nonemigrator

My wife and I had a SIR visa to work in Australia. My wife sought a primary teaching post to fulfil the needs of the visa, whilst I continued to work in the Uk. So we were running two houses, two cars etc.

My wife has made 60 applications for posts but never got a job. This is because almost all of the jobs are not real vacancies. Many of the posts in Australia are on short (3 month, 6 month contracts) which, when they come to an end, have to be advertised by law. In wife's experience these "jobs" then go back to the current post holder. She has impressed many times at interview but still the post goes to the exisiting post holder.

Beware also the displaced teacher i.e the ones who are surplus to requirements at other schools. They have automatic right to any vacancy.

My wife has done plenty of CRT (supply) work but this doesn't cover the bills, or fulfil the requirements of the visa.

Even Australian teachers will say that it takes 1.5 to 2 years for them to get a job.

We estimate it has cost us A$65000 to discover all this and so, reluctantly we have had to give up.

The assistance we have had from the SIR people has been minimal. We were assigned a contact on arrival but she has made no contact, and has been of little help when we contacted her. Don't expect any assistance in getting a job. The only contact my wife has had is to ask why she hasdn't got Private Health Insurance. The answer was simple - not earning enough to cover basis costs let alone insurance!

What would have really helped was knowing in advance that the employment possibilities in teaching would be limited. We have even considered moving state to secure work but contact with education advisers in all the other states has confirmed the same employment difficulties.

Finally my wife's experience in Australian schools has shown them to be years behind in standards compared to the UK system. They talk about raising standards but this is not evident in the schools. Planning is superficial and there are no school assessments systems that measure the progress made by children. They are strong on teamwork, and "Tribe" work but, in general, there is a very "laissez faire" attitude to schooling. They also seem to tolerate poor behaviour in a way that would not be tolerated in the UK, having little or no structures to deal with it. Against this backdrop a UK