FAQ: Assessing teacher pay step
Pay parity opt-in scheme
How do I determine what pay step a teacher should be at?
The Ministry of Education is unable to provide specific advice on the pay steps for your teachers. We have developed guidance to help services to determine the correct salary step: Pay Parity: A guide to pay parity for ECE teachers and service providers [PDF, 2.3 MB].
Do overseas qualifications count towards pay steps?
If the international qualification is recognised by the NZQA(external link), then the teacher should be paid based on that qualification and their experience. For further information on qualifications, see Pay Parity: A guide to pay parity for ECE teachers and service providers [PDF, 2.3 MB].
Do teacher qualifications need to be related to teaching or education to count?
All certificated teachers must hold a recognised ECE or primary teaching qualification and a current practising certificate issued by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. In addition to this, they may hold qualifications which are not directly related to teaching or education. All qualifications need to be considered, even if they are not directly related to teaching. For further information, see Pay Parity: A guide to pay parity for ECE teachers and service providers [PDF, 2.3 MB].
Does relief teaching count towards recognised service?
For recognised service, time spent as a relief teacher can be counted for salary purposes where the certificated teacher was employed continuously for six weeks or more in a New Zealand licensed early childhood centre or a state or state integrated school (including Kaupapa Māori). For more information regarding hours of work and recognised service, please see the ECE Funding Handbook, Chapter 3-B-2(external link).
Does overseas teaching experience count towards recognised teaching service?
Only teaching service within New Zealand as a certificated teacher can be counted as recognised service.
Teaching experience overseas may be considered as ‘previous relevant work experience’ if your previous role applied skills that are relevant to the position offered. Any hours recognised as ‘previous relevant work experience must be agreed by the teacher and their employer.
For more information, see Pay Parity: A guide to pay parity for ECE teachers and service providers [PDF, 2.3 MB].
What can we do if a teacher cannot provide evidence of teaching service from a previous employer?
Evidence of the factors used to determine a certificated teacher’s initial salary step should be provided by the teacher to the satisfaction of their employer.
In a situation where a teacher is unable to provide evidence, the employer can work with this teacher to determine what information they can obtain and how this will be used to determine their initial salary step.
When a staff member takes leave, is that counted towards recognised service for pay parity purposes?
The following types of leave need to be counted as recognised service for pay parity purposes:
- annual leave,
- sick leave,
- bereavement leave, and
- statutory holidays.
Decisions about other types of leave (e.g. unpaid leave, parental leave, ACC) are at the discretion of the service.
Does experience in home-based settings count?
Coordinator (or visiting teacher) experience in home-based settings does not count as recognised service for the pay parity opt-in scheme. However, it does count as previous relevant work experience.
What previous relevant work experience can I count towards the pay step assessment?
Previous relevant work experience is one of three factors that determine a certificated teacher’s initial salary step. It refers to any experience that the teacher and employer agree is relevant to the teaching role they are in.
For more information, see Pay Parity: A guide to pay parity for ECE teachers and service providers [PDF, 2.3 MB].
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