Teacher Education Refresh (TER) is for teachers who need to regain their Practising Certificate as required by The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.
TER is made up of two training schemes, which have two courses each:
Who is TER for
TER is aimed at early childhood, primary and secondary teachers who:
- Have graduated from an Initial Teacher Education programme but have not achieved a full practicing certificate within a six-year period;
- Are returning to the workforce after a lengthy period; OR
- Have trained overseas.
Completing TER (OP7701 and OP7702) will allow you to be provisionally certified for an additional six years. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand expects that you will meet the Standards | Ngā Tikanga Matatika Ngā Paerewa (opens in new tab) for the Teaching Profession in this time.
If you are employed in the primary or secondary sector your principal can apply for an extension to teach for you provided you have done the following:
- enrolled in TER and provided this information to the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand
- lodged an EC80 application with the Council and paid $220.80, and the Council has obtained a clear police check.
Please note that the Council is unable to issue an extension to teach early childhood education teachers.
How to enrol
- Click on the relevant training scheme (Start with OP7701 Teaching as a Profession if you are a new learner)
- Read the Overview, Entry Requirements and Fees information
- On the ‘Choose courses and apply’ tab select a course. Note – you can only enrol in one course at a time.
- Click ‘Apply now’ to choose your start date and complete the enrolment application form.
Employment and study pathways
When you complete the two TER training schemes you will have the skills and knowledge needed to apply for your provisional teacher registration for ECE, primary or secondary teaching through the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Once you are are provisionally registered you can re-enter the classroom and apply for teaching positions in New Zealand.
You may be also able to go on to graduate and post-graduate studies in a range of subject areas including education.
Fee free offer
The Ministry of Education is currently paying fees for learners enrolling in the two TER training schemes. For more information see the 'Fee free offer' tab in the training scheme pages.
Get in touch
If you have any questions queries about TER please email our team at customerservices@openpolytechnic.ac.nz