Congratulations! You’ve completed your studies, gained your teacher training qualification, and are ready for the next stage of your journey to full teacher certification.
But what does that next stage look like exactly? Are there things you should do right away to keep the momentum going, and what exactly do you need to do to become a fully certified teacher?
Completing your studies and moving ahead with a Tōmua | Provisional Teaching Certificate is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. There’s a lot of new information to digest, and you might be confused about what the next steps are.
If you’re feeling a little daunted, don’t stress. This blog is here to help you figure out what comes next. Let’s tackle it together!
You’ve Gained Your Teacher Training Qualification – Now What?
Celebrate Your Teacher Training Qualification
Before you start delving into your next steps, it’s important to acknowledge your success in receiving your teacher training qualification.
Don’t just tick the box and jump right into the next stage without patting yourself on the back. Celebrating success helps build confidence and self-esteem and provides motivation to propel you towards your future goals.
Studying is hard work! Give yourself a bit of downtime and allow yourself to reflect on the journey that brought you here. Acknowledge the challenges you overcame and the areas you excelled at, and feel proud of how far you have come.
Manage Your Overwhelm
If you’re feeling overwhelmed about what comes next after getting your teacher training qualification, you’re not alone. Being a provisional teacher can feel daunting, and there’s a lot to get your head around.
Overwhelm usually happens when we are unclear on what to do or the order to do it in: we may feel overloaded with information, but not sure how to process it all.
That’s why it’s essential to get clear on what to expect over the next few years as a provisional teacher.
Once you have a better idea of what you need to do and how to do it, you’ll feel more confident about the next stage of your journey. So, let’s get clear!
Get The Basics Sorted
You may have your teacher training qualification, but that doesn’t mean you automatically become a provisional teacher. You will need to apply for your Tōmua | Provisional Practising Certificate to begin teaching.
You’ll also need to register as a teacher with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ, which currently costs $464.37 for both.
Registration will last the length of your career, but the Tōmua is only valid for five years. You are expected to fulfill all the requirements to become a Tūturu/Fully Certified Teacher within that time frame.
Once you’ve got these basics out of the way, you can look at what comes next.
To find out more details about applying for teacher registration and your practising certificate, head to the Teaching Council’s website.
Understand The Steps To Full Certification
Provisional teachers must complete a two-year programme of induction and mentoring as they develop their teaching skills and move towards full certification.
This is where people often feel confused and overwhelmed, so it’s worth allowing yourself a bit of time and space to understand the concepts behind these requirements.
Here’s an overview of how the Teaching Council describes the process:
“An induction and mentoring programme supports teachers new to the teaching profession in Aotearoa as they work towards demonstrating they can independently use and meet the Standards | Ngā Paerewa.
Through a programme of support, the Tōmua | Provisional teacher, mentor and professional leader will keep a record of the induction and mentoring programme, including progress made by the teacher towards meeting the Standards | Ngā Paerewa, for Tūturu | Full (Category One) certification.
At the end of the induction period, the professional leader makes an evidence-based decision to determine whether the teacher can independently use and meet the Standards | Ngā Paerewa as required for a Tūturu | Full (Category One) Practising Certificate.”
Start by familiarising yourself with the Guidelines for Induction and Mentoring and Mentor Teachers. This will help you know what to expect going forward. If you are already working in a centre, then you may already have an idea of how things will play out.
There are also some helpful tips and more in-depth info available here.
Set Your Goals
Before you jump in with both feet, I suggest spending time thinking about your goals. What do you want to achieve in your career, and in what timeframe?
Consider what’s important to you as an individual and how you see your career progressing long-term. Does the Centre you are currently working at provide you with those opportunities? Or, if you are seeking your first position, keep these things in mind when choosing a Centre to apply to.
Holding a clear vision of all the above in your head will help you make the right decisions moving forward.
Ticking The Employment Boxes
Equipped with your registration and Tōmua, you can now start working as a provisional teacher! Exciting!
Many students are already working at a centre while studying, and if this is you, just make sure your ongoing arrangement meets the following criteria. If you are seeking new employment, you’ve probably already considered what region you’d like to work in, so you can now start looking for the right position.
Bear in mind that to start your induction and mentoring programme, you must be employed:
• in a teaching position (not a volunteer or teacher aide position)
• in a 0.5 Full-Time Teacher Equivalent (FTTE) minimum role
• within an early childhood centre, school, or Kura.
Identify Where You Feel Lost And Get Support
Read all the material you can get your hands on and still feel confused? That’s okay; it can be hard picturing what life as a provisional teacher will be like, and how the induction and mentoring program works in real-life.
If you’re apprehensive about what’s ahead, it’s a great idea to reach out for support from someone who can answer your questions and provide guidance along the way.
As an Early Childhood Coach and member of the International Coaching Federation, I have a wealth of experience in the ECE profession and am on a mission to support teachers to find their passion, and to thrive in life and at work, by implementing intentional change.
At Stepping Forward to Success, I provide mentorship to provisional teachers in a variety of different ways. I offer educative and supportive mentoring that can supplement what you receive within your centre.
I can also support you as a sole mentor if you have no one to fulfill that role. So, reach out to me today to chat about your journey to becoming a certified ECE teacher.
Call me for a no-obligation chat or click here to discover more about my specialised Kete Ako programme for Provisional Certified Teachers today.