Teacher Education Refresh (TER)

It is a requirement in New Zealand to have a current Practising Certificate to hold most teaching positions.

Our Teacher Education Refresh (TER) programme is designed for all Early Childhood teachers wanting to return to teaching who do not have a full Practising Certificate.

Through this programme you will gain current knowledge and experience of Early Childhood educational theory and practice to successfully obtain a renewed Practising Certificate from Hapori Matatū Teaching Council.

The Ministry of Education is funding this course for applicants they deem eligible.

Note: International students are required to be in New Zealand to study this programme.

• Online
• Practicum

You may begin the programme in February or July.

The TER programme takes 20 weeks and must be completed within a one-year period.

There is no set weekly Early Childhood service attendance requirement for this programme, but spending some time in a centre is recommended, especially if you have not worked as a teacher recently.

You will be required to engage in a week of online orientation, followed by three 5-week modules online and one 4-week practicum during your studies.

Practicum: Participants should follow one of 2 pathways

Option 1: Fast-track option

• Teachers in full-time permanent or full-time fixed-term teaching positions (minimum 30 hours per week) for 12 months at the time of enrolment will not be required to complete a 4-week practicum in a centre.
  They will be required to undertake an evaluative visit.

• Participants must provide a letter from their ECE Centre confirming:

  • The applicant’s employment support for the teacher for the duration of the TER programme.

Option 2: Practicum-based option

• Teachers not eligible for option one must complete a 4-week practicum in an ECE Centre.
• This practicum may be completed in the students’ ECE Home Centre where they currently work.
• If tauira are not currently working in a centre, Te Rito Maioha will organise the practicum placement.

Assessment

This programme is assessed by internal assessment and online conversation participation. Assessments are varied and include essays, reports, PowerPoint presentations, multimedia presentations and other assessment types.

You are required to complete a TER programme if you:

• Are applying for your first Tōmua; Provisional Practising Certificate and you graduated from your Initial Teacher Education programme more than 5 years ago.

• Last held a Provisional Practising Certificate (now Tōmua; Provisional) and have not been able to gain satisfactory recent teaching experience for 5 or more years.

• Have held a Tōmua; Provisional Practising Certificate for more than 5 years and want to renew it.

• Are an overseas teacher and your education qualification was completed more than 5 years ago and you have not taught in the last 5 years.

• Applied to renew a Practising Certificate but your overseas teaching experience was not equivalent to a teaching position in New Zealand, and you are not able to meet the requirement for satisfactory recent teaching experience.

You may be required to undertake a TER programme if you are seeking to renew a Tūturu; Full (Category One) or Pūmau; Full (Category Two) Practising Certificate and have renewed either of these practising certificate types using a RTPP for more than 5 years.

To be eligible for programme admission, you must:

• Hold an NZQA or equivalent level 7 teaching degree or diploma.

• Undergo a Children’s Worker Safety Check as required under the Children’s 2014, including Police Vetting.

• Submit an application to the Teaching Council to renew your practising certificate.

What is a verified copy?
A verified copy is a photocopy of your original document signed as being a true and accurate copy by a Justice of the Peace (JP), solicitor, church minister, kaumātua, police officer, school principal, Member of Parliament or Te Rito Maioha teaching staff member. You can find a list of Justices of the Peace in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book or at Royal Federation of NZ Justices’ Associations

Documents required to submit an application

1. Primary ID
You must supply a verified copy of one of the documents below:

• New Zealand Birth Certificate issued on or after 1 January 1998 carrying a unique identification number
• New Zealand Passport
• Overseas passport (must include relevant visa/residency permit)
• New Zealand Emergency travel document
• New Zealand refugee travel document
• New Zealand certificate of identity (issued under the Passports Act 1992 to non-NZ citizens who cannot obtain a passport from their country of origin)
• New Zealand certificate of identity (issued under the Immigration Act 1987 to people who have refugee status)
• New Zealand citizenship certificate

2. Secondary ID
You must supply a verified copy of one of the documents below:

• New Zealand Driver’s licence
• 18+ Card
• Community services card
• NZ student photo identification card – from another tertiary institution
• NZ employee photo identification card
• NZ electoral roll record
• Inland revenue number
• NZ utility bill, issued not more than six months earlier.

3. Evidence of Qualification

This programme consists of 3 Modules and a Practicum, delivered over one semester.

Enrolment fees are currently free for teachers who are required by Teaching Council Aotearoa New Zealand to complete the TER programme to renew their Practising Certificate. 

• Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Primary)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership (ECE)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Infant and Toddler Learning and Development
• Master of Education (ECE)