This page explains the basics of how teachers' salaries are assessed in New Zealand.
A salary assessment determines your annual base salary entitlement, by assessing your:
- qualification group – based on your NZ teacher registration and your qualification(s)
- salary step – based on your qualification group, and previous teaching service or relevant work experience.
Previous teaching service and relevant work experience
Previous teaching and relevant work experience is used to calculate service credits. For every 365 days of full-time equivalent calculated service credits, a teacher is entitled to one more salary step above the entry salary step for their qualification group.?
The number of service credits is dependent on:
- how many hours worked, whether full time or part time
- the exact length of service
- whether it was paid work
- whether it was teaching service or relevant work experience.
Statements of service or other evidence must be provided as evidence of previous teaching or relevant work experience in your application. The exact numbers of hours worked, or hours worked per week, and start and end dates must be provided.
Statements of service or other evidence are not needed for teaching service or work experience in NZ state or state integrated schools, as they will be recorded in the school's payroll.
Voluntary teaching (unpaid or as part of gaining a qualification) cannot be included in a salary assessment, except for Voluntary Service Abroad (VSA), if you held a teaching qualification at the time.
Your principal will decide whether previous work experience is relevant to be included in your salary assessment. Talk to your principal if you are unsure if some past work experience is relevant to include in your application.
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Service credit allocation
Previous teaching service
Full credits are given for paid teaching service where the teacher held a:
- NZ teaching qualification, or
- an overseas qualification that contains core components of a New Zealand Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programme, or
- teacher registration from the country the teacher was staying in at the time of their employment.
Half credits are given if only a statement of service is provided.
Previous relevant work experience
Half credits are given for relevant work experience if an NZQA level 5 or above qualification was held at the time of employment, and evidence of the qualification is provided in your application.
Half credits are given for relevant school-based paid work experience as a kaiarahi i te reo, kaiawhina, teacher aide, special education assistant or assistant to teachers of students with severe disabilities (limited to a maximum of two salary steps in primary and area schools).
One-third credit is given for relevant work experience if an NZQA level 4 qualification was held at the time of employment, and evidence of the qualification is provided in your application.
One-third credit is given for relevant work experience if you did not hold a qualification at level 4 at the time of your employment, but no more than two years of service credits can be awarded for it.
Example
Sarah worked as a full-time teacher aide in a NZ school for 120 days (approx four months) without holding a level 4 qualification. She earned half credits for the 120 days of service.
1/2 of 120 = 60 days
She later graduated as a primary school teacher and worked full-time in a NZ private school for 305 days. She earned full service credits for this = 305 days
In total, the service credits generated by Sarah’s previous teaching service and relevant work experience was 365 days. This entitled her to one more salary step above the salary entry step for her qualification group.?
Employment agreements
Assessments are also based on each school sector's employment agreement, for example primary teachers’ assessments are based on the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement. The remuneration section of each agreement provides their base salary scales and qualification groups. See Employment agreements (education.govt.nz)
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