Director's Message

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June 2009

Ngā mihi mahana ki a koutou

Warm greetings to you all

New Fee Changes

• A new fee of $50.00 (including GST) will be introduced for teachers employed in teaching positions who fail to renew or apply for their practising certificates by the due date. This is additional to the cost of the practising certificate fee of $120.

• The Limited Authority to Teach fee is to be increased from $40.00 to $55.00 per year (including GST) to cover current administration costs.

• A new fee of $80.00 (including GST) will be introduced for applicants who have not been registered in New Zealand and who have either completed their teacher education programme overseas or who are applying through the Council's discretionary pathway. This is additional to the cost of the practising certificate fee of $120 and is to cover additional administration costs

Details about the late fee:

1. The late fee will be imposed if a teacher's practising certificate expiry date is passed and the application is received after this date and the teacher is employed in a teaching position that is legislated to require registration
2. Teachers are presently reminded three months in advance of their expiry date that they need to apply for their practising certificate.
3. Schools and centres are responsible for ensuring their teaching staff (including day relievers and all staff paid and employed as teachers) have current practising certificates or current authorization from the Council.
4. This should be done by maintaining and monitoring a robust database system that shows teaching staff's practising certificate expiry date and registration category and by ensuring staff have applied on time to avoid a late fee.

These fee changes come into force on 1 July 2009. This action has occurred under sections 136 and 139 of the Education Act 1989, and with the written approval of the Minister of Education.

The reason that we have introduced a late fee is to ensure that teachers who apply for their practising certificates on time are not subsidising those teachers who fail to apply on the due date. Every year, as many as 2,000 to 3,000 out of 30,000 teachers make late applications for practising certificates, often weeks, months, and sometimes even years after the expiry date. This delay causes further administration costs for schools, centres and the Council.

We hope that you will all be able to avoid the 'late fee' by regularly checking the expiry date of your practising certificate card or on the on line register and applying well before the date has passed. It you wish, you can apply for your practising certificates up to six months before its expiry date. The on line register can be accessed here http://register.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/applications/register/

Teacher registration is an important component of Government's and the profession's desire to ensure a high quality education system. Having current teacher registration contributes to a safe and high quality teaching and learning environment through ensuring that teachers meet satisfactory standards and are engaged in ongoing professional development.

Further information about these fee changes may be downloaded from the Teachers Council's website. http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/registration/how/feechange2009.stm

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