Worldwide search for NSW chief behaviour adviser behind schedule

The job comes with a six-figure salary and a hefty goal — to tackle cyber-bullying, truancy and bad behaviour in schools. But the global search for a NSW chief behaviour adviser continues.

It’s a job that comes with a healthy six-figure salary and a hefty goal — to tackle cyber-bullying, truancy and bad behaviour in the state’s schools.

But the global search for a NSW chief behaviour adviser to improve respect and lift behaviour standards in public, independent and Catholic schools is running behind schedule.

Announced by Premier Dominic Perrottet last September as part of a cross-sector approach to managing challenging behaviour in schools, the aim was to have someone in the “groundbreaking advisory role” by the start of term.

However applications closed just this week for the executive role, which was advertised online on the Fisher Leadership and NSW Government websites, plus recruitment websites including Seek, LinkedIn, The Conversation, The UniJobs, the Koori Mail and indigenous Employment Australia.

A strong list of international and local candidates from various education departments, organisations, research institutes, schools and universities have reportedly put their hand up, with the interview process now under way.

Dominic Perrottet and Sarah Mitchell have launched a global search for a NSW Chief Behaviour Adviser. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gaye Gerard

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she was looking forward to working with the new adviser once appointed in the coming weeks.

“Teachers have told us they want more support for dealing with disruptive students,” she said.

“We know behavioural issues in schools are complex, so having a chief behaviour adviser leading a cross-sector approach will help to ensure big challenges like cyber-bullying, school refusal, and challenging behaviour are tackled consistently in schools.

“The adviser will also be tasked with helping schools tackle consistent low-level misbehaviour, which can be disruptive for schools.

“This role is a vital one and so we’ve undertaken a global search to ensure we attract the very best candidates.”

It’s hoped the adviser will be in the two-year fixed-term role this school term, to help schools and parents and carers better deal with disruptive students.

It’s part of a whole-of-community approach to behaviour and wellbeing, which will also see the government more than double the number of behaviour specialists supporting NSW public schools from 70 to 200.

However not everyone’s convinced about how effective the advisory role will be, with Labor’s education spokeswoman Prue Car saying it would be interesting to see how much difference one person could make.

NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos is also hesitant about the role, claiming more teachers was the key to better classroom management.

“What the NSW government should be addressing is the unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries of teachers,” he said.

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