Any teachers moving over?!

[Marisawright]

7 hours ago, benj1980 said:

My point is you can have all the knowledge in the world but can't teach and it is a skill, then it will have no impact to a class. If you have read one textbook but can teach the information in a way that hooks the students in and keeps them engaged in the subject, then I know which I'd prefer of my teachers. You can only do this up to a certain level though, you can't wing it as the topics get more complex it simply isn't sustainable. The optimum of course is a teacher with fantastic subject knowledge through university study, who shows passion and is simply a great teacher as well. As a regular teacher recruiter we are always looking for those!

Of course, teaching in itself is a skill, and some would even say it's a gift.  We've all had great teachers and ordinary teachers in our lives. I just think you're taking it too far.

[benj1980]

27 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Of course, teaching in itself is a skill, and some would even say it's a gift.  We've all had great teachers and ordinary teachers in our lives. I just think you're taking it too far.

I think I'm probably a realist as well working in this field. There's a shortage of teachers and yet hundreds of surplus of Phys Ed graduates each year. Many of these will pick up Junior school health studies, Science, amongst others and pick up some Phys Ed as well if we can find a way. Genuine Mathematicians and Scientists are very valuable to a school but we don't get 10, in fact we'd be very lucky to get a couple of them apply for every job role available. However the debate remains, can they teach? The education department have developed a program called LEAP in which you can do a post grad (and shorter courses) in Science or Maths and I believe it is fully funded, the idea is to attract teachers to switch to these subjects. I think this is a great idea, teachers with experience get a solid grounding in what they would teach. It's had some good success...

[Blue Flu]

19 hours ago, benj1980 said:

My point is you can have all the knowledge in the world but can't teach and it is a skill, then it will have no impact to a class. If you have read one textbook but can teach the information in a way that hooks the students in and keeps them engaged in the subject, then I know which I'd prefer of my teachers. You can only do this up to a certain level though, you can't wing it as the topics get more complex it simply isn't sustainable. The optimum of course is a teacher with fantastic subject knowledge through university study, who shows passion and is simply a great teacher as well. As a regular teacher recruiter we are always looking for those!

A lot depends on the class as well. No matter how good the teacher, the class needs to be willing participants. Saw on ABC today, Some 18,000 students were expelled in the most recent figures released. That's some 5.2 % of all pupils. Highest on record, I'm talking only WA schools. Worst they said was South West. 

[Geography87]

On 15/03/2022 at 04:52, benj1980 said:

Hi Guys

I haven't been on here for a while, but as we start to open up here in WA I thought I'd put a post out. I was wondering if there are any teachers who are looking to make the move soonish, perhaps you already have a visa or close to obtaining it. Many schools in the state have struggled to obtain teachers this year due to retirements, Covid mandates etc. This will pick up but if you are wondering when might be a good time to move, now I'd suggest would be as good as any. I work in the public system in a High School so your typical comprehensive school in the UK. SOR in sunny Mandurah we are looking out for more teachers and good teachers will be picked up pretty quickly into more lengthy contracts, leading to permanency. Two people I have connected with have from this forum have ended up with permanent jobs at my school to date, so if you have any questions please message me or reply on the post and I'll get back to you.

There's always plenty of debate over where you should live when you come to WA. I preferred the more rugged feel of where I live compared to NOR. But then I'm from Cornwall so the more un-spoilt coastline the better for me! The reality is there's jobs NOR too.

Hiya, 

I'm a Geography teacher and have had my 491 visa in the pipeline for a while now. Just had communication with Case Officer and submitted my medical and police check last Friday so I am hoping that it won't be long before the grant. I have 90 points so hoping that pops me a little higher up the list (if that's even how it works). I'm on a Family Sponsored visa so am not obliged to work in WA but I have some family ties there and so am intending to head there. All being well I'm hoping that I'll be over around Sept '22. This being said I am trying to get a head start on the registration process but from what I've seen I don't think I can register without a job offer. Does this sound correct? Might make things tricky as I assume it takes a while to do all the form filling etc after being offered a position.

