3. Recruitment of staff
Overview
State and Territory education departments have, to varying degrees, developed staff recruitment strategies for rural and remote teaching positions. It is generally agreed, however, that the current arrangements for teacher induction to rural and remote schools are either inadequate or non-existent. According to the Australian Education Union, most education departments have begun discussions about the need for recruitment strategies and the need to include information about rural and remote schools in teacher training qualifications (Robert Laird, Australian Education Union (NT), Darwin public hearing, 10 May 1999).
Accurate information about the nature of teaching placements in rural and remote Australia can assist in the employment of appropriate staff. Since the majority of teaching staff in rural and remote schools are recent graduates with few years of teaching experience, it is important that these staff members know the nature of a rural or remote posting. For many the posting is their first teaching appointment (Butorac 1998, page 6). The placement in a remote community can be a culture shock. The first years of teaching can be demanding and difficult without the compounding factor of a new and unexpected living environment.
The Catholic Education Office in Western Australia has worked to address this problem by compiling a video and training program entitled 'Kimberley Calling' (Catholic Education Office WA 1999). This resource provides a real picture of remote school communities and outlines the attractions and the challenges of remote school teaching. Kimberley teachers assist in an information session for new recruits and participate in the selection process. Since the development of 'Kimberley Calling' in 1998, 18 teachers have been recruited to the Kimberley. After one year, 17 staff are still working in the region. This has a positive and stabilising influence on the school communities and the school curricula (Catholic Education Office 1999).
Evidence to the Inquiry
Recently our school had a teacher vacancy and struggled to get any applicants. Principals generally have to be proactive and seek out applicants to apply by ringing around education facilities looking for applicants, or [ringing] other similar schools in the cities who have recently advertised for teachers to find out if there were any likely or prospective applicants among them (Submission 36, St Mary's Primary School, Victoria).
In South Australia the Department for Education Training and Employment has had a range of country incentives but they have not been very effective. The current incentives reward the teachers who want to be in the country and have had little impact on increasing the number of applicants for country positions - both teaching and leadership. Incentives may need to include free housing, access to a car, significant pay differences and access to free tertiary study (Submission 23, Open Access College SA).
We need more staff. We need other teachers and also professional counsellors. And we need teachers who want to be here. There needs to be incentives provided for prospective staff so that the community and the students get teachers in the school who choose to be here (Submission 5, Boggabilla Central School, NSW).
We're seeing continuing problems in staff recruitment and the retention of staff, with the exception of Aboriginal graduate teachers, who have, in many schools, stabilised the staffing beyond what it was before (Peter Toyne, NT Shadow Minister for Education and Training, Darwin public hearing, 10 May 1999).
Given that a teacher shortage is predicted in the next 5 years (Robert Laird, Australian Education Union (NT), Darwin public hearing, 10 May 1999), governments will have to address the problem of teacher recruitment to isolated regions. It appears that allowances are not enough to encourage teachers to take these positions. A number of suggestions have been made to this Inquiry regarding appropriate incentives for teachers. The Inquiry invites further information and suggestions regarding this subject. Click here for the Inquiry's contact details.
Last updated 2 December 2001.
