Primary School Teacher

[RyanPaul]

I am about to apply for the PGCE course which will enable me to become a Primary School  teacher here in UK. My wife and I have a timeline of 5 years before we plan on emigrating to Australia. I have looked for advice on whether this is a valid route in which to emigrate but I am getting mixed answers as Primary School Teacher has been removed from the main skills list. My fear is training up, becoming a teacher and then finding out that I still cannot emigrate, I guess I am just looking for reassurance that I am not wasting my time.  

[VERYSTORMY]

Totally impossible to say. The skilled list will change massively by then and probably the entire system. 

The advice I always give is never change career in the hope it leads to a visa. It is too risky. Change career because it is something you want to do and if down the line you find it leads to a visa, then good. If it doesn’t, then you are still happy in the career. 

Though, be aware, even if you qualify for a visa, it doesn’t mean the occupation is actually in demand. At the moment and for a long time when primary teacher was on the main list, the chances of getting a job anywhere you would want to live was and is tiny 
 

[RyanPaul]

That's basically what I thought, thank you. Training to be a teacher is definitely the career path I will be taking irrespective of the opportunity to emigrate. Thank you for the advice. 

[Quoll]

Primary teachers are ten a penny in Australia so I wouldn’t be banking on it being a skill that will get you a visa.  The thing about recessions (or depressions) too is that people who are qualified but who may have left teaching for greener pastures now find themselves wanting to return to a recession proof career and they’re back in what is already an oversaturated market.  Enjoy being a teacher because it’s your passion but if you plan on emigrating think of a different career.

[purplealster]

I have several highly qualified teacher friends that have to take on casual work, usually only at a few hours notice to cover sick teachers etc. This is due to there not being enough permanent primary teacher vacancies, especially in the nicer areas. I do have some teacher friends that live in our local area (northern beaches of Sydney) that drive to western Sydney areas such as Auburn and Punchbowl but only because they have been there for years and don't want to have to compete with the hundreds of teachers that are looking for jobs around here. There has also been a 'dumbing down' of teaching degrees in Australia - in terms of entry requirements and what is needed to pass and assessment marks (Google will give you more information) so there are way more teachers flooding the school market so unfortunately, I would agree, that if you want to be a teacher, go for it, but it is an unlikely route to permanent settlement into Australia. 

*in saying this - it may be possible for you to get a visa for some remote part of Australia - such as the NT but this would require an undertaking to stay there location wise for some time. Teaching in areas like these would not be for the fainthearted. It would be best to speak to an immigration consultant to see what your prospects are in terms of this option.*

Edited May 23, 2020 by purplealster

[Marisawright]

I would echo what everyone else is saying.  It's impossible to say what your chances would be in 5 years' time in any occupation.  

Migration to Australia has been getting steadily more difficult for years now.   Australia used to have an open door compared to most other countries.  Now, the government's attitude to immigrants is much the same as any other developed country - they're not welcome unless they are highly skilled, and even then, only if there's a shortage of local candidates in their profession. There's going to be a recession, or even a depression, after covid-19 and some are predicting it will go on for several years, so that's likely to make things worse.