Anonymous #056

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #056

Where are you located?

Victoria

What type of area do you live in?

Metropolitan

Are you an education professional?
(e.g. teacher, school leader, learning support assistant, teacher’s aide)

Yes

Which sector do you work in?

Secondary

What is your occupation?

Teacher

Elevating the profession

The actions proposed recognise the value teachers bring to students, communities and the economy.

Somewhat disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Campaigning is fine but you need to raise the status of the profession with better pay and conditions to make people assign worth to the role. Also the new awards and whatever else will actually celebrate overworking martyrs and further normalise the excessive unpaid volunteer work teachers perform.

Also the high achieving subset hoops are designed to be so ridiculous to jump through that most people wont bother because of the extra excessive workload it takes to be recognised. As a teacher it comes across as simply a cheaper way to provide a pay rise to very few staff.

Improving teacher supply

The actions proposed will be effective in increasing the number of students entering ITE, number of students completing ITE and the number of teachers staying in and/or returning to the profession.

Strongly disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

These approaches may attract people to teaching however it will be an extraordinary waste of public funds as they wont keep them in the profession. Retention in this profession is abysmal because the career is not attractive enough. It really is simple as that. You can try and convince the best and brightest to teach but when they realise they can earn 50% more, working from home, with no hard pay ceiling, without the disgusting work conditions teachers are often made to endure, they will move on.

You should be focusing on teacher retention through improved pay and conditions. We are currently bleeding teachers and I don't know many, myself included, who have not been planning or exploring some kind of exit in the near future.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

The actions proposed will ensure initial teacher education supports teacher supply and quality.

Somewhat disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

The reason people leave shortly after becoming qualified or don't even complete it is because they quickly learn that the profession is not valued and the work conditions and pay are substandard. You can improve teacher training but people with decades experience are rushing for the doors, it's the job that needs improving.

Maximising the time to teach

The actions proposed will improve retention and free up teachers to focus on teaching and collaboration.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Better understanding future teacher workforce needs

How effective are the proposed actions in better understanding future teacher workforce needs, including the number of teachers required?

Slightly effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Too much focus on supply, not enough on retention.
People leave because the career is no longer close to competitive. The finer details of all this has been discussed by teachers for years. It's all over every teaching forum in Australia. People are seeing their friends and families work conditions and pay improve since Covid while we receive 2% which isn't even going to cover a third of inflation. We are locked into that for 5-6 years before it will come around for negotiations again. Couple this with the rapid deterioration of mental health as a result of challenging student behaviours and attitude and leaving looks pretty attractive.

Better career pathways to support and retain teachers in the profession

The proposed actions will improve career pathways, including through streamlining the process for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation, and providing better professional support for teachers to retain them in the profession.

Somewhat disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Working on the permanency issue is important so good work trying to address that.
I have been in leadership and honestly the marginal pay increase is nowhere near worth the extra hours and stress. I have had extra responsibilities where I am managing a team of staff, with some time allowance on a regular teaching wage. I describe the role and responsibilities to my friends in corporate settings and they laugh because salaries for that type of position in industry would START anywhere from 130-140k.