Chinese early childhood relief teachers express concerns over income drop and job security

Chinese relief teachers are voicing concerns over income reductions and job security, leaving them feeling undervalued, after the government removed pay parity for relief teachers in early childhood centres.

Since October, the government has excluded relief teachers from the pay parity arrangements in early childhood centres. Only permanent part-time or full-time certified teachers are now required to be paid salaries aligned with the pay parity scale.

Zixi Liang, a 34-year-old teacher who had worked as a permanent full-time early childhood educator in Wellington for about two years, left his position in August to become a relief teacher, citing career development opportunities.

He stated that the pay rate offered by the ECE recruitment agency had dropped this month, and his weekly working hours had been cut nearly in half compared to the previous month.

"The pay rate was $41 per hour last month, but it dropped to $39 per hour this month," he said. "I used to work five full days a week, averaging 6 to 7 hours a day, totalling 30 to 40 hours a week."

"Now, the workload has significantly reduced to around 20 hours a week."

Liang said the reduction in income has made life difficult, with his weekly earnings now $200 to $300 less after tax-barely enough to meet basic needs. As a result, he has been forced to dip into his savings. He also expressed concern that the agency may further lower the pay rate to the minimum wage.

He emphasised that the value of relief teachers should not be overlooked, as they serve as essential support for early childhood centres when full-time or part-time teachers are absent due to illness or leave. He believes relief teachers deserve to be paid at the same pay parity salary steps as permanent staff.

A relief teacher based in Wellington, Scarlett Li, reported a similar experience. She had received a message from her ECE recruitment agency warning that the pay rate could soon be reduced.

"The agency informed me the pay rate would drop in October," Li said. "They told me that if I didn't accept the lower rate, they would assign the job to relief teachers willing to work for a reduced hourly wage. They asked if I would agree to the change-the hourly rate would only decrease by $2 or $3-but I declined."

Li stated that removing relief teachers from the early childhood centre pay parity scheme is unfair.

"It's ridiculous, contractors in most other sectors in New Zealand earn nearly double or even triple what full-time workers make," she said.

Li said her income has not been significantly affected, as she holds agreements with multiple agencies and kindergartens. However, she expressed concern that new teachers signing contracts after October may be the most affected.

"Relievers' salaries are now determined by the market," she said. "The agency will always opt for teachers with lower pay rates."

According to Li the change might force some experienced relief teachers to leave the profession altogether.

ECE recruitment agency Jitbug's client and service manager Shefali Patel said the change for relief teachers was sudden and has not only caused financial stress but also made many feel undervalued.

"As their hourly rate has dropped, this inevitably would have impacted their income," she said. "Jitbug has lowered pay rates for relievers and in turn we have dropped our centre charge-out rates."

Patel noted that agency relieving costs can be significant for early childhood centres.

She explained that when agencies are not required to adhere to pay parity, they can offer lower rates to relief teachers and pass the savings on to centres.

However, she acknowledged some teachers may no longer find it worthwhile to work as relievers and might opt for other roles.

"We're navigating this new terrain the best we can without upsetting both parties by keeping our pay rates capped at Step 7 [salary scale], in line with the Kindergarten Associations and other organisations," she said. "This way, relievers know that they're not being short-changed and indeed we do not intend to short-change anyone."

Auckland early childhood education centre TuiTui Educar director Fiona He acknowledged that the change could put experienced relief teachers in a challenging position.

"Qualified relief teachers with years of experience used to be paid at higher salary scales," she said. "If they choose not to work through agencies, they may find it extremely difficult to secure a job in early childhood centres, as their pay rate may be too high for many centres to afford."

"It's a bit unfair to these teachers, as their extensive experience should be valued with the highest pay," she added.

However, she says, the change could be beneficial for ECE service providers, as it may help reduce operating costs for centres.

"The cost of hiring qualified relief teachers is very high," she said. "We believe this is a good approach because, firstly, it can lower operating expenses."

She noted that the new policy could encourage more relief teachers to return to full-time positions, which could help alleviate the teacher shortage in early childhood centres.

"The relievers have been removed from the pay parity agreement, and their salaries may have dropped," she said. "Relievers who left their permanent positions for higher pay rates may now return to work in early childhood centres, which is actually a positive outcome."

"When they work in an early childhood centre as their base, I think they will develop a real sense of belonging ... and the shortage of ECE teachers will also be alleviated," she added.

Te Rito Maioha Early Childhood New Zealand welcomed the change.

Chief Executive Kathy Wolfe said removing pay parity rates for relief teachers would help centres manage their budgets and encourage teachers to return to permanent roles.

"The decision to address the requirement of 'pay' for reliever teachers falls firmly into the category of trying to reduce costs, but it is also correcting an undesirable outcome where too many teachers were opting to become relievers because the pay and conditions were more desirable," she said.

However, she also noted that removing pay parity for relief teachers addresses the symptom rather than the root cause.

"Any undermining of pay parity will ultimately reduce the number of teachers that stay in the profession and reduce the number of students that choose to become qualified teachers," she said. "So while the decision makes sense in the short term to rebalance the quality and cost of relievers, pay parity conditions are critical to valuing teachers."

"The government should make proper investments in the ECE sector and implement an integrated investment model to attract, educate, recruit, and retain a teaching workforce that reflects the value of the profession," Wolfe said.