FAQ’s

Day to day relieving typically starts from 8.00/8.15am in our services and ends at 3.00/3.15pm for a full day of relieving, with some part day morning, afternoon and lunch cover sessions as well.

Relievers are individually contacted from 6.45am each day and matched to a specific relieving job meeting their needs and ours.

The first placement I felt like I was a new student walking up the path. Very nervous and apprehensive. How would I get through the day? Would the staff be welcoming ? Would the children respond to me? Would I know what to do??? Each day of relieving has been a new adventure. I feel renewed and revitalised. I have really enjoyed experiencing different learning environments, I have gained different insights and in turn feel I have made a positive contribution. Teachers have been very professional and welcoming. Children and their families have been friendly and responsive. Exciting learning opportunities and support are being provided for children and their whānau at the places I have been lucky enough to have worked at.  My work/life balance is perfect!  – Rayleen McAuliffe, day to day relieving teacher

You can send additional information to support your application via email to careers@kidsfirst.org.nz. This must arrive by the closing time and date. Please consider whether any extra information will add to your application as the panel is looking for you to be able to articulate your strengths and examples, not quite someone else. There is no necessity to send qualifications or registration at this stage, however you would need to provide these at interview stage if you are offered one, and we will need to sight them if you are offered employment.

At the bottom of the form the referee is asked if they wish their report to remain on file so it can be used for future/other vacancies. If they tick yes to this question then we will follow that instruction and hold on site for 12 months. If they tick no, then this document will be destroyed at the close of the current vacancy. Please ensure your referees know this.

Additionally, any other documentation kept on file for you, is kept for 12 months at which point it is destroyed, so if this or your referee reports are older than 12 months then we will not hold them. If you are unsure whether we hold documents on file or they’re current, please call and ask.

Please note that referee documentation gathered for other purposes (i.e., applying to be a relieving teacher) are not collected in the same format and therefore cannot be used for this purpose. If you wish to use the same people they will need to complete our online form also.

Points Positions

Point positions are simply a percentage of a full-time position. So a 0.818 position means 0.818 x 40 hours which equates to approximately 32 and ¾ hours.

How these hours are made up depends on the position. The larger positions (0.727, 0.818, 0.909) are all morning teachers covering the morning session and then generally covering the lunch breaks of some / all of the other teachers. In addition they would work a number of hours of professional time to fit around this – exactly when is something to be negotiated with the team and Head Teacher in order to ensure your ability to attend team meetings etc.

The smaller positions (0.182, 0.273, 0.364, 0.545) are either teacher positions specifically to cover while other teachers take a lunch break, or afternoon teacher positions covering the afternoon session only with a cross over for lunch. There are some variations on this, but this is the general concept. Again there is some professional time built into these roles.

Kidsfirst Kindergartens is a party to the Collective Agreement negotiated by NZEI Te Riu Roa which offers a base salary scale for trained kaiako.

The K2, Head Teacher (Kaiako Matua) salary is $107,664 per annum.

The K1 base salary for trained and registered teachers (Kaiako) will range from $61,329 to $103,086 per annum, pro rata, depending on applicant’s qualifications and experience. Individuals’ actual base salary will be established by a salary assessment once a role is confirmed.

Service Records

For Kidsfirst to be able to include prior teaching service towards your salary step, we need to receive verified service records from your former employers for your prior teaching service.

If you receive a service record from a former employer, please check to see if it covers all the required information:

• A short description of the service (what was your role?)
• The exact start date and end date of your employment (dd/mm/yyyy)
• If the work was full time or part time
• If part time service, the number of contracted hours per week
  • Average, estimated and approximate amounts cannot be assessed
• It must be issued on an official letterhead
• It must be signed by the writer, inclusive position title of the writer
• It should be written after the end-date of your employment

Calculating Service

Full time, 40 hours per week equates to 2080 hours over the course of 1 year. If a kaiako is working in a smaller position, say 12 hours per week, the kaiako would need to work the full time equivalent total of 2080 hours in order to increase their salary to the next step. For someone working 12 hours per week this would take approximately 3 years, 17 weeks to work the full 2080 hours required.

Please note, casual service (day to day relieving) does not contribute towards a salary step increase. Service within New Zealand as a trained early childhood kaiako in a teaching capacity in a licensed early childhood service will be counted in full. The kaiako must be employed continuously for more than six weeks to be recognised for salary purposes.

Kidsfirst Kindergartens is a party to the Collective Agreement negotiated by NZEI Te Riu Roa which offers a base salary scale for trained kaiako.

Casual, day to day relieving

KTCA Steps 01 – 05 range between $32.59 – $40.04 per hour plus 12% holiday pay paid as you go (or $36.50 – $44.84 inclusive)

KTCA Steps 06 – 10 is paid at the capped reliever rate of $42.63 per hour plus 12% holiday pay paid as you go (or $47.75 inclusive)

The hourly rate for casual relieving includes an additional loading acknowledging that as a casual employee, day to day relievers are generally not entitled to sick leave and professional development must be undertaken in their own time, along with no guarantee of work.

Permanent or long term teaching position of more than 6 weeks

The hourly rate is not capped and paid at an hourly rate with an additional 12% holiday pay accruing as you earn.

Employees in permanent and long term positions are entitled to other employment provisions including paid sick leave and professional development leave.

Service Records

For Kidsfirst to be able to include prior teaching service towards your salary step, we need to receive verified service records from your former employers for your prior teaching service.

If you receive a service record from a former employer, please check to see if it covers all the required information:

• A short description of the service (what was your role?)
• The exact start date and end date of your employment (dd/mm/yyyy)
• If the work was full time or part time
• If part time service, the number of contracted hours per week
  • Average, estimated and approximate amounts cannot be assessed
• It must be issued on an official letterhead
• It must be signed by the writer, inclusive position title of the writer
• It should be written after the end-date of your employment

Calculating Service

Full time, 40 hours per week equates to 2080 hours over the course of 1 year. If a kaiako is working in a smaller position, say 12 hours per week, the kaiako would need to work the full time equivalent total of 2080 hours in order to increase their salary to the next step. For someone working 12 hours per week this would take approximately 3 years, 17 weeks to work the full 2080 hours required.

Please note, casual service (day to day relieving) does not contribute towards a salary step increase. Service within New Zealand as a trained early childhood kaiako in a teaching capacity in a licensed early childhood service will be counted in full. The kaiako must be employed continuously for more than six weeks to be recognised for salary purposes.