Intermediate School Teacher

Name:  Lisa Stephenson

Job Title/Role: Teacher - Primary trained (includes Intermediate level)

Salary Range: Starting at $40k+

Dress code: Usually smart casual, but depends on school.

Tell us a bit about what your job entails: We are mainly there to teach the NZ curriculum but there is a lot more to it than what you see your teachers doing. Admin (including collecting money, attendance etc) and co-curricular activities are also a big part of working in a school. In any given day I also find myself being a nurse, counselor, mediator, comedian, friend… the list goes on.

Describe a typical day at work: Usually the day starts with dealing with last minute resources, administration work (collecting notes, money etc) and just talking with the kids. Once the bell goes, the teaching begins. Lunch times often involve doing duty, taking sports or cultural groups and setting up for the afternoon. After 3pm, the next couple of hours is spent talking with your team, planning your next few days, marking work and accessing resources.

What inspired you to work in this field? Teaching has been in my family, but I have always enjoyed working with kids. I liked the idea that the job has the potential to make a real difference to the wider community. Who knows what you might say that inspires someone to do something great?

Qualifications and previous experience that got you the job: You need to do either a 3 year Teaching degree, or can complete a 1 year Post Graduate course if you have already done an undergraduate degree.

What skills & attributes help a person to get a job like yours? Organisational skills are essential, as well as being flexible. You also need to be a team player, enjoy working with kids, be energetic and have a good sense of humour.

What do you enjoy about your job most of all? What are the perks of the job? It’s a great feeling when you can see the light switch on when they finally understand something. Knowing that you are making a difference, even just to one person. Every day is different when teaching. Even if you are teaching the same thing, the students bring their own experiences and ideas to it so I never get bored. Of course, there are the holidays every 10 weeks too!

What are the mundane aspects of the job? There is a lot of planning, paper work and administration that you do outside the 9-3pm teaching part of the job. When you first start teaching this other stuff can seem hard, but it gets much easier.

Do you have any advice for people wanting to get into your industry? Go to a school and volunteer to help out. Talk to teachers, as they will tell you what it is really like. Being in the thick of it is the best way to find out if it’s for you or not.
What sort of job could you go to from here? Teaching in schools means you can travel all over the world. You can also move into management positions within schools. It can lead to administration jobs within the education sector. The skills learnt in teaching can be transferred to the corporate world too.