and the general effect of Covid has caused this massive staffing shortage. Vaughan Couillault, the Secondary Principals Association president, says of the current shortages, “It’s the most difficult we’ve experienced in quite some decades”. While it’s too early for official statistics to be released, the number of Kiwis who have already, or plan, to leave the country to explore further career opportunities post-pandemic is likely to be large. New Zealand has always had a culture of young people doing an ‘OE’ or working holiday, and with the angst of leaving our shores heightened due to the pandemic, partnered with visa age limits counting down, this has further spurred young talent to decide the time to leave is now.

Furthermore, the numbers of teachers graduating are simply not large enough to keep up with demand. There is little hope in reprieve through New Zealand teacher graduates, as enrolments have also dropped back to levels similar to those in 2020.

On-going Covid related illnesses is causing havoc in schools across the country. An influx of second wave Omicron illnesses, in combination with all the ills and chills of winter sickness, is meaning staff absences due to sickness has been uncharacteristically high. Although the general distress around Covid has somewhat dissipated in 2022, teachers were and continue to be some of the most likely to be affected by the virus, being in such close proximity to a large group of people on a daily basis. This affects teachers’ health and general wellbeing as well as that of their students.

Disruptions to the lives of students over the past two and a half years has been significant, it has turned students’ lives upside down and schooling in traditional methods has had to be majorly altered to work around the huge restraints of the pandemic. Emerging from the pandemic was always set to be a rough ride, the implications of the virus having an impact on nearly every industry and sector possible. The Ministry of Education is very aware of the constraints all of these disruptions have placed on schools and staff, and have said they are committed in working with the sector to offer targeted support for their evolving needs. The ministry is set to reintroduce the Overseas Finder’s Fee and Overseas Relocation Grant from 1 July 2022. As New Zealand reopens to the world, the Government is reintroducing two grants to support overseas teacher recruitment.

The Ministry has stated that from 1 July 2022, eligible schools, kura and early learning services can apply for the Overseas Finder’s Fee of up to $3,450 to help meet their recruitment costs.

From the same date, eligible overseas and returning New Zealand teachers will have access to the Overseas Relocation Grant of up to $5,000 towards the cost of relocating to New Zealand.

For the first time, early learning services will be able to apply for the scheme, supporting the early learning sector to secure qualified teaching staff from overseas. They have also introduced ‘Green List roles’ which work within the Accreditation Employer Worker Visa Scheme.

The purpose of the Green List is to provide a residence pathway to support attraction of highly skilled migrants in globally in-demand and long-term shortage areas.

Employment must be for a position as a teacher in one of the following areas, as stated by the Ministry:

• Secondary school teacher in one of the following specialisations: • Science (including chemistry, biology, physics, agricultural and horticultural science, and earth and space science) • Mathematics (including statistics and calculus) • Technology (including digital technologies, computer science, construction and mechanical technologies, materials technologies, and processing technologies) • Pacific languages (including languages of

Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands,

Sāmoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Fiji,

Rotuma, and Kiribati) • Early childhood (pre-primary school). These pathways are aimed at aiding overseas teacher recruitment and finding solutions for the ongoing teacher shortage.

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