Interstate rush of teachers into Qld leaves local grads concerned for future jobs

Interstate applications for teaching roles in Queensland have soared amid COVID-19, sparking fears local graduate teachers won’t be able to get jobs.

Queensland graduate teachers fear they won’t be able to get jobs amid an influx of interstate teachers applying to work in Sunshine State classrooms.

As of mid-November, 1.4 per cent of all applications for Queensland teaching jobs were from Victorian teachers, up from 0.1 per cent in 2019, according to data obtained from the Education Department.

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Additionally, applicants from New South Wales has also jumped from 1.2 per cent in 2019 to 1.9 per cent this year.

An Education Department spokesman said the majority of applicants were seeking employment within South East Queensland, and in primary schools.

“The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast remain high on the preference list for interstate applicants,” he said.

“In 2019, teachers with a Queensland residential address made up 98.3 per cent of all applications received, with this figure dropping to 95.3 per cent in 2020.”

Graduate primary teacher Kat Weston says graduate teachers are concerned they won't get jobs. Picture: Jamie Hanson

The spokesman said as of November 12, the department had processed 35 more applications from applicants from New South Wales than in 2019; and 58 more applications from applicants with a residential address in Victoria than in 2019.

But Queensland teachers and graduates have been posting on social media groups sounding the alarm over job availability in the face of broader NSW and Victorian migration.

Queensland University of Technology graduate teacher Kat Weston said graduates were concerned about finding jobs given the huge increase in interstate applications.

“All of us graduates are wondering what to do, we’re wondering if it’s going to even be possible to be a relief teacher, because it’s going to be hard this year because there’s that many of us wanting work,” she said.

She said because of family commitments she would have moved to a remote or rural Queensland job if she could have, but had to stay in Brisbane for personal commitments.

“You have to do relief teaching, because you can’t go rural, so you’re competing with experienced teachers from Queensland, and interstate, as well as fellow graduates,” she said.

Queensland Teachers' Union president Kevin Bates.

QTU president Kevin Bates while the interest from interstate has increased dramatically, it still represented a very small proportion of applicants.

“Anecdotally, my experience is that we’ve had significant numbers from Victoria and Tasmania over the past four or five years that have had a major part to play in staffing schools in our most remote locations,” he said.