Maximum Teaching Hours

Non-contact time for all teachers has been improved significantly since 2002. This is especially the case for new teachers in their first two years’ work as a secondary teacher.

New teachers can receive non-contact time for general preparation (as other teachers are) and for their advice and guidance programme as provisionally certificated teachers.

Sections 5.2.2 and 5.2.3(a) of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (STCA) limit teaching and supervision of students in learning programmes to a maximum of 20 hours per week.

(Non-contact time for secondary teachers in area schools can be found in subsection 4.2 of the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement (ASTCA).)

Clause 3.8 of the STCA (and 2.10 of the ASTCA) gives further hours of non-contact time for first and second year teachers for their advice and guidance programme.

No full-time first year teacher should be teaching or supervising students engaged in learning programmes for more than 15 hours per week (or an average of three hours per day).

No full-time second year teacher should be teaching or supervising students engaged in learning programmes for more than 17.5 hours per week (or an average of 3.5 hours per day).

Part-time first year teachers who are employed for 12.5 hours per week (an average of 2.5 hours per day) or more hours per week are entitled to an additional 2.5 hours paid non-contact time for their advice and guidance programme (an average of half an hour per day). This should be either part of their 12.5 hours, or an extra paid 2.5 hours non-teaching time. The advice and guidance time is in addition to any other non-contact time they receive as a part time teacher.

Part-time second year teachers do not receive a time allowance for advice and guidance as of right, though good employers will ensure they have time for their advice and guidance programme. (Note that if you are not employed for 12.5 hours per week or more, you cannot become fully certified.)

Different schools have different timetable systems. For instance, some schools have a six day, 30-hour timetable.

When applying STCA provisions, you need to use the average daily time to work out the maximum teaching time over the cycle.

Thus, in a six-day timetable:

• a first year teacher should be teaching no more than 18 hours (6 x 3.0 hours)
• a second year teacher would be teaching no more than 21 hours (6 x 3.5)
• a first year part-time teacher employed for 15 hours (6 x 2.5) or more should be getting three hours non-contact (6 x 0.5) for advice and guidance  either as part of their 15 hours, or in addition to any other non-contact time they receive

Duty, form time, and meetings are not considered contact time unless actual teaching or supervision of students engaged in a learning programme takes place.

Part three of the STCA details other time allowances that may be of interest to beginning teachers. For example, the one hour per week heads of department have for first and second year teacher in their department. Overseas teachers new to New Zealand schools receive an allowance of 0.1 FTTE (2.5 hours) per week for the school to use in consultation with them for a maximum of two terms.

Permanent management units (PMUs) attract an allowance of one hour per unit up to a maximum of three hours per week.

You can use the PPTA entitlement calculator to work out if you have your legal entitlement to non-contact time.