Foreign language assistants

If you're a French, German or Spanish language assistant, you'll generally work with a group of schools, but your host school is your employer. Learn about the terms of your employment.

Level of compliance Main audience Other

Required

  • Foreign Language Assistants
  • Boards

The rights and responsibilities specified in an employment agreement must be adhered to.

Employment agreement

As there's no collective agreement that covers your work, you're employed under an individual employment agreement (IEA). The Ministry of Education develops and approves the IEA.

Foreign language assistant individual employment agreement [PDF, 265 KB]

Your pay

If you're a Spanish foreign language assistant your gross (before tax) full-time salary is $56,472.90 per annum.

If you're a German or French foreign language assistant your net full-time salary is $46,511.30 per annum, if you provide an IR23 certificate from Inland Revenue. Without an IR23, your gross salary is $56,472.90 per annum.

If you work part time, your salary will be calculated as a proportion of the full-time amount, depending on your working hours.

Your leave

You get 4 weeks' annual leave each year and you must take this when the school is closed (that is, not in term time).

Your sick leave allocation is 10 days each year, and you can use this to care for a sick family member.

You're also entitled to bereavement/tangihanga leave.

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