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New data shows more people applying to become teachers

While an increase in enrolments in teaching is welcome news for the education sector, it might not be time to celebrate just yet.

Data analysis by the Department of Education shows both applications and offers are up for people wanting to study an undergraduate course in education.

Overall, preliminary results from tertiary admission centres are showing a seven percent increase in applications, and a 14 percent increase in offers compared to 2024.

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These positive early results come after the Federal Government, and state and territory governments have been working together to tackle the teacher workforce shortage through the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.

Minister for Education Jason Clare said: “Being a teacher is the most important job in the world, and we don’t have enough of them. I want more young people to leap out of high school and want to become a teacher, rather than a lawyer or a banker.

“That’s why we are tackling the teacher workforce shortage with teaching scholarships, reforms to teacher training and paid prac for teaching students.”

While the increased interest in the teaching profession is good news, it may not be time to celebrate just yet. At a national conference in 2023, Minister Clare said that of all the students who start a teaching degree, only 50 percent finish it. Of those who do finish, 20 percent leave within the first three years.

A government Issues Paper predicted that there could be a shortfall of around 4100 teachers in secondary schools by 2025. A number of factors are cited as contributing to this undersupply, including increasing student enrolments, with primary school enrolments projected to grow by 11 percent, and secondary enrolments by 10 percent; an ageing workforce with many planning retirement; and an eight percent decline in people undertaking initial teacher education.

Many teachers are dissatisfied with increasing workloads and administrative burden. Image: © Viacheslav Yakobchuk, Adobe Stock

Many states and territories have delivered significant pay increases for the teaching profession over the past two years. Pay had been a significant factor in many teachers leaving the profession. Pay scales for teachers are flatter than in comparable countries, and the top pay point can be reached within 10 years. OECD reporting indicates that Australia’s highest teacher salary is only 40 percent higher than the starting salary. This is significantly below the 80 percent OECD average.

Governments around the country have also also taken important steps to help reduce teacher workload, which has been another hurdle in attracting and retaining teachers. The complexity and volume of work expected of teachers is increasing, with OECD data revealing that teachers work an average of 45 hours per week, six hours more than the OECD average. Teachers reported that much of this extra time is spent on general administrative tasks.

The Federal Government reintroduced teaching scholarships worth up to $40,000 each to encourage more people to study teaching. The government is also introducing a Prac Payment for teaching students which provides financial support while they do the practical part of their course.

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