Anonymous #379

Submitter information

Name

Anonymous #379

Where are you located?

South Australia

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?

Primary

What is your occupation?

Teacher

Elevating the profession

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

Neither agree nor disagree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Currently teachers who wish to change their employment status within the department from permanent to contract or relief are penalised via losing years of gained ability to access LSL and retention leave (I would need to work more than 7 years to restart my LSL and more than 15 years to achieve retention leave again, although probably longer due to less work over time). Permanent teachers changing to contract are penalised by having to reapply to the department to teach in a different capacity and forced to re-enter all their qualifications and training in order to be able to teach again. Permanent teachers are also penalised by given waiting periods of up to 4 months for this to take effect when it could be a much simpler process to just transfer their status to contract/relief thereby freeing up more permanent positions for those who want them, and saving HR time of 4 months work to process a change in status when it is a simple process to change over from permanent to a contract/relief position and does not require the delay or the need for extra HR time to roll over from one to the other, since all the information is already on the system. When a teacher is choosing to stay in the department and understands the risks of instability from contract and relief, why are teachers also penalised by having these totally unnecessary waiting periods and loss of leave entitlements and email account?

Why do we have inadequate systems to deal with a transfer from permanency to contract? When we constantly hear of teacher shortages why are we waiting months to convert a permanent teacher to contract if they so choose? I will have all my leave paid out prior, I have all my training and qualifications already on the system and up to date, so why the delay for conversion? The system as it is today demotivates someone in my position to want to work in the education system and encourages me to leave the profession due to making me start again as if I was a new graduate fresh to the profession. I also need to apply for my service to be reinstated? Why is there a delay I am asking quite simply? Why does the education department waste resources.

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.

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

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

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

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?

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

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?

When we constantly hear of teacher shortages why are we waiting months to convert a permanent teacher to contract if they so choose? I will have all my leave paid out prior, I have all my training and qualifications already on the system and up to date, so why the delay for conversion? It seems that the system as it is today demotivates someone in my position to want to work in the education system and encourages me to leave the profession due to making me start again as if I was a new graduate fresh to the profession. I also need to apply for my service to be reinstated? Why is there a delay I am asking quite simply? Why does the education department waste resources on delisting a teacher, removing their email and leave entitlements and experience only to then waste more time re-entering all this data, reclassifying all this data? Then re-listing their email account. This is an unnecessary way of demotivating and demoralising teachers with the intention that if they want to avoid such delays and penalties that they just put up with it and stay, or leave and lose their earned entitlements and leave quietly?