A relocation grant has got foreign teachers excited, but local groups are less optimistic.

A new $5,000 grant, which was introduced under the previous Government, is proving popular after applications opened last week.

It aims to get teachers into hard-to-staff subjects and regions as a teaching shortage grips the country.

British teacher Joe Angus told Mike Hosking the grant will be a deciding factor for teachers back home, as it was for him.

"The $5,000 was the icing on the cake. The curriculum itself isn't too dissimilar, it's arranged slightly differently so it'll take a little while to get my head around that, but the job is getting children from A to B."

NZQA says 350 foreign teachers applied to have their qualifications recognised in New Zealand in the last six months of 2017, up from 256 in the same period the previous year.

However, the Principals Federation warns that the country will struggle to retain a host of new foreign teachers if conditions don't change.

President Whetu Cormick said the scheme only offers a short term solution.

"We're actually not training enough Kiwis, and the ones we are training are only staying in the job for a few years."

He said it remains to be seen if the teachers will stay in New Zealand.

"To retain them, things need to improve in terms of work flow, wellbeing and then obviously the union going in to bat to increase wages."

The first grants will be paid out once teachers have worked a full term.

The scheme also offers $7,000 to expat Kiwis to return home.

LISTEN TO JOE ANGUS TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE