milliem

We have now been here six years last November when I arrived just myself (teacher) and my son (then 15) To say the first couple of years were a little rocky would be an understatement. I had a regional visa so could not live or work near my sister and family so I found myself a little isolated in a regional town near the Sunshine Coast. We said despite how miserable we felt, we would give Australia 5 years, then go home if we still didn’t like it. The private school I worked there in was mostly made up of farming kids so not many were heading to university. However, it was a nice friendly and safe environment for my son (Aspergers) to complete his last two years of high school. There was nothing to do there so I spent my spare time as a rural firefighter, playing bridge and doing as much professional development as I could fit in. I also saved like crazy as we had arrived in Australia with very little money. I budgeted just 60 dollars a week for our food. Rent was cheap and the rest went in the bank. These were quite dark times. I didn’t see much of my sister, the whole point of coming to Australia and we didn’t make many friends locally. As a single mum who worked there were not many avenues for meeting people and making friends. Thankfully fellow firies were very friendly so I enjoyed getting out there. After two years there I had had enough of being stuck there and having gained 5 more visa points I decided to spend another 10k and applied for PR. I started frantically applying for metropolitan jobs. I was a little over zealous and was quickly offered a role in a beautiful school on the Gold Coast. Things were finally looking up. The bad news was that my current visa would not let me work on the Gold Coast. They held the job until December but still no visa. So they readvertised. I was beginning to think I was stuck forever. Then I did the crazy thing of just resigning anyway. I figured I now had some savings to keep us going. I moved out of my house and put everything in storage. In early December I got a call from an agency asking if I was free for a semester contract in Brisbane. I said no and told them about the visa problem. They said let’s not tell them about that for now but go along and chat with them. It turned out to be a top school and the interview went so well, they said they would wait until the week before term 1 for my visa. At this point I didn’t even tell my family as they already thought I was crazy throwing a perfectly good job away. I headed off to the states on holiday with my sister. 15th January I returned and no visa. I found several voice messages from the school saying contact us urgently. I couldn’t bear to turn another good job away just yet. On the 19th I finally emailed them, 2 days before school start and said, no visa but I expect to have it in two days. The latter statement was a lie but hey. They said okay. That night I drowned and lamented in red wine about what might have been. Next morning I woke up and there it was. The golden email! I could not believe it. The gamble had paid off and I now had a job at a top school. My family were in shock and so was I. That resulted in much more red wine. A week later, I found myself working in a place alongside people who really were at the top of their profession and teaching highly dedicated and ambitious students. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute. My son went to college and made a few friends. This was the turnaround for us. My next move, we built our own house on the Gold Coast. In the Uk all I could have bought was a 2 bed apartment in a crappy part of town. This was a big stretch financially so I started a side business from home which added a good boost to my income. I also did lots of other jobs around the coast. I commuted to Brisbane for a while for my main job but then I took a chance on another temporary contract in a great private school on the Gold Coast. Two years later I still work there and am now a head of dept so my main income has also had a boost. so things are much better now. We are just looking at building a pool in the next few months. I have not relaxed quite yet, I still have the side business which my son helps out with but this is home for us now. As a young country Australia is very much a land of opportunity if you are prepared to work hard. It made a difference for us. We also got a fresh start in a new place. We joined a tennis club and a gym and occasionally get to the beach. We love the variety of the all parts of the Gold Coast and Brisbane is just up the road. As soon as we got our new house we also adopted a rescue cat and she had a hard time before she came to us. She is all good now and we love her dearly. 3 years later, she is still the cutest Millie

No not at all. 489 shouldn’t be an issue. I was hired in the first job I applied for on a 489. Australia is in general quite transient and people are often on the move so they are used to temporary visas. However, if there are 150 applicants as it can be for some popular roles, then it could be a factor. Many get hired here permanently from temporary contract as well so don’t shy away from the role just because it’s a semester contract. I left my first Aussie school (permanent position) to take a semester contract with a top school and then stayed there two years. This high profile role was a good launch into the metropolitan school network. People automatically make assumptions and this seems to happen a lot here. The next job I applied for, they only asked me two questions at interview then offered on the spot.

Done. I also send a copy of my correspondence to my local MP.

I am thinking I might apply anyway I started an application back in January 2017 as that's when we became eligible under the old rules I might just finish it off and submit it if it will let me. Millie

it will really suck if we have to sit another IELTS.

