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Teach in Australia
British teachers tired of overcrowding and underfunding in state schools and seeking a new life away from grey skies are increasingly deciding to teach in Australia
Patricia Curmi finds out how easy it is to transfer your skills and teach in Australia
"In six months I become qualified to teach in a secondary school in Australia," beams Moira Deeming. The 24 year old is a Melbourne-born Aussie who graduated from LaTrobe University and decided that she wanted to teach. Her experience in the Melbourne school system has been positive. "I've loved all my practice teaching rounds, and I've never been so motivated – I love the kids, they're so honest and so easy to like!"
Education has moved to the top of the political agenda in Australia. Successive ministers, both sides of the Labour and Liberal divide have adopted interventionist roles in education and, as a result, Australian students do better than those of most other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in subjects like reading, mathematics and science literacy.
The country typically scores in the top third of countries and, on some comparisons, higher than that. A federal school system exists whereby the delivery of education is the responsibility of the state and territorial governments. Most of the states offer some pre-school education, though it is not compulsory. While in some states there are seven years of primary education, others offer only six, although this is balanced out by the number of years the child spends in secondary school.
Schools vary in size from large city comprehensive schools to very small one-teacher rural schools and, unlike the UK, most non-government schools are run by, or linked to, religious organisations, currently providing education to around 30 per cent of children in Australia. Deeming believes choosing where you are going to teach is especially important in a country as geographically and culturally diverse as Australia. "In Melbourne, like anywhere else I imagine, there are the poorer schools in inner-city areas that pose certain challenges for those who teach, and there's also the choice of tiny schools in small townships that might be more isolated. It all depends on what you think you are capable of," says Deeming.
The lure of the private school sector has also been seen as an issue that needs to be addressed by the state governments if they intend to keep those best equipped to teach in the state system. Pointing out the shortages in some areas, Deeming believes more migrants can not only fill gaps, but add to the cultural richness of Australian schools.
A recent report argues that a category of advanced teachers similar to the system of senior counsels for barristers should be created that entitles 'superteachers' to a higher salary band than others. Teaching Australia, the federal government institute charged with advancing teacher standards, is considering the report after it was put forward by author Lawrence Ingvarson, who called for incentives for good teachers to remain in the profession and raise standards in state schools.
In his report Ingvarson suggested those who teach should be able to apply after a set period in the job, such as ten years, and the new pay scale should have a significant jump of up to AUS$20,000 (roughly £8,200) higher than the top of the existing scale. Under the scheme, anyone planning to teach in Australia would submit portfolios, videos of lessons, examples of their students' work and other evidence to prove that they meet a set of standards of excellence. It seems quite radical, and indicates how willing the education authorities are to keep their minds open to unorthodox possibilities.
This also extends to migrant who plan to teach in Australia, whom the government sees as an important part of their plan to avoid the staff shortages and underfunding that have plagued schools in the UK. It also makes teaching a more lucrative career option. Those who decide to teach start on a salary of around AUS$43,000 (£17,650) to AUS$45,000(£18,500), with New South Wales teachers receiving slightly more, averaging AUS$48,000 (£19,700) to AUS$50,000(£20,500). The incremental rises stop after eight or nine years, reaching a top salary of about AUS$68,000 (£28,000). After that, the only rises most teachers can access is through promotion to leadership roles, such as head of department, assistant principal and principal, or by joining the private sector.
Registration rules for anyone wanting to teach in Australia
The recognition and recruitment of teachers is done by the state and territory education authorities. Each has its own requirements and procedures for the recognition of professional teaching qualifications and recruitment of teachers. With the exception of the Australian Capital Territory, all the states require anyone who wants to teach to be registered before applying for recruitment, although that registration does not guarantee employment. In the initial stages of the application process, your skills and qualifications will be assessed by the Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI-NOOSR) to determine if you are suitable for your nominated teaching occupation. To be assessed as suitable to teach you will need to meet the educational and professional teacher requirements as well as the English language ability requirement.
You must then provide written evidence from an appropriate official teacher licensing or employment authority from the country where you obtained your teaching qualifications or from the country where you currently teach. The evidence you provide must relate to your current status as a professionally qualified or licensed, registered teacher. If you are not currently employed to teach you are still required to provide evidence that you are eligible to work or be licensed to work as a teacher. This means if you were educated and are currently teaching in the United Kingdom you should provide evidence of your Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
What you need to teach in Australia
The basic requirements for entry into the Australian teaching profession are as follows:
A qualification assessed by AEI-NOOSR as comparable to an Australian Bachelor degree or higher;
Study comparable to at least four years of full-time tertiary level studies (or the part-time equivalent) in Australia;
At least one year of full-time (or part-time equivalent) tertiary level pre-service professional teaching studies related to your nominated teaching occupation included in your studies;
At least six weeks (30 days) of supervised teaching practice related to your nominated teaching occupation (or one year of full-time, continuous and satisfactory employment as a teacher in your nominated teaching occupation within the last three years if there is a deficiency in the amount of supervised teaching practice); and
currently qualified and/or licensed to teach in the country where you obtained your teaching qualifications or in the country where you are currently teaching.
As in the UK, teaching positions can be heavily sought after and competition can be intense but there are still plenty of opportunities.
Information for those wanting to teach in Australia:
Victoria Teacher Recruitment
NSW School Staffing Unit
Western Australia Department of Education
Queensland Teacher Recruitment
South Australia Department for Education and Children's Services
Tasmania Teacher Recruitment
Northern Territory Teacher Recruitment
Australian Capital Territory Teacher Recruitment
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