How to fix Australia’s teacher shortage

Australian schools will be short tens of thousands of teachers within the next decade unless more people urgently train to enter the profession.

Australian schools will be short tens of thousands of teachers within the next decade unless more people urgently train to enter the profession.

A PeopleBench report has found addressing teacher shortages is now the second most pressing challenge for the sector, behind teacher capability.

Industry leaders predict it will become the number one workplace priority by 2024, with growing concerns about how a lack of teachers will affect students.

“The effect becomes much larger classes, less personal attention, less specific focus on individual needs and it might also be that we have less experienced people working in the most challenging (classroom) situations,’’ says Flinders University Associate Professor in Education Dr Kerry Bissaker.

“It’s hard going at the moment. We are desperate for good teachers.

“It’s a wonderful profession, there’s no doubt about that … but there’s much greater choice of profession now so there’s greater competition for us (from other industries seeking workers).’’

Career changers can help

Universities have experienced a decline in undergraduate teaching enrolments of up to 20 per cent in recent years and the profession is also struggling with poor retention levels, Bissaker says.

But she says a growing number of career changers are upskilling through postgraduate teaching qualifications, providing hope to the sector.

“People have come from a real range of different backgrounds,’’ Bissaker says.

“We’ve had people come from the armed forces and one person who was a civil engineer – there’s a real shortage of maths and science teachers so those types of professions coming into teaching is gold.’’

Roxanne Caruso.

Staff shortages are creating unprecedented opportunities for those entering the profession, with some states now allowing final year teaching students to work as relief teachers prior to graduation.

Career practitioner Lucy Sattler, from Study Work Grow, believes new undergraduates from other disciplines, who are yet to enter the workforce, should also be encouraged to shift to teaching.

“Not all university graduates walk out of university into a job and a lot of them would be suited to teaching but it’s not even on their radar,’’ she says.

“It’s very rewarding to become a teacher. You are playing a really key role in developing the next generation.’’

Teaching role has expanded

PeopleBench founder Fleur Johnston says the teacher shortage is forcing the profession to improve and “redesign’’ itself to become more focused on employee wellbeing.

In recent years, the role has changed dramatically, with teachers under pressure to do far more than educate children, she says.

“There’s too much administration (tasks for teachers). And teachers are dealing with the psychological health of students, as well as the parents,’’ Johnston says.

“We are expecting teachers to be a lot like allied health professionals, rather than do their job of teaching.’’

The surprise benefits of teaching

Work anywhere: a worldwide teacher shortage means teachers can combine work and travel across the globe.

Latest tech: the evolving use of technology in education means teachers often have access to the latest technology and gadgets.

Continuous learning: teachers naturally develop a strong sense of curiosity and are lifelong learners.

Promotional opportunities: with experience, teachers are able to specialise and move into a variety of roles according to their interests, such as IT director or wellbeing coordinator.

A change of pace

A supportive network of fellow teachers and the reward of seeing children learn will help navigate any challenges faced by career changer Roxanne Caruso.

Caruso, currently a food technologist at Unilever, is undertaking a postgraduate qualification in secondary teaching and has recently completed a classroom practicum as part of her studies.

The mother-of-two is aware of concerns about heavy teacher workloads but believes those entering the profession are being well prepared to handle the demands.

“There was a lot of teacher burnout caused by Covid-19 but that has led to a lot more emphasis on ensuring that teachers are OK,’’ says Caruso.

“Teachers do care about each other. It’s a team effort.

“You have to be collegiate with your fellow teachers and supportive and share resources and all that sort of stuff and that’s what they’re trying to do.’’

In the short time Caruso has spent in classrooms, she says being able to share her love of science with young people has reinforced her desire to become a teacher.

“Fostering their young minds is the reason why I got into teaching,’’ she says.

“I just want to make people passionate about science and show them how it can be cool.’’

Caruso has been supported during her career transition by Unilever, which has allowed her to continue to work on an as-need basis during her studies.