The economic slump appears to be making high-school teaching much more attractive to men.
The number of men in Massey University's main secondary teacher training programme has doubled, with men for the first time making up more than half the number of trainees.
Programme coordinator Peter Rawlins says several of the new trainees had been graphic and industrial designers but were affected by the economic downturn.
Dr Rawlins says they had been thinking about teaching for some time and are seeking the job security offered by teaching.
He says that at present men account for about a third of all secondary teachers but this will increase if the trend continues.
