Recruitment

What made you decide to become a teacher? We’ve been looking at teacher recruitment this month, but perhaps from a different lens that you might think. In this episode, you’ll hear about what young people are saying about teaching as a career, how much schools in Australia are growing year on year, and more.

A US study has explored the different reasons why pre-service teachers (PSTs) decided to pursue a teaching career. Researchers analysed roughly 2,800 essay responses and identified 10 ‘supertopics’. The most common supertopic, appearing in nearly 60% of essays, was ’altruism’, followed by ‘intrinsic motivation’. This infographic gives an overview of the results.

We know the global teacher shortage is impacting many different school contexts, and that encouraging young people to consider a career in teaching is an important part of the long-term picture. Dr Tracy Woodroffe joins us to discuss her 12-month research project that gathered perspectives from Aboriginal students and teachers. These perspectives informed recommendations to encourage more Aboriginal young people in the Northern Territory to consider teaching.  

‘Do you want to be a teacher?’ Is this a question you’ve asked your own students? A new Australian study aimed at boosting the number of First Nations teachers has found that Aboriginal students would like someone to speak to them about teaching as a possible career.

Professor Phil Roberts joins Teacher Editor Jo Earp to talk about the Rural and Regional Education Project, which explores how to lift outcomes for students in these areas. The project included a roundtable event bringing together a range of stakeholders, including the important voices of principals and teachers. We’ll be discussing some of the research findings and feedback from educators.

‘Many teachers sensed … a marginalisation of other key learning areas, including HPE.’ In today’s article, Dr Jessica Amy Sears discusses the findings of an Australian study into the current status, staffing and teaching of Health and Physical Education in New South Wales government schools.

‘School leaders expressed a need for better-prepared new teachers who could integrate smoothly into the Independent school environment … [the program creates] a pipeline of qualified teachers who are already familiar with the school's culture and practices.’ In today’s article, we look at a new mentorship program addressing staffing needs.

Educator voices are central to developing a better understanding of the challenges schools face, and any potential solutions. An Australian study looks at teacher readiness and attributes from the perspective of principals in hard-to-staff schools.

You may have experienced it as a teacher, or a school leader – out-of-field teaching remains a big issue. Professor Merrilyn Goos and Professor Linda Hobbs join Teacher editor Jo Earp for a special podcast episode to talk about the current situation in Australia, challenges and possible solutions.

According to new research from UNESCO, 44 million additional teachers will be needed globally by 2030 to educate every child. In today’s infographic, we explore the key figures from this research, and share the recruitment targets for replacing attrition in primary and secondary schools.