alreetpet

I am hoping someone can give me some help or advice on getting started in teaching in NSW. I arrived in Sydney from the UK a month ago, and am already accredited with DET and NIT as i did all this before i left the UK. My partner is a geotechinal engineer who was relocated to Sydney therfore I came out to join him on a working holiday visa - it was simply the quickest route to getting out to Oz.

I am a secondary science teacher and I have so far registered with Smart Teachers, Casual Direct and have sent letters out to 30 schools in the area with my CV explaining that I am available for temporary/casual work. Unfortunately, I have heard very little from anywhere and I was hoping to gain at least some employment for term 4! Also I am a little confused by how casual direct work? I don't know if I should have had confirmation that I am registered with them?

I am an excellent teacher with 7 years of classroom experience, and 5 years of leadership and management experience in an outstanding UK public school. I have worked with students from all backgrounds and abilities, i have excellent references and am very keen to find employment - anywhere within an reasonable commute of our home in Lane Cove.

Is there anything else I can do to maximise my employment opportunities for term 4? Is there anything else I can do to perhaps gain sponsorship from NSW DET to help my find a permanent position if that is the only route to finding employment? Obviously, i have enough points to gain my own permanent resident visa, but the time and expense it takes for this process is very daunting at present. My partner and I will be looking to have me added to his 457 in the near future - but as we have spent most of our time in a long distance relationship, and have only been properly cohabiting for a month or so, it is really difficult to prove our circumstances.

Are there any more disadvantaged areas, where there may be a shortage of sceince teachers? Perhaps I would be better focusing my attentions on schools in these areas?

At the moment, funds are dwindling and I am prepared to accept any work, in any school that I can feasibly drive to!

Does anyone have any ideas?!?

emma x

Swerv-o

Hmmm. This sounds tricky. the fact that you area on a WHV is unlikely to help you, as you can only legally work in the same job for three months, so you may find that some of the longer term contracts will be closed to you.

There is also the fact that Term 4 is reasonably short, and once the HSC exams are over, Year 12 will clear off after schoolies week and leave a surplus of staff, so there may well be little opportunity for supply work until the new term starts in Jan/Feb.

TeachNSW used to run a scheme for UK teachers on WHVs, and it looks like they still do. More info here: Teaching on your WHV. Have a look at that.

You could also try sending your your letter and resume to the independent and religious schools, and see if they have anything.

As for schools in less desirable areas, well, there are plenty of them - start having a look towards Bankstown, Blacktown, Parramatta, Liverpool.

I hope that you find something soon!


S

alreetpet

thanks for your advice - hopefully things are looking up as i have had an agency on the phone this morning who have explained pretty much what you said about term 4 - but are planning to place me in primary schools in just those areas you mentioned! turns out as a secondary teacher you can do primary also - is new to me, but i'll give it a shot! i am going in to the city in the morning to meet with them and discuss my options - but they were pretty confident of finding me at least a couple of days work a week from next week

Swerv-o

Well, that sounds like a step in the right direction. I hope that you find something soon!


S

freckles1970

Hi

Could I ask which agency you have registered with?

I have just arrived in oz and have full registration for Victoria, but need to stay in Sydney with friends for a few months until my container arrives.

I looked into the registration for NSW before I came out and it seemed that either the school or agency you registered with would do this for you? Am I mistaken as you mention you have completed some registrations yourself?

Any advice would be great. I too need to make sure I have some supply work before the long school holiday, I can teach Textiles, Art, Food, Wood, Metal, Plastics at secondary level.

alreetpet

hi there

i've registered with select - they're on george street. they seem to be the most on the ball of any i've come across so far. although they did need a copy of my DET registration. and from what i gather - if you've registered in VIC its a separate thing to register in NSW? i would give them a call or drop them an email to see what they say though - they did make me fill out a massive amount of forms and wanted copies of my uni certificates etc - so maybe they can do their own. the guy i dealt with was called andy batstone and he was really helpful. <snipped>
the same goes with casual direct - which are the biggest agency. they are government run so require registration in NSW. but perhaps email them and enquire.

i know of one agency which definitely just do their own registration - smart teachers. email <snipped> unfortunately they only work with private and catholic schools and they only arrange longer term/temporary contracts - a few weeks/months. not day to day supply. i have had very little joy with them so far.

good luck - and if you've got any more questions, i'll be happy to help!

xx emma

coolerkingcooler

You'd probably get a job in the independent sector in SA no problem if you can teach in those areas.


Cooler

freckles1970

Hey

Any updates on work?

I am still not workingand have now sent off to date 79 job applications!!! Out of those I have had one interview at one of the top rated schools in Sydney which was a surprise! I didn't get the job needless to say, but the deputy head did call me to give feedback. He said, and I quote word for word 'you were the best candidate for the job on paper and were by far the best at interview, but we wanted to give the job to someone who had experience of the NSW curriculum......Help...any advice?? Really need to be working asap

alreetpet

ah its a shame you're having such bad luck. am doing ok with select - although work is sparse at the moment with it being the beginning of term 1. i have got a years contract for science to start in april though - a great all girls catholic school - and that was just off the back of sending my cv out to loads of schools to let them know i was available.

i know what it feels like to be fruitlessly sending out applications - but you just have to keep plugging away and try not to get downhearted.

check out teachernet for jobs if you haven't come across it already - they pretty much have every teaching job going on there and you can be sent daily notifications of jobs that match your spec. and if in doubt - register with select. they're great and at least you'll get some casual work to help you get your foot in the door and get that much needed NSW experience. they are always phoning me with semi-permanent placements that have come up.

good luck! x x x