Education
Teaching
If you have anything to do with kids at all, you’ll know they can be a huge challenge.
But you, as their teacher, can have a huge influence on their lives and the way they learn for the rest of their lives.
Without wanting to sound all preachy, the best jobs are challenging – that’s what makes them rewarding.
You’ll love it.
You can choose between teaching kids at pre-school age, at primary school, or at secondary school level.
Find out more about how you can do it too, and get in touch with us if you have any questions.
Teaching
If you have anything to do with kids at all, you’ll know they can be a huge challenge.
But you, as their teacher, can have a huge influence on their lives and the way they learn for the rest of their lives.
Without wanting to sound all preachy, the best jobs are challenging – that’s what makes them rewarding.
You’ll love it.
You can choose between teaching kids at pre-school age, at primary school, or at secondary school level.
Find out more about how you can do it too, and get in touch with us if you have any questions.
What type of teaching should I choose?
Early Childhood Education
Our Early Childhood Education programme is world-leading, with people like Claire McLachlan having an impact on early childhood education around the world.
The programme focuses on 0-5 years old – and that gives you the ability to teach in any pre-school environment.
There are unique challenges and opportunities with children under five – by helping them ‘learn how to learn’ you can make a huge difference to their ability to learn at school, and throughout their lives.
Find out more about Early Childhood Education at Massey University.
Primary teaching
From the age of 5 to 13, kids go from wanting to wear their superman cape to school, to being more worried about boys/girls, video games and the coolest clothes.
Your job, as a great teacher is to have a great knowledge of subjects, but also the passion and enthusiasm, and empathy, to be able to convey knowledge effectively to taking kids from being, well, kids, to being teenagers.
Massey’s Graduate Diploma of Teaching Diploma (Primary) gives you a comprehensive insight into both the theory, and practical ways to do this.
Secondary Teaching
If you’re at school while you are reading this, think about the teachers you have. What do you like about the way they teach? What don’t you like? What actually helps you be interested in a topic and remember what you are taught? The best teachers are the ones that inspire you, and have the tools to be able to help you learn better.
Massey’s Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) is about giving you those skills.
If you become a secondary school teacher, you’ll be helping kids (as you probably know, a typical secondary school in New Zealand educates students from an age range of 13 to 18). You’ll be able to help them grow into great adults. To help improve their lives and the lives of those around them.
How you can do it too
If you enjoy the satisfaction of helping people learn, teaching will be a very rewarding career for you.
If you are interested in teaching younger children, an idea is to get involved in a peer support programme or coaching while you’re at school. It’ll give you a sense of what it is like to be responsible for unrelated children (and you’ll earn some pocket money too!).
To become a teacher you’ll need to study hard at school and gain enough credits at NCEA Level 3 to meet the criteria for being accepted into Massey University. Choose an undergraduate degree that interests you (and check out any specific requirements for that programme).
If you are already working as a teacher, or have a degree already, you are eligible to apply for selections in our one-year Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood Education, Primary or Secondary Teaching. These will make you qualified to apply for teacher registration.
If you are just leaving school, you’ll need to gain a degree. Choose a degree that you are interested in: think about the subjects you enjoy or are good at at school. If you enjoy it, you’ll certainly have a head start in being more passionate about it to others!
If you are not sure, but know you want to be a teacher, the Bachelor of Arts (Education) is a good option for Early Childhood or Primary teaching. Secondary requires two specialist teaching subjects as well. You’ll learn to evaluate the content and processes, the institutions, the contexts, and the setting through which people learn to be members of their societies and cultures. It will give you a broad base in the theory of education.
Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL)
If you are interested in teaching English as a second language, we’d recommend you look at studying towards a Bachelor of Education, or a Bachelor of Education majoring in TESOL. A Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics) or Bachelor of Arts (Education) are also good options.
If you don’t want to undertake study at Masters level and have some experience, you can do the Graduate Certificate in Teaching English as an Additional Language (you need to have been admitted to a university degree or diploma, or have completed at least two years of relevant practical, professional or scholarly experience, and have access to a group of learners of English as an additional language within a formal educational setting).
If you have graduated with a Bachelor’s degree and have at least one year’s full-time relevant teaching experience you may be eligible for entry to the Postgraduate Diploma in Second Language Teaching (PGDipSLT).
Otherwise you can look at qualifying with a Masters. You can skip straight from your Bachelor’s degree if you also have some experience, or undertake Masters after you have completed your Grad Certificate of PGDipSLT. Options available include the Master of Arts (Second Language Teaching) OR Master of Arts (Linguistics) OR Master of Education.
A Master of TESOL Leadership is an option if you have adequate professional experience to be considered to have reached, or be able to reach a leadership role in this are.
In other words there are lots of options!
Teaching at Massey
Study at Massey is about producing well-rounded graduates, and working to help make you become more literate, passionate, knowledgeable, intellectually independent and socially critical – in other words – ready to teach! That means you’ll have be ready for the opportunities that come your way – be it in the teaching profession or outside it.