Cheers!

[benj1980]

On 29/05/2022 at 20:48, Geography87 said:

Hiya, 

I'm a Geography teacher and have had my 491 visa in the pipeline for a while now. Just had communication with Case Officer and submitted my medical and police check last Friday so I am hoping that it won't be long before the grant. I have 90 points so hoping that pops me a little higher up the list (if that's even how it works). I'm on a Family Sponsored visa so am not obliged to work in WA but I have some family ties there and so am intending to head there. All being well I'm hoping that I'll be over around Sept '22. This being said I am trying to get a head start on the registration process but from what I've seen I don't think I can register without a job offer. Does this sound correct? Might make things tricky as I assume it takes a while to do all the form filling etc after being offered a position.

Cheers!

If you mean registering with TRBWA I did it from the UK. There were forms that needed to be signed by an Australian citizen (professional) and so I popped to the embassy for the day and got them to do it. I had my TRB Number before I landed in Oz meaning I was in work within a week.

[Geography87]

On 01/06/2022 at 13:28, benj1980 said:

If you mean registering with TRBWA I did it from the UK. There were forms that needed to be signed by an Australian citizen (professional) and so I popped to the embassy for the day and got them to do it. I had my TRB Number before I landed in Oz meaning I was in work within a week.

Thanks. I can see there are 4 types of registration but only mention teachers who qualified in Australia or New Zealand. I'm not sure which of the 4 types I'm supposed to apply for. Any help would be great! 

[benj1980]

Initially I was classed as non practising. After two years I moved to full registration.

[Geography87]

22 hours ago, benj1980 said:

Initially I was classed as non practising. After two years I moved to full registration.

Thanks- yeah, they actually emailed back this morning and said that would be the one to go for. Looking into going to the embassy to get the docs certified. Do you remember if you had to pay anything? There is a fee list but it isn't clear exactly what I'd have to pay for what is needed. Would be travelling from Devon so weighing up whether to just pay a Notary Public to do it all here.

[benj1980]

I definitely paid, I actually paid too much as I got more documents signed than required. The registration takes a bit of time to complete and I didn't want to be wasting time when I could be working. I can't actually remember what I paid now, I'm sure it's gone up! I was living in Wiltshire at the time so a bus took me into Victoria station I believe. I'm a Cornish lad so if I was still living down there I would have stayed overnight somewhere!

3 hours ago, Geography87 said:

Thanks- yeah, they actually emailed back this morning and said that would be the one to go for. Looking into going to the embassy to get the docs certified. Do you remember if you had to pay anything? There is a fee list but it isn't clear exactly what I'd have to pay for what is needed. Would be travelling from Devon so weighing up whether to just pay a Notary Public to do it all here.

 

[Geography87]

The whole process is getting quite pricy as I'm having to pay for police checks from a few countries after having taught abroad. Oh well, worth it in the end. No available appointments at the embassy until mid July so I'll wait until then. Thanks for all your help and advice! Hope I join the WA gang soon. Off to Cornwall for the weekend today-thought you'd appreciate that ;) Weather looking good too, wahey! 

[benj1980]

We are at the stage where 3 members of staff have left to work out country (temporary promotions) and 2 people who were offered contracts have done the same leaving us short of teachers. So if anyone is keen in working in sunny Mandurah (well it's raining today) let me know!

[HayD91]

 

On 05/07/2022 at 04:10, benj1980 said:

We are at the stage where 3 members of staff have left to work out country (temporary promotions) and 2 people who were offered contracts have done the same leaving us short of teachers. So if anyone is keen in working in sunny Mandurah (well it's raining today) let me know!

Currently working through my skills assessment as a Maths teacher, funnily enough me and my wife are looking at Mandurah as the most likely place to live! Will definitely be in touch when (hopefully ) we land! 

