Complications with Study or Bonding

We understand that you may run into difficulties while studying or during your bonding period.

If you believe circumstances have impacted upon passing your studies or finding/maintaining a teaching job, we recommend contacting us straight away and outlining your situation.

TeachNZ operate an independent review system where our recipients can ask us to consider any mitigating circumstances and if they can change the settings to either their payment applications or bonding conditions.

We also offer our recipients the opportunity to postpone and defer their study.

Remember, we're here to help. If you have any questions, you can email us on teachnz.admin@education.govt.nz or call us during business hours on 0800 165 225.

Further Information on frequent complications is available below.

Failure, incompletion or withdrawal

If you fail and must re-sit papers or take non-compulsory papers, you may need to cover the cost of some fees yourself in your final year. If you pass less than half your study in a year your scholarship may be withdrawn and any fees and allowances paid out to you will be added to your Student Loan*.

Get in touch with us if you think that this may happen so that we can talk through your options with you.

* Applies to scholarships awarded after mid-year 2006 only. Defaulters of scholarships awarded prior to June 2006 are required to repay the scholarship directly to the Ministry of Education. See your scholarship terms and conditions for more information.

Changes to your study

You must tell TeachNZ about all changes to your study – this includes dropping a paper and picking up another, as there may be a difference in cost. See Changing Tertiary Provider or Qualification and Withdrawal sections.

Changing your tertiary provider or qualification

Your scholarship is approved for the qualification and tertiary provider that you had when you were first awarded the scholarship. If you want to change to a different qualification or tertiary provider you must let us know so that the change can be approved for your scholarship. 

The qualification you intend to change to must also be an approved qualification for the scholarship you have been awarded.

Postponing study

You need to tell TeachNZ if you intend to defer your study for any length of time so that we can talk through your options with you. You can take a break from study for up to one year and resume your scholarship when you return.

If you stop studying for more than a year, your scholarship may be withdrawn and any course fees or allowances received from your scholarship will be added to your Student Loan.

Withdrawal

It’s important that you speak to your tertiary provider about a refund if you withdraw from study. Your education provider will have a formal withdrawal procedure and may have only a small window of opportunity at the start of the semester for course fees to be refunded. A paper that you withdraw from without a refund or that you don’t complete is considered to be a failed paper by TeachNZ. Talk to your tertiary provider and TeachNZ as soon as you can if you decide to withdraw or stop studying for any reason.

Default and Repayment

Default: As per the terms and conditions you agreed to and signed upon taking up the scholarship, if you do not meet the stated requirements, you will be required to repay all or part of the funds awarded to you. Depending on the exact date you signed your agreement, you must either settle your debt through the Ministry of Education Finance Unit or StudyLink/IRD as a student loan.

Repayment: If you fall into default of the terms and conditions while in study, you shall be liable to repay all funds received during the scholarship (fees and allowances). If you fall into default during your bond period, depending on the amount of teaching that you have evidenced, you will be liable to repay all or a percentage (as per your terms and conditions) of the total funds received during the scholarship.

If you wish to have a copy of or know the year you signed your terms and conditions, please contact us.

Difficulty Finding Employment

Please visit this page for assistance in finding employment and contact us if your difficulty in finding employment is impacting upon your bonding period.

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