Working in a Charter School

This advice is for anybody who works in, or is considering working in a Charter School. In the first instance, contact your local Field Officer. They are ready to provide support and information.

Contact information for Field Officers

So how can we help you?  

Whether you are a long-time PPTA member or about to join, we can help.  

PPTA Te Wehengarua provides advice, guidance and advocacy about members’ conditions of employment – no matter where you work.  

Members enjoy the following benefits: 

• Collective agreement negotiations* 

• Advice on employment agreements 

• Professional and legal advice, employment relations education and dispute resolution 

• Professional networks where you can take part in decision-making and influence the debate on crucial education issues 

• Health, banking and insurance discounts. 

Key things to consider when working in a Charter School

The information that follows is necessarily broad, but will be refined and updated as required.

Weaker employment protections  

PPTA collective coverage and the rights guaranteed in the state sector (e.g., specific discipline procedures, workload protections) do not automatically apply. 

As teachers in a charter school are employed under private contracts, not nationwide collective agreements, there is no guarantee that you will continue with the standard conditions of state sector teachers including these stated below.

It’s important to note that as each school is a different site, we cannot guarantee any minimum rights or similarity to our national collective agreements (other than those enshrined in employment law). 

Salary progression 

Currently the PPTA negotiates on behalf of all of our members who are covered by the STCA, ASTCA, SPCA and the ASPCA (as well as ACE and OOMA members).  

These are hard fought for and passed on to all our members on those agreements. Teachers in a charter school might begin on the same agreement, but without the momentum achieved through collective action, it is unlikely that you will have parity with the state sector for long. 

We know from international experience (and our own here in Aotearoa New Zealand) that the charter schools are finding their budgets a little stretched. Passing salary increments along is therefore not a given.  

Less job security  

Charter schools can be closed or restructured more easily than state schools, leaving staff vulnerable to job loss.  

The sponsors are accountable for the performance of a school. If a charter school isn’t meeting its contracted targets, it can face interventions, which include being shut down for poor performance.  

If this happens, or if the money dries up, there are likely to be very few avenues available to you for remedy. 

Redundancy protection 

Our collective agreements have built-in processes for redundancy in schools. We also have skilled teams who are trained to take a school through the complex process of ‘surplus staffing’.  

Our surplus staffing provisions mean that you are not left ‘high and dry’ if your state school closes or has a roll drop. Staff are offered the opportunity to retrain, be paid ‘supernumerary’, or given a severance payment commensurate with teaching experience. See our website for more details on Surplus Staffing. 

Sick leave consistency 

If you have come from the state system you are not entitled to move your sick leave balance with you (it’s still there if you do return to a public school).  

Standard sick leave conditions in the private sector include only twenty days of maximum accrual. It is possible to negotiate higher amounts, but (as with every other part of your employment contract) this is not guaranteed.  

Workload Protections 

Charter schools are able to run whatever timetable they choose – this could see a working day from 8am to 8pm for staff, with students coming in at different times.  

Our collective agreements for the state sector include other things such as maximum class sizes, timetable policies, policies on units and allowances, as well as leave.  

What are some of our other concerns?  

Failure to address Te Tiriti responsibilities  

There is no formal requirement to ensure that charter schools’ policies and local curriculum reflect local tikanga māori, mātauranga māori and Te Ao Māori, or offer instruction in tikanga and te reo Māori.  

Reduced transparency and accountability 

Boards or sponsors are not elected by the community. Decision-making and performance oversight are less open than in state schools. 

If You Are Considering Employment in a Charter School 

Before signing any contract, PPTA strongly advises you to: 

• Seek advice – Contact PPTA for confidential support and review of your employment offer. 

• Compare terms – Check whether salary, leave, and appraisal provisions match those in the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (STCA). 

• Clarify registration expectations – Ask whether all teaching staff are registered and whether professional learning is supported. 

• Understand the governance structure – Find out who owns and runs the school, how decisions are made, and how accountability works. 

• Consider long-term implications – Think about job stability, union access, and alignment with your professional values. 

*The approval to enter into negotiations to bargain on our members’ behalf in charter schools comes from the national Executive. The Executive has set baselines for negotiations that include meeting the constitutional objectives of the Association, as well as our ‘vision’ areas.   

If you are the only PPTA member in your school, we may be able to assist you with advice on your Individual Employment Agreement.  

PPTA Te Wehengarua supports high-quality, publicly accountable education for all tamariki. The Association opposes the expansion of charter schools because they: 

• Undermine the public system’s equity and transparency. 

• Remove protections for teachers and students. 

• Allow public money to fund private governance models. 

PPTA continues to advocate for: 

• All schools to operate within the public system. 

• Every teacher to have access to collective bargaining and fair pay. 
• Consistent professional standards and accountability across the sector. 

How PPTA works  

PPTA Te Wehengarua is the voice of secondary teachers, with over 20,000 members. 

Each secondary, area school and technology centre has its own branch in one of 24 regions. Regions are represented on a national executive and at annual conference. 

PPTA Te Wehengarua’s executive and its Māori partner, Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake, are elected bodies that work for members nationally. 

There are also networks for women, Pasifika teachers, new teachers, principals, senior leaders, LGBTIQ+ teachers and other groups. 

Our annual conference is the forum where members debate and construct major policies.

Join online at ppta.org.nz.  

Membership types and subscription rates 

• Full membership is for full- and part-time teachers, relief teachers and members who are on leave without pay for up to two years. The subscription rate is one percent of your fortnightly base salary.  

• Honorary membership is for retired members or members who are on leave without pay for a period of more than two years. The subscription rate is $50 a year.  

• Membership for adult and community education teachers is $50 a year.  

• Membership for trainee teachers is free.