ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN MORE U.K. TEACHERS

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30979, 8 February 1966, Page 18

ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN MORE U.K. TEACHERS

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, February 7. An attempt will be made soon by the Department of Education to recruit more secondary school teachers from Britain.

This was announced today by the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella).

Through New Zealand’s chief migration officer in London, the Department has arranged to advertise for teachers in the press throughout Britain for six to eight weeks.

It is hoped that more secondary school teachers will be included in the yearly total of assisted immigrants, and the passages can be arranged for them to arrive by September. Mr Kinsella said teachers in England had to give a term’s notice. All qualified teachers who wanted to emigrate to New Zealand would get an assisted passage if they could leave when one became available. In common with other assisted immigrants, they would have to work where directed for two years.

According to the Minister,

single teachers are preferred, but some accommodation is available , for married applicants and their families.

The Department of Education will ask secondary schools throughout New Zealand to state their teaching vacancies and the accommodation available for teachers. The department will know by the end of February how many more teachers are required and whether any other measures should be taken to recruit teachers overseas.

Last year 102 secondary school teachers from overseas —52 men and 50 women—were placed in teaching jobs here. , Thirty-four of them came from Britain with assisted passages. Sixteen primary school teachers got assisted passages and many others from overseas were also appointed to primary schools by education boards.

Mr Kinsella said 31 New Zealand State schools and 11 private schools advertised individually in Britain last year for teachers. Fifteen were appointed and would take up their appointments this year. The British Council inserted the advertisements for the schools and interviewed the applicants. Mr Kinsella said the department had hundreds of inquiries every year from overseas about teaching vacancies in this country. BOOKLET GIVEN Inquirers were given information about salaries and a booklet describing New Zealand and teaching conditions.

“The booklet emphasises that it is important for inquirers to ascertain what New Zealand is really like by studying newspapers or writing to someone already here,” the Minister said. In 1963 the Government started a recruitment scheme

to obtain 30 specialist teachers from Britain for six New Zealand technical institutions. Seventeen teachers have so far been appointed under the scheme from 140 applicants, and appointments of three more are pending. About 25 of the applicants for whom there were no suitable vacancies in technical institutes have joined the staff of secondary schools.