Teacher recruits won't last without improvements to workload

New overseas teacher recruits won't last without improvements to workload
14 November 2018

NZEI Te Riu Roa has welcomed the Ministry of Education's efforts in recruiting 550 overseas primary and secondary teachers for next year, but warns these teachers won't stay long without improvements to workload.

"The huge workload and large class sizes that are driving New Zealanders out of teaching will be felt even more keenly by overseas teachers who are also getting their head around a new curriculum and understanding different cultural requirements," said NZEI President Lynda Stuart.

"The drive to recruit overseas teachers is a necessary short-term requirement in the current crisis, but we fear that the huge expense of overseas recruitment will be repeated every year until we fix the core issue - teachers are burning out because of the unreasonable demands of the job," she said.

Principals have also frequently raised the issue of the additional requirements schools face in mentoring overseas teachers.

Ms Stuart said teachers and principals were also very concerned that the Ministry's modelling was flawed and based on false assumptions that underestimated the extent of the crisis.

ENDS

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