Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) Scenarios
Waimarie
- Is currently in her final year of a Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) qualification after travelling overseas
- Has done a couple of days relief teaching in her local primary school
- Musician/Artist and had her own art studio for seven years
- Has been offered a teaching position in a school to do the principal release time.
Waimarie has been studying full time for her teaching qualification for the past three years and she will complete this at the end of this year. She plans to return to her home town near Gisborne to teach at the local kura that she also attended during her primary school years.
Waimarie currently lives in Otaki and has already done two days relief teaching this calendar year at Kentleigh School, the local primary school. She had seen in the Kentleigh School newsletter and the local paper the advertisement for the principal release position of six hours per week to start in Term 2. She applied and was successful.
The Principal saw Waimarie's talent as a practising artist and musician as a huge benefit to her school, as well as Waimarie's commitment to the teaching profession with her current study. The position was fixed term and for only six hours per week spread over three days. This suited Waimarie really well by fitting in with her teaching studies, but made the position less attractive for other applicants.
The Principal advised Waimarie that as she was not eligible for teacher registration at this time they would need to apply for a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT). As Waimarie had already done two days relief teaching the Principal emailed the Teachers Council the following query to their inquiries email address:
Dear Teachers Council
I wish to employ Waimarie Tocker (Date of birth: 01/02/1989) in a fixed term teaching position until the end of the year. Waimarie enrolled onto an approved teacher education programme in 2008 after returning from her travels overseas. She is in her final year of completing an approved teacher education programme. She has already done two days of relief teaching in my school this calendar year.
Can you please help me with what I need to do to enable her to start teaching on the first day of Term 2 this year?
Thank you
Principal
Kentleigh School
The Principal received the following response from the Teachers Council:
Kia ora
Thank you for your email.
The school will need to apply for a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) for Waimarie Tocker. The latest version of the LAT form (TC4) should be downloaded from our website. The TC4 form comes with a completion guide to assist in the completion of the application form.
You may be aware that clause 19 of the LAT policy requires you to provide evidence to support the application for a LAT. This will be required for Waimarie's application.
The Teachers Council will require the evidence that Waimarie is currently completing an approved teaching qualification. This information should also confirm when Waimarie will be completing this programme of study, including the full name of the programme and the institution of study.
You have indicated in your email that Waimarie travelled overseas. She may be required to provide an overseas police certificate if she lived outside NZ for 12 months or more during the past 10 years.
Given that the beginning of Term 2 is quite soon you also need to request an extension to enable the school to employ her in a teaching position for more than 10 days or 20 half days allowed under the s120 (b) of the Education Act. The extension will be required while Waimarie's application is being processed. You can either submit the extension request with the application form or by email to extensions@teacherscouncil.govt.nz. The extension will be processed once we receive Waimarie's LAT form and payment of the required fee.
The information on the Professional Leaders' section of the Teachers Council website provided the Principal with further insight into the process involved in applying for a LAT. They completed the TC4 application form together. Waimarie attached a letter from her teacher education provider which confirmed she is in her final year of study towards the Bachelor of Teaching programme. As she was in the United Kingdom for two years prior to returning to NZ to commence her study, she applied to the police authorities in the UK for a police certificate.
The Principal completed her sections of the TC4 application form, attached a copy of the advertisement in the local paper and her supporting letter for why Waimarie should be granted a LAT.
In that letter she also requested an extension to enable her to employ Waimarie in a teaching position while her application is being processed. The Principal did this because she knew that the Teachers Council's standard processing time is 4-6 weeks and that Waimarie will also need some time to provide the UK police certificate. The application form for the UK police certificate had also indicated their processing time of 40 days.
Within about two weeks of posting the LAT application Waimarie received this acknowledgement letter:
Dear Waimarie
Acknowledgment of receipt of application - reference 912345
Thank you for your application.
Please allow 4-6 weeks processing time. If we require any further information we will contact you. In this case your application may take longer to process.
This letter is not evidence of a practising certificate but can be supplied to an employer as evidence that we have received your application.
Please note the Education Act (section -120b) allows for a teacher to teach in the general education system without a practising certificate for up to 10 full days or 20 half days in any one year. The Teachers Council is able to grant an extension to this time to those who are teaching in sectors where registration is compulsory.
If you require an extension letter your professional leader will need to make a written request on letterhead to the Teachers Council, to enable you to continue to teach beyond those 10 days. If the late fee is applicable this will need to be paid before an extension will be issued.
This is an automatically generated letter (do not reply if you have received this by email).
If you have any queries please contact us by:
- phone 04 471 0852 or fax 471 0870
- email at inquiries@teacherscouncil.govt.nz
Please refer to the New Zealand Teachers Council website http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/ for further information.
Yours sincerely
Jenny Thomas
Manager - Registration
Her Principal received this extension authorisation:
Tena koe
Re: Extension granted for authority to teach for Waimarie Tocker.
(Granted under Section 120B of the Education Act 1989).
Thank you for your request for an extension to be granted for Waimarie Tocker.
Miss Tocker, who is employed in a teaching position at Kentleigh School has been given authority by the New Zealand Teachers Council under Section 120B of the Education Act 1989 to continue teaching until the end of Term Two, 2011 while her application for a Limited Authority to Teach is being considered.
Employment can only continue under this section of the Act if the teacher is under the general supervision of a person who holds a current practising certificate.
This extension has been granted before assessment of the application. A further extension may not be granted once the application has been assessed and if it is determined that the standards for a Limited Authority to Teach have not been met.