[InnerVoice]

Hi, I've never worked in WA but I've taught in the Queensland state school system for over a decade, and prior to that in NSW. I imagine there are many parallels.

At one time it was pretty much given that new teachers (whether they be recently qualified or from overseas), would need to go and do three years country service before they could move into a metropolitan or coastal area. You get points for every year you work in a location (the more remote, the more points), which puts you further up the ladder when it comes to getting a transfer. I consider myself very fortunate to be based in Cairns, and although it isn't everyone's cup of tea it's a beautiful location, and we only live three minutes walk from the beach. There are some hellish places you can be sent to though, but I think that if you're young, newly qualified and up for an adventure, you're more likely take it in your stride than an older teacher. However, if you are prepared to 'go country' for a few years, then the opportunities for career progression are generally much better than staying in a more popular location, and there are often some good incentives for working in a remote location too, so it's not all negative.

When I started teaching it was almost impossible to get into a school in Brisbane or SEQ, but I see jobs advertised down there all the time now. I read somewhere recently that the number of permanent teachers in QLD has dropped by about 20 percent in the last decade. It's partly due to teachers retiring, and younger people not choosing to come into the profession, but also because the dropout rate of NQTs in the first five years is huge. The paperwork has become ridiculous, and in many schools behaviour and how it is managed is a huge problem.

My advice to anyone fresh off the boat with at least a couple of years teaching experience would be to set their bar pretty high, and don't just accept the first job that is offered. Research schools thoroughly – they are usually required to produce an annual report that has feedback from students, parents, and staff. What the latter think about the school being the most important, in my opinion. There are also independent websites that review schools, google and social media of course. Hope this is helpful.

Edited June 18, 2023 by InnerVoice

[benj1980]

21 hours ago, Haydn Drake said:

 

Currently working through my skills assessment as a Maths teacher, funnily enough me and my wife are looking at Mandurah as the most likely place to live! Will definitely be in touch when (hopefully ) we land! 

Hi Haydn

Definitely stay in touch, we're always on the lookout for good teachers for when there's vacancies. If you have any questions on the process I am happy to discuss this going forward.

[benj1980]

4 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

Hi, I've never worked in WA but I've taught in the Queensland state school system for over a decade, and prior to that in NSW. I imagine there are many parallels.

At one time it was pretty much given that new teachers (whether they be recently qualified or from overseas), would need to go and do three years country service before they could move into a metropolitan or coastal area. You get points for every year you work in a location (the more remote, the more points), which puts you further up the ladder when it comes to getting a transfer. I consider myself very fortunate to be based in Cairns, and although it isn't everyone's cup of tea it's a beautiful location, and we only live three minutes walk from the beach. There are some hellish places you can be sent to though, but I think that if you're young, newly qualified and up for an adventure, you're more likely take it in your stride than an older teacher. However, if you are prepared to 'go country' for a few years, then the opportunities for career progression are generally much better than staying in a more popular location, and there are often some good incentives for working in a remote location too, so it's not all negative.

When I started teaching it was almost impossible to get into a school in Brisbane or SEQ, but I see jobs advertised down there all the time now. I read somewhere recently that the number of permanent teachers in QLD has dropped by about 20 percent in the last decade. It's partly due to teachers retiring, and younger people not choosing to come into the profession, but also because the dropout rate of NQTs in the first five years is huge. The paperwork has become ridiculous, and in many schools behaviour and how it is managed is a huge problem.

My advice to anyone fresh off the boat with at least a couple of years teaching experience would be to set their bar pretty high, and don't just accept the first job that is offered. Research schools thoroughly – they are usually required to produce an annual report that has feedback from students, parents, and staff. What the latter think about the school being the most important, in my opinion. There are also independent websites that review schools, google and social media of course. Hope this is helpful.

