Workforce become fully registered and accredited teachers .
What challenges do these new teachers face ? They are more mature in age and they might have financial commitments or family responsibilities , so the life work balance could be a bit challenging for them to navigate until they become fully registered teachers .
Other challenges might have to do with meeting a study and teaching requirement at the same time . On the one hand , you need to meet the requirements of the university in terms of your assignments and study requirements , on the other you are required to work in school as a teacher like a paraprofessional .
They often have a lot of experience in other sectors , but once they become teachers they need to adjust their professional identity in ways that allows them to learn about the new profession while at the same time capitalising on the skills and strengths they have accumulated in their previous profession .
How can we support career change teachers ? The first few years in the profession are quite critical . I think career change teachers need a lot of support , and this is where universities and schools can play a very significant role . Universities for instance can make that adjustment to the study requirements a bit easier or accommodate for the different needs of career change teachers , and they can work closely with the schools in providing mentorship opportunities .
We often hear from career change teachers that they need support from both university and the school . They have one foot in the university , one foot in the school and they need as much support from each side as they can possibly get .
What do career change teachers bring to students compared to other teachers ? They tend to be more mature in age and often have experience outside the field of education . This is one of the strengths this group brings : they often have up to date content knowledge and practical skills which they can then utilise in the classroom to make learning more meaningful and engaging for students .
I think a lot of career change teachers have organisational skills that can be used to enrich existing school culture , and help build a stronger , perhaps more collaborative culture among the school staff in the education sector .
This is a really important decision that people make , and we know it is not for the big salary that people become teachers . They are often driven by a commitment to make a difference in the lives of young people , so I think that ’ s another advantage .
Do we know where these new teachers are placed ? We know that state and federal governments are quite actively seeking to engage and attract career change individuals , and this is often looked at as a response to a teacher shortage problem . We have schools that are more likely to suffer from teacher shortages , often in rural and regional areas and schools that serve the most marginalised students and their communities .
Often governments provide incentives and funding for programs that recruit career change teachers to so-called ‘ hard to staff ’ schools . Many of them would be working in perhaps the most challenging context in schools that are understaffed and under-resourced .
I think a lot of these teachers are driven by a strong commitment to make a difference , and that contributes greatly towards them being able to deal with adversity in the early years . A lot of the teachers that I have personally worked with come in with this grand vision and commitment to make a difference , and after six months I see them coming back really tired and thinking through the decision they have made to be a teacher .
Are career change teachers the solution to teacher shortages ? I think it is definitely looked at by governments here and internationally as a solution . The issue with that is that when we look at the really complex structural problems that are impacting the teaching workforce in Australia , it is hard to find a comprehensive strategy that is conducive for retaining these teachers in the longer term . We don ’ t have reliable and consistent data at the national level about the scale and intensity of teacher shortages .
What we know for example is that teacher shortages don ’ t affect all schools equally . Shortages are often concentrated in certain sectors in certain schools , and
A lot of these teachers are driven by a strong commitment to make a difference .
this shouldn ’ t really come as a surprise given that these schools are more likely to have more challenging working conditions or the geographical location can pose challenges for attracting and more importantly , retaining teachers .
Career change teachers bring with them real life experience and practical knowledge on a scale that can be harnessed to assist student learning , but the caveat is that relying on them as the solution to complex , structural problems within the education system and society is unlikely to have any meaningful impact .
We need to look at long-term strategies rather than short-term , reactive strategies like fast-tracking career changers into the profession without providing them with the support they need to make that career transition and adjustment .
The other question is who bears the brunt of high teacher turnover ? It is the education system more broadly that is going to suffer because of the loss of investment , but also the schools that are understaffed that have to invest the limited resources they have to attract and induct new teachers , only to see them leave the profession after a year or two because they were not adequately supported .
Statistics show that many teachers are leaving within the first five years of their career . Is it the same for career change teachers ? This is another area where we really don ’ t have a nationally consistent approach to tracking our teaching workforce . There are various estimates , between 30 and 50 per cent of teachers leaving the profession within the first five years .
Retaining career change teachers in particular may be even more challenging than other teachers , because a lot of career change teachers have the skills that are in demand in the labour market . So if the teaching profession proves to be too challenging for them or doesn ’ t meet their expectations , career change teachers might find it easier to seek employment elsewhere . ■ educationreview . com . au | 27