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Financial help to study

TeachNZ Scholarships

For information on all scholarships available for study in 2010 click here.

Secondary Subject Trainee Allowances (SSTA)

From 2008, the TeachNZ Secondary Subject Trainee Allowances will be replaced by TeachNZ Scholarships for graduates. Existing SSTA recipients will continue to receive their second and/or third payments.

Other forms of financial help to study

Early Childhood Education Service Teacher Education Grants

The Ministry of Education has reviewed and revised the Incentive Grant Scheme. Renamed the ECE Service Teacher Education Grant (ECESTEG), it will support teacher-led, centre-based ECE services, on a priority basis, to achieve the 2012 teacher registration target of 80%.

The ECESTEG now more effectively targets ECE services, with the greatest need, to support their staff to obtain ECE teaching qualifications. Teacher-led, centre-based ECE services which are funded for less than 80% registered teachers will be eligible for the ECESTEG and priority will be given to services:

that continue to have a shortage of qualified and registered teachers;
with Māori or Pasifika language, skills and cultural knowledge;
in lower socio-economic areas; and
in rural and isolated areas.

The ECESTEG will assist these services to attract student teachers to work in their service, or support unqualified staff members through an approved programme of study.

The value of the ECESTEG has been increased from $2,094 to $3,375 to assist with the costs services incur while supporting a staff member through study.

Applications for the 2010 round of ECESTEG have closed. For more information visit the Ministry of Education website.

Study Grants

These are available to qualified primary teachers and primary student teachers who wish to gain an early childhood teaching qualification. The $3000 grants are to assist these people to meet the costs of their study. ECE Study Grant application forms can be downloaded from the Ministry of Education's website and are also available from teacher education providers.

StudyLink

If you do not meet the criteria for any of the above secondary teaching incentives, you can still apply for Government financial support through StudyLink - administered by the Ministry of Social Development.
Support through StudyLink includes Student Allowances and Student Loan Schemes and the Training Incentive Allowance.

Student Loan support for qualified secondary and Māori Medium teachers

Loan Support Scheme

The Loan Support Scheme has been closed to new applicants from 2009 as it has been superseded by the Teacher Voluntary Bonding Scheme. However, those teachers who have received Loan Support Scheme payments in the past, and continue to meet the eligibility criteria, can apply for their next payment in the usual way. The 2009 Loan Support Scheme application form will be available in early October.

The Loan Support Scheme will cease from the beginning of 2011.

If you would like to find out more about the Teacher Voluntary Bonding Scheme, visit www.minedu.govt.nz/voluntarybondingscheme

To check out your teacher education options, ways of studying, and eligibility for a TeachNZ Scholarship (Early Childhood) or other financial support, view the following weblinks and downloadable documents:

ECE Incentive Grants - A direct link to full information and the application form on the Ministry of Education website. The grant is available to licensed and chartered centre-based and home-based early childhood services to assist staff to gain an approved ECE teaching qualification.

ECE study grants - a direct link to detailed information on the $3000 study grants for qualified primary teachers, primary student teachers and degree-holders studying towards approved ECE teaching qualifications.

The Funding Information Service (see ‘Breakout’)
Breakout lists information on scholarships, awards and grants available throughout the country for individuals looking to fund their study and professional development. To the right of the Breakout home page, you can click on your region in the map of NZ to bring up a list of public sites offering access to the funding information free of charge.