How to become a resource teacher
Official title: Resource teacher
Also called: Resource teacher of the deaf, Resource teacher vision, Resource teacher of the gifted and talented, Resource teacher learning and behaviour
Resource teachers educate and support students with different learning, emotional or physical needs.
Main tasks
- Teach and assist students with different needs
- Help students manage emotional and physical needs
- Encourage students
- Work on educational programmes with other teachers
- Develop strategies for students with special needs
- Modify teaching to different student needs
- Develop educational programmes
- Teach life skills
How to become one
You need a qualification to become a resource teacher. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a bachelor's degree in teacher education or primary teaching OR a graduate certificate or diploma in primary teaching after completing any bachelor’s degree; experience in similar work; an Annual Practising Certificate; to pass a police check. Other requirements: a postgraduate certificate or diploma in specialist teaching; a driver licence. Registration body: Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Ways in
- University: Education & Teaching degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- Registration or licence: An Annual Practising Certificate. Registration body: Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (https://teachingcouncil.nz/).
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $71,768 to $92,646 a year (median $82,207), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $61,329 a year · Upper: $103,086 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 3,000 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Māori medium teacher
- Kaupapa Māori researcher
- Religious education director
- Adult education teacher
- Instructional coordinator
- Resident adviser
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Questions people ask
How do I become a resource teacher?
You need a qualification to become a resource teacher. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a bachelor's degree in teacher education or primary teaching OR a graduate certificate or diploma in primary teaching after completing any bachelor’s degree; experience in similar work; an Annual Practising Certificate; to pass a police check. Other requirements: a postgraduate certificate or diploma in specialist teaching; a driver licence. Registration body: Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.
How much does a resource teacher earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $82,207 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $71,768 to $92,646 a year.
Has the number of people working as a resource teacher grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026