The lifestyle opportunities for young teachers in regional Victoria

Regional Victoria continues to face ongoing teacher shortages. But for one outgoing teacher, there are boundless opportunities for those willing to make a tree change.

Young teachers could have a rich and fulfilling career in education if they’re willing to give life in regional Victoria a shot.

That’s the message from one outgoing teacher, who after four decades of teaching is retiring from his duties at the same primary school where he was once a student.

It comes as the number of vacant teacher positions across regional Victoria remains relatively unchanged compared to the start of the school year, despite financial incentives from the state government.

At the year’s end, 346 teacher positions were advertised on the CareersVic website across regional Victoria, including 83 positions in Gippsland, 24 in Geelong, 75 positions in the north east region, 66 in north west region, 20 in the south west, and 78 positions in the western region.

In January, there were 340 vacancies for teachers across the regions.

At time of publication, 22 positions across the state were advertised on the government’s website as a Targeted Financial Incentive, where applicants can receive up to $50,000 before tax provided they are a new employee to the school and commit to a minimum of two years employment.

More than 340 teacher positions are vacant across regional and rural Victoria. Picture: Getty Images

Schools advertising roles under the incentive included Swan Hill, Horsham, Rochester, Lakes Entrance, Greater Shepparton, Boort, and Koo Wee Rup.

Raymond Gallagher first walked into Swifts Creek P12 school as a prep student, and retires this week after 41 years.

He said teaching in regional education has been a privilege, and wants to encourage young people to consider a career in country education.

“It’s a great career, no doubt about it. No two days have been the same,” Mr Gallagher said.

“There are smaller class sizes often, and normally you’re welcomed with open arms into the community as well as the school community. In Swifts Creek, we’re not far from the sea, we’re close to the snow and the mountains for walks and bushwalking, and there are the mountain bikes at Omeo for people into cycling. It’s an outdoor lifestyle and you can get away from the shops.”

Victorian Principals Association president Andrew Dalgleish said regional Victoria continued to face challenges in attracting and retaining teaching staff.

“There are a range of reasons, such as the workload. Teachers want to go in and teach, but it’s not as simple as that. And particularly for those going regional, it’s about having a connection. If you’ve left behind family or friends to work, do you drive back to larger centres to visit or do you stay?” Mr Dalgleish said.

Retention of young staff early in their careers was also a critical part of addressing teacher numbers, Mr Dalgleish said.

“One of the things we’re trying to work on is getting through the first five years, we hear of the challenges of people dropping out and leaving teaching,” Mr Dalgleish said.

“There’s a wholistic question: how do we better prep our teachers for the rigours of teaching? What we’d like to see is more professional practice, so that as young teachers enter they feel more comfortable.”