Phil Funnell
Yr 1 Teacher, Auckland
Phil is a primary teacher from the UK who contacted Education Personnel from overseas and is now a Yr 1 teacher in Auckland.
Working alongside
Education Personnel
"I looked at
all employment
avenues
available when my partner and I decided to come to NZ, especially the
education agencies which I had seen at the NZ Expo in London a couple
of years ago. I also contacted schools directly to 'test
the water' but
many of them wrote back and said that I would have to be in the country
before I would be considered
for any job which
was fair enough.
I therefore decided to get in
touch with Education
Personnel.
The personal contact made with Education Personnel stand out. I have worked with a couple of agencies in the past and they have made promises that they haven't kept and said that they would keep in contact and they didn't. Education Personnel did go that extra mile and I did feel that they were making a sincere effort on my behalf. A lot of pressure was taken off me as I had all the other 'paperwork' of immigration, moving and bills to sort before I came to New Zealand.
Finding My New Role
Before even coming to NZ Education Personnel gave me numerous choices of schools that were interested in my CV and application and I was lucky to have Melanie who kept me up to date with any developments. As I was coming out in May 2010 I was informed that my school had requested an interview which was relayed through Education Personnel. Melanie contacted me by telephone to inform me of my interview date, what I would need to bring, what to wear and what they would be looking for. Luckily she also sent all this information through by email which was greatly appreciated. She advised me to look at the schools ERO report which was very revealing and useful as well as letting me know, in detail, about what the job would entail, how much I SHOULD be paid ( which was great!), who I should be talking to, what the schools reputation was and was information was available on the Net.
My New Role
I have been very lucky as I have had a lot of support from all members of the school especially the Whanau leaders and the general teaching staff. I was under no illusion that teaching in another country was going to be a learning curve. The school gave me all the compulsary NZ curriculum documents to read through and the Principal has given me Overseas Teaching Training time where I spend time in different classes within the school once a week for 1 hour to observe other teachers to gain a better understanding of the curriculum. The staff is friendly, sociable and welcoming.... any problems and I know where to go!!!
New Zealand
When we first arrived in Auckland we lived in Mt Wellington. Although having a mixed reputation, I had an amazing exploring time and have never felt threatened, intimidated or scared to out ANYWHERE in Auckland. Auckland is so spread out that it doesn't actually feel like a city, but has all the resources of one. Whatever you do, you need to explore as there are so many amazing places to see on your doorstep just in Auckland alone. As we have only been in the country a couple of months and it has been winter we have not ventured too far elsewhere but as soon as we can we will be out exploring our new home!
We chose Auckland because it did have the most jobs for primary school teachers although it wasn't out first choice. Wellington or Nelson were. However..... I am so glad we did choose Auckland - shopping is easy, it has a fantastic multicultural feel, there are more opportunities here for employment, there are thousands of places to rent/buy for every budget and buying a car was easy. Don't get new!!!! We went to Turners Auctions within a couple of days being here and picked up a lovely Nissan Primera estate for a bargain! My partner is waiting to get into the Police force over here but has to wait until Jan 2011 for the next recruitment drive, so instead of wasting time doing nothing, he has enrolled in a local Te Wananga College and is studying for the Police Vocational Course to hold him in good stead for January. The process was easy and because of the large proportion of Maori and Pacific Islanders across NZ, he is also studying the culture , language and spiritual side of NZ within the course.
Advantages of Using Education Personnel
1) less pressure on yourself- they do the leg work!
2) constant and consistent contact with you
3) they can answer any questions that you throw at them!
And.... I would recommend them without a doubt!
New Zealand is an amazing country to live in but do not compare it to the UK or you will be disappointed. New Zealand is still developing in so many ways and doesn't have the choice of a huge country like the UK. Some things are more expensive while other things are cheap. All of these things are outweighed by the friendliness,the landscape of the country and its people!
Phil Funnell, Auckland, 2010