In WA you aren't required to go country at all, so most don't. The pay is great and incentivised but we find migrant families would rather stay closer to Perth. You're absolutely right have a bit of flexibility but don't settle for the first thing that comes your way unless you really aren't overly concerned, maybe job security is more pertinent. There will be roles within a reasonable commuter time so you can live in your desired location. That said you need to be realistic. If you move into a very desirable area and wish to seek a job role in that area, it's highly unlikely that someone with no Australian experience is going to obtain that position. That role will still be competitive.

Roles outside of Perth metro area are more likely to be permanent and you may get extra pay due to being outside of Perth. If you want to live near the beach by living outside of Perth this is more affordable and less busy and you also have a higher chance of achieving a teaching position as well. It's bit of a no brainer to me but each to their own I guess!

[InnerVoice]

39 minutes ago, benj1980 said:

In WA you aren't required to go country at all, so most don't. The pay is great and incentivised but we find migrant families would rather stay closer to Perth. You're absolutely right have a bit of flexibility but don't settle for the first thing that comes your way unless you really aren't overly concerned, maybe job security is more pertinent. There will be roles within a reasonable commuter time so you can live in your desired location. That said you need to be realistic. If you move into a very desirable area and wish to seek a job role in that area, it's highly unlikely that someone with no Australian experience is going to obtain that position. That role will still be competitive.

Roles outside of Perth metro area are more likely to be permanent and you may get extra pay due to being outside of Perth. If you want to live near the beach by living outside of Perth this is more affordable and less busy and you also have a higher chance of achieving a teaching position as well. It's bit of a no brainer to me but each to their own I guess!

You're not required to do country service in QLD either, but as you mentioned you're more likely to be offered a permanent position in a regional school if you do. However, once you have a permanent position in QLD you can be transferred at the discretion of the Department of Education to meet their operational needs. Our Principal announced in a staff meeting a couple of months back that the DoE are introducing a new policy to address the teacher shortage in regional schools. Any teacher who has been in a metro or coastal school for 10 years and hasn't previously done country service, can expect to be transferred to a regional school at some point. Well you could've heard a pin drop - which was rather unfortunate for the colleague sat next to me who was heard by just about everyone in the room exclaiming "F*** that!"

The salaries in WA look good compared with other states. Is there a particular process to reach Level 3.1 & 3.2 Classroom Teacher?

[benj1980]

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

You're not required to do country service in QLD either, but as you mentioned you're more likely to be offered a permanent position in a regional school if you do. However, once you have a permanent position in QLD you can be transferred at the discretion of the Department of Education to meet their operational needs. Our Principal announced in a staff meeting a couple of months back that the DoE are introducing a new policy to address the teacher shortage in regional schools. Any teacher who has been in a metro or coastal school for 10 years and hasn't previously done country service, can expect to be transferred to a regional school at some point. Well you could've heard a pin drop - which was rather unfortunate for the colleague sat next to me who was heard by just about everyone in the room exclaiming "F*** that!"

The salaries in WA look good compared with other states. Is there a particular process to reach Level 3.1 & 3.2 Classroom Teacher?

You don't need to go regional for permanent roles in WA but around an hour outside of the CBD. I'm in Mandurah and there are permanent positions floating about. We certainly haven't heard about being sent away due to never being out country. Most schools are now 'independent' which means they are in charge and responsible for their recruitment of staff so hopefully it stays that way! I know WAPOL told all officers they'd need to do a rural stint and they've had mass resignations. If we were made to go regional, I'd quite likely resign as well.

Level 3 classroom teacher consists of a portfolio of evidence and then some form of presentation. The portfolio is stringently graded and many fail or pass only certain elements of it, to re-sit the following year. I've recently completed a reference and had quite an in depth dialogue of what the teacher has achieved to compliment what was said in their portfolio.

[HayD91]

On 18/06/2023 at 07:29, benj1980 said:

Hi Haydn

Definitely stay in touch, we're always on the lookout for good teachers for when there's vacancies. If you have any questions on the process I am happy to discuss this going forward.