I have messaged you.

hi there yes they will count it. There are some organisations which do not count part time contracts but she will in most cases get full credit for the time she has worked. She should be at the top of the scale. I am not sure how the scale works in Victoria but it should be pretty good. Good luck with the new job

Awesome Leanie and ToOz Well done on getting this close. We are not far off. Another few months to go. I am just about to start my 3rd new job since arriving. We were living in Brisbane but bought a house on the North Gold Coast. It made sense to go for a job closer to home. My new job is just a one year contract. After that we are planning to do one year outside Oz and rent the house out (assuming our citizenship is all done by then) and then return. We like Oz but in need of a small temporary adventure to mix it up a bit. Let us know how it all goes

That's okay I am working near there so if I can help let me know. Millie

hi there you should be fine to find something for term 4. We always need more Physics / Chem. I am Biol/ Physics / Maths and just signed a new contract on Gold Coast (been teaching in a top school in Brisbane and commuting) It was fairly straightforward to find something else. With the new external assessment in 2017, UK experienced teachers are in demand for core subjects. Agencies can be a bit slow so I would continually check school web sites as they all do their own advertising. Interviews are much shorter and less formal than in the UK, with no requirement to teach a class. They often check referees during shortlisting. I notice you have a 489 visa. Does this mean you will need to work in a regional postcode? I previously had this visa but upgraded to a 189 prior to moving to metro area. let me know if I can be of any help Mille

when you register, you have to put your last known voting address. I haven't received my confirmation yet so I am not sure what restrictions might be on it. it's worth registering though just in case you can get it sorted later Millie

those are smart teacher questions copied and pasted from an old email 4 years ago. Smart teacher though is just an agency and the schools when they interview you will ask different questions. Some of the recruitment consultants might have some teacher experience or perhaps a qualification, but it is mainly a tick box interview prior to referring your cv to schools

This research is is correct. They are however, referring to only some schools. there are a few schools in some areas even close to the metropolitan zones in which they struggle to get and keep teachers with quality experience. In some of these schools they are not easy to transfer out of, and people tend to leave by securing temporary secondments elsewhere or resigning from Queensland education and entering the private sector. There are also still many teachers in the system here who have entered Science /Maths teaching via a Bachelor of Education. This is fine, however many state schools are independent and therefore can cherry pick candidates. Therefore in my school only teachers with a specialist degree and some applied experience in their specialism are selected to teach senior or fast track classes. This then results in a small cohort of teachers having an enormous work load. (sometimes almost double the normal marking volume) The pain of marking 90 year 11/12 experimental investigations at one time will leave you longing for the simplicity and straightforwardness of A level coursework. (I can vouch for this) Also in the state system, many primary teachers have been absorbed by high schools to teach in the junior / middle school and these areas are also oversubscribed with teachers who are permanent employees of Queensland Education. The other issue that affects recruitment is suitability ranking and this is usually undertaken either upon registering or in the school you end up working in. Some positions are only open to candidates who have been ranked as outstanding. For example, when year 7 transferred to high school last year, several teachers with outstanding ratings were transferred in (against their first choice) by Queensland Education as an outstanding rating was required for those roles. The other item is the transfer list which rolls over each June. In the months prior to this, there is a stagnation / slow down in hiring as schools have no control over who gets transferred in. They cannot appoint until transfer numbers are finalised. Teachers who have acquired a lot of transfer points by working regional can cherry pick a school / region and if their rating is suitable, they will be appointed. Until this process completes each year, schools do not do much hiring and only asign short term contracts. The point I am trying to make is that Queensland is complex and yes in some areas there are shortages but not for the sought after schools / positions. However, only half of schools are state schools. The other half are private, most of which are faith schools. If you are prepared to work in this sector, this would more than double the opportunities. The very good ones pay a lot more than the state and work less weeks in the year. However, even in this sector, Queensland experience carries a lot of weight in terms of recruitment, and there is a tendency to prefer candidates with Australian referees. All that said, there are jobs available for the right candidate in desirable schools and areas. I am Science / Maths and tick all right boxes mentioned above. It is fairly easy at that point to secure roles / interviews but initially, you might have to side step a few landmines. I hope this is helpful Mille

I did one of these a few years ago when I first arrived in Australia It's no big deal and they have a standard set of about 8-10 questions. All pretty standard - Tell us about how you plan effective teaching and learning programs so that all students of different levels are engaged and their individual needs are met. Give example from your teaching experiences. - Describe how you create a supportive and challenging environment for your students? - Outline what philosophy and strategies you use in your teaching programs.How have you integrated technology (ICT) into your daily teaching program? Describe your level of ICT knowledg- - Being a positive and collaborative team member is very important at our school. How would you create this relationship with staff and parents? - If an angry and aggressive parent came to see you indicating that there was an issue with their son or daughter, how would you resolve it? What processes would you work through? Give examples from any experiences you may have had. - What additional skills, training or professional network involvement have you that you could draw upon to add value to your position. What involvement have you had in the extra curricular life of the school? - What has been a professional achievement that has given you the opportunity to show leadership among your peers? Please give any examples of any initiatives you may have taken. - What are your career goals for the next five years? In what areas will you be seeking to develop professionally? good luck

I live on the north Gold Coast and work in South Bank Brisbane. I drive occasionally as I have allocated parking but most days I get the train. It's super easy and goes every 15 mins. I do this so I can also get work done on the train. In a year and a half I have only had one 20 minute delay. Not quite the same if you drive. It can be fine some mornings but one accident and the tailback can be miles. Lots of very good reasonably priced private schools on the Gold Coast. At least half of all schools are private and there are many excellent state schools so there is plenty of choice. Hope Island is a great spot but can be pricey if you are on a canal. Good luck