North shore’s Cammeraygal High School offers $20k recruitment bonus to fill teacher gap

A five-figure recruitment bonus is being offered up at a north shore public school after previous attempts to fill the role were unsuccessful.

A photo of the high school.

A five-figure recruitment bonus is being offered up at a north shore public school after two previous attempts to fill the vacancy were unsuccessful.

The Department of Education has confirmed it was using a $20,000 bonus offer to lure applicants to Cammeraygal High School to fill a vacant head teacher of personal development position.

The role attracts a base salary package of $145,499 and requires applicants to have experience in meeting student learning and wellbeing needs across the disciplines of personal development, health and sport.

The Department of Education has confirmed the bonus was offered after two previous attempts to fill the position were unsuccessful.

It is understood the bonus will be paid to the successful applicant in four equal instalments during the first year after their appointment.

Cammeraygal High School is trying to fill the vacancy.

A department spokesman did not say exactly how long the role has remained vacant for.

The spokesman said the offer of bonuses were part of a state government strategy to attract teachers to the profession.

The Department of Education said teacher vacancy rates remain low in Sydney’s north.

Under the strategy, school principals can request the inclusion of the bonus to fill teacher vacancies after two unsuccessful recruitment attempts – as was the case with Cammeraygal High School.

“Cammeraygal High School is being supported by the department’s priority recruitment team which supports schools with long term challenges in filling vacancies,” the department spokesman said.

“One of the strategies used by the team is the inclusion of a recruitment bonus.”

The vacancy comes as the NSW Teachers Union has stated school staffing had remained a critical issue across the state during the first term of 2023.

David Hope, president of Northern Sydney District Council of P&C Associations.

The Department of Education, however, said the teacher vacancy rate in the northern Sydney region remains low and is currently less than 0.5 per cent.

“There are isolated vacancies that have been challenging to fill in the area, including a head teacher for PDHPE at Cammeraygal High School,” the department spokesman said.

David Hope, president of the Northern Sydney District Council of P&C Associations, supported the intention of the bonus but believed money alone won’t solve the underlying issues underpinning long-term vacancies rates.

“When they’re recruiting for a head teacher they’re trying to find someone with quality and experience and you don’t always get people readily applying for types of roles because it becomes a partial management position and not every teacher wants to put their hand up for that,” he said.

“They’re often trying to pick candidates from a very small pool of people who have applied so they have to readvertise the position and often experience the same problem.

Cammeraygal High School.

“Cammeraygal High is also in an area that’s quite expensive for teachers to live in and that has an impact on all schools in the area when trying to find new staff. Extra money will help, but it isn’t necessarily going to solve it.”

Mr Hope believed there were various ways the department could address long-term vacancy rates including hiring a dedicated ‘flying squad’ of teachers that could be positioned at schools to fill vacancies.

“There’s also a broader issue of teachers taking 12 months long service leave before retiring and under the current system the department won’t begin recruitment until after that person leaves the organisation,” he said.

“It should be filled immediately instead of bringing in casuals or relying on other teachers to take the subject because that has an impact on both staff and students.

“It isn’t just money alone that’s going to attract teachers and keep them in the profession.”