Sounds great! Unsure of my AITSL application at the moment, submitted 6 weeks ago heard nothing. I did complete a SCITT with a PGCE, and I know they aren't always kind to SCITT applicants, but I do have a letter from my university detailing my teaching hours etc so fingers crossed! 

[benj1980]

9 minutes ago, Haydn Drake said:

Sounds great! Unsure of my AITSL application at the moment, submitted 6 weeks ago heard nothing. I did complete a SCITT with a PGCE, and I know they aren't always kind to SCITT applicants, but I do have a letter from my university detailing my teaching hours etc so fingers crossed! 

SCITT's are hit and miss. I got through but others haven't. The transcript from my university was a 'reference transcript' which stated what I completed in terms of study.

[benj1980]

More people are now completing their training through a SCITT than a higher education institution. AITSL needs to wake up!

 

 

New entrants to ITT by routes into teaching

Summary

In 2021/22, there were a total of 17,318 postgraduate new entrants on school-led routes, making up 55% of the total, up from 53% last year, and the same as we saw in 2019/20. The numbers training via HEIs decreased to 13,915, making up the remaining 45%. The number of HEI new entrants saw a 14% decrease compared to 2020/21 and a 9% increase compared to 2019/20. Despite the decrease in HEI trainees compared to 2020/21, the proportion of new entrants training via postgraduate fee-funded routes rose by 2 percentage points, to 90%, driven by the increases seen in numbers of School Centred ITT new entrants and the decrease in numbers of School Direct (salaried) entrants[1].

School Centred ITT and Post Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship are the only routes to see increases in trainees compared to 2020/21. The largest decrease from 2020/21 to 2021/22 occurred in the School Direct (salaried) route (down to 783 trainees). The School Direct (salaried) route, along with High Potential ITT saw the only decreases in number of new entrants when compared to 2019/20[2].

There were 5,836 new entrants to undergraduate ITT, a decrease (2%) from 5,983 in 2020/21, but an increase (20%) from 4,882 in 2019/20.

[HayD91]

On 20/06/2023 at 11:40, benj1980 said:

SCITT's are hit and miss. I got through but others haven't. The transcript from my university was a 'reference transcript' which stated what I completed in terms of study.

I have a letter from my university stating my teaching days, topics studied etc. So fingers crossed! It's been 9 weeks today since my application was put in by my migration agent. I'll keep you updated as information for other SCITTs would might apply one day. 

[benj1980]

Good luck, please do keep us updated. I've now brought this up with my Federal MP who is questioning the process. We can but try...

[HayD91]

Finally today received my positive skills assessment! It took 6 months as opposed to 6 weeks and I had to to back and forth with AITSL about my qualification and get a statutory declaration, (which cost me an extra £200 for a notary to sign, I'm in the wrong business!), but it all worked out in the end! At one point it seemed dead in the water as they requested documents I couldn't provide but my migration agent was brilliant, if you're a SCITT and unsure of how to proceed I'd highly suggest getting a Migration agent as they know how to word letters etc. I'm using TrueBlue, can't fault them tbh. Onto the English test now!  

[HayD91]

Just got the results from my PTE test, 90 in every section! I know an invitation round went out on the 18th December, have I just missed the boat or might I get invited with 70 points? Exciting times

[benj1980]

On 17/10/2023 at 14:39, Haydn Drake said:

Finally today received my positive skills assessment! It took 6 months as opposed to 6 weeks and I had to to back and forth with AITSL about my qualification and get a statutory declaration, (which cost me an extra £200 for a notary to sign, I'm in the wrong business!), but it all worked out in the end! At one point it seemed dead in the water as they requested documents I couldn't provide but my migration agent was brilliant, if you're a SCITT and unsure of how to proceed I'd highly suggest getting a Migration agent as they know how to word letters etc. I'm using TrueBlue, can't fault them tbh. Onto the English test now!  

Just re-reading this. Impressive to get a successful AITSL assessment. What did you need to notary signature for? And yes we are both in the wrong business!