Education Personnel — Recruitment Stories

Louise is a UK trained teacher and was teaching in the UK when she first contacted Education Personnel. She was looking for a long term or permanent teaching role in Wellington.

Dealing with Education Personnel:

"On searching the internet for 'teaching in NZ' opportunities I found Education Personnel and decided to contact them. It was great dealing with a 'real person' on the other end of the phone and everyone was very friendly, helpful and easy to get on with. The communication between Education Personnel and myself was very good. They kept me informed of how things were progressing with my applications. I felt like I was getting special treatment and that I was the only one that they were dealing with. After I won a position Education Personnel followed up with me once I had started in the school. They couldn't have found me a better school to work in!"

Advice and Information provided on NZ and Teaching:
"When there were suitable positions available Education Personnel e-mailed me a brief on the school which was very useful. They also provided useful web-site links that were relevant to the position and to the school. Information on the town/city was also useful. They were able to give me lots of advice on getting a visa and even accompanied me to immigration to aid me getting a visa. Other such information such as advice on travelling through NZ, setting up a bank account and the 'Welcome Pack' with maps, things to do, curriculum documents and NZ goodies made the move easier."

	Louise Barnes Year 8 teacher from the United Kingdom

	Louise is a UK trained teacher and was teaching in the UK when she first contacted Education Personnel. She was looking for a long term or permanent teaching role in Wellington.

		Dealing with Education Personnel: "On searching the internet for 'teaching in NZ' opportunities I found Education Personnel and decided to contact them. It was great dealing with a 'real person' on the other end of the phone and everyone was very friendly, helpful and easy to get on with. The communication between Education Personnel and myself was very good. They kept me informed of how things were progressing with my applications. I felt like I was getting special treatment and that I was the only one that they were dealing with. After I won a position Education Personnel followed up with me once I had started in the school. They couldn't have found me a better school to work in!"
	Advice and Information provided on NZ and Teaching: "When there were suitable positions available Education Personnel e-mailed me a brief on the school which was very useful. They also provided useful web-site links that were relevant to the position and to the school. Information on the town/city was also useful. They were able to give me lots of advice on getting a visa and even accompanied me to immigration to aid me getting a visa. Other such information such as advice on travelling through NZ, setting up a bank account and the 'Welcome Pack' with maps, things to do, curriculum documents and NZ goodies made the move easier."

	Teaching in NZ " I am teaching at the Year 8 level (intermediate level). It is quite different to teaching in England as it is not quite so examination focussed at this level. The teaching staff in the school have been fabulous - they have been really friendly and have gone out of their way to include me and make me feel welcome. I have been exposed to some amazing opportunities to explore NZ through my school. Last year I went on a school camp to the South Island for a week and later this year we are on a trip to the Waitomo Caves."

	New Zealand "NZ is different to the UK despite what many people in the UK think. A common misconception seems to be that NZ is 20 years behind, but it really isn't. Some aspects are similar like the weather but there are a lot less people. I guess further north in NZ would get more humid but it does still get cold here in the winter. When you are earning/living on the NZ dollar the cost of living is much the same. So it was great to start out on the pound! We chose Wellington because we wanted to be in a city with things going on and we have found that there is always something on, including lots of sporting events. We have now decided to get married in Wellington and have friends and family coming to NZ to visit! We have found it relatively easy to buy a second hand car in the paper and to get into a flat. We have travelled up the North Island and we took the ferry across and travelled in the south Island over the summer holidays."

	Advantages of Using Education Personnel "The real advantage of using Education Personnel was that they were in NZ and it was easier for them to communicate with the schools. Due to the time differences between the UK and NZ it makes it really difficult to contact schools while teaching and living in the UK. Schools that I contacted directly were often negative to me applying directly from overseas. Some said that they wanted NZ registered teachers or NZ residents only to apply. I would certainly go back to Education Personnel if looking for another role and can certainly recommend them to other teachers."