At the start of the term Waimarie made contact with the UK police authorities to query the progress of her police certificate application. She was advised by the UK that she should receive her police certificate in the next three weeks. Waimarie made a note to contact the UK and the Teachers Council if she does not receive her police certificate in that time period.
Dane
- Completed his Bachelor of Music at Canterbury University in 2006
- Has held a one year LAT with the Teachers Council since taking on employment as an itinerant music teacher at a secondary school for the past three years where he teaches for five hours a week
- His last LAT expired on 28 January 2011
- In early February was approached by two other local schools to teach for three hours each a week.
Dane has been employed with the same school for three years teaching violin for five hours a week. Moorefield High School has been his host school and is responsible for appraising him in his role as an itinerant music teacher.
Dane had lost his copy of his LAT approval letter granted last year and Moorefield High School has just informed him that his LAT had expired and he would need to contact the Teachers Council to find out about the process.
Dane rang the Teachers Council and the advice given to him was that he needed to complete immediately a new TC4 application form. Council staff also advised Dane to refer to the LAT policy for information on whether he would be eligible for a LAT for more than one year in duration. Dane saw that the policy outlined the criteria that applied to the different options and the evidence he would need to provide.
Dane made an appointment the next day to talk with his Principal about his application.
In the conversation with staff at the Teachers Council, where Dane's attention had been drawn to the possibility of a longer term LAT of even up to three years, it was also mentioned that Dane should investigate further the numerous options now available to complete an approved initial teacher education qualification. He was told some are offered by distance learning which would mean Dane could keep working.
As Dane is employed in a teaching position that requires him to be authorized by the Teachers Council and he has continued to teach without authorization he also needs to pay the late fee in addition to the processing fee for the LAT.
This also meant that as he has no current authorization to be employed in a teaching position his principal knew he would now need to apply for an extension. The Principal sent his request for an extension to the Teachers Council by email. The Principal received this response:
Kia ora
We have received your request for an extension to be granted for Dane Rush. At this stage we are unable to process an extension for Dane until we have received the TC4 application form and payment of the required fees.
From your email it is clear that Dane has been employed in your school and two other schools since the beginning of February 2011 and so the late fee will also need to be paid before the extension request can be further considered.
From the LAT policy Dane saw clearly that a LAT is given to a specific person for a specific teaching position for a specific time period in a specific school. He knew he needed to have the Principal endorsement of all three principals who wished to employ him and that when granted, the LAT would list the schools and the time period and subject.
When the LAT was approved Dane's Principal at Moorefield High School was appreciative to have received an email from the Teachers Council which notified him that Dane's LAT application had been approved. Dane also received an email confirming the same information. Dane then made a note for next time to get onto the application process much more quickly to avoid any penalties. A few days later Dane received his LAT approval letter in the post, which enabled him to give a copy to Moorefield High School for his personnel file.
| Authority No. 812345
LIMITED AUTHORITY TO TEACH This is a Limited Authority to Teach, issued under Section 130B of the Education Act 1989, granted to the person named above under the conditions stated. Conditions: Commencement Date: 01/02/2011 Valid for employment in the following school(s)/kindergarten(s) only: Moorefield High School Pukeko College Tui High School for the following subjects: Music
Please note as a holder of a LAT you can only be employed on a temporary contract. This Authority is only valid in the learning centre listed above and it is illegal for you to continue to teach after the expiry date on this Authority. It is the expectation of the Council that people holding a Limited Authority to Teach will be continually upskilling and seeking to gain teacher registration in New Zealand. The Council will only consider applications for LATs when there is evidence provided that a registered teacher could not be found for the position.
GST Tax Receipt Receipt Issued: 07/04/2011 New Zealand Teachers Council Total Fee Paid: $106.22 (GST Inclusive) GST No: 81-270-112 Reference Number 812345 (Any alteration or erasure invalidates this authority) Yours sincerely Jenny Thomas |
Shania
- Completed high school in 2001
- Fluent speaker of Te Reo
- Volunteers at the local childcare centre assisting with Te Reo.
Shania has always wanted to be a teacher but has never made the move to continue any formal education/academic studies once she left college in 2001. She is fluent in Te Reo and has enjoyed volunteering at the local childcare centre which has enabled her to use her Te Reo in an educational setting. It has also given her an insight into the joys and satisfaction of what being in the teaching profession is all about.
This has inspired Shania to plan to enrol into a teacher education programme in the next few years once she is able to settle a few of her personal commitments. She also wishes to travel overseas for a couple of years.
Te Kura o Waimoana has advertised for a kaiako fluent in Te Reo for a couple of hours a week and also to lead the kura's kapa haka group. Shania's application was successful and in her meeting with the Tumuaki expressed her intention to enrol into an approved teacher education programme.
The Tumuaki explained to Shania that her contract with the school will be subject to approval of her LAT application with the Teachers Council. The TC4 application form was downloaded from the Teachers Council's website and they completed the form together and gathered the evidence that the LAT policy requires. The Tumuaki also wrote a supporting letter to send in together with the evidence of advertisements and an outline of the attempts the school had made to recruit a registered teacher for the position.
The Tumuaki received an email notification from the Teachers Council confirming that Shania's LAT application had been approved. As Shania did not have internet access at home she was unable to receive the same email notification. However, a few days later she received the LAT approval letter in the post which confirmed she has been given authorization to be employed as a teacher at Te Kura o Waimoana until the end of the year. Shania provided a copy of the LAT letter to the Tumuaki when she met with him again to finalise her employment contract.