Master of Teaching & Education Leadership
Master of Teaching & Education Leadership
Level 9 – Accredited by NZQA and the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand
Since 2017, The Mind Lab has offered the Master of Teaching and Education Leadership (MTEL), which is an initial teacher education programme run in partnership with Ako Mātātupu: Teach First NZ. The MTEL has provided more than 150 carefully selected participants with the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in a low decile school community, inspiring future generations of New Zealanders to fulfill their potential.

Fast Facts
Duration: 9-week intensive training course plus 2 years of study whilst teaching in a paid position
Location: Nationwide (online)
Result: Level 9 Master’s degree
Enquiries: apply@teachfirstnz.org
What is the Master of Teaching & Education Leadership?
The MTEL is work-based, meaning that our participants are employed in secondary schools across New Zealand with a Limited Authority to Teach, while they are also working towards meeting the Graduating Teacher Standards to become fully registered and Provisionally Certificated teachers.
Course Update
As of January 2020 there are no further intakes of the Master of Teaching and Education Leadership.
Are you already a teacher, and want to study to move up the career ladder or to broaden your horizons? The Mind Lab have two excellent NZQA accredited programmes available for you:
- Postgraduate Certificate in Digital & Collaborative Learning (level 8)
- Master of Contemporary Education (level 9)
If you are specifically interested in completing a work-based teaching qualification, during which you will be placed at a low-decile secondary school, please visit the Ako Mātātupu website to read about their new programme.
Course Outline
The MTEL is delivered predominantly online, with face-to-face workshops occurring through the two years of the programme. The journey through this programme started with a 9-week Summer Intensive, followed by two years of intensive training, teaching, collaboration and interaction with fellow participants, high school students, colleagues, and mentors. The participants have in-school mentors, Hoe Ākau for curriculum and research support, as well as people who provide pastoral care provided by both Ako Mātātupu and The Mind Lab.
The participants in the 2019 cohort will complete their programme of study with a presentation of their practice-based change projects at a Symposium in November 2020. The last cohort in this programme, the 2020 cohort, will finish on the same high note in November 2021. All projects undertaken by the participants have a specific focus on social justice and addressing educational inequality in New Zealand schools and communities.
Student feedback for the MTEL course
Careers & Pathways
From the 2018 cohort, most (67%) participants continued their employment at the school they were placed during their programme of study. The next largest group (17%) continued teaching at a different secondary school. Others have found a pathway into other studies, or have gone to teach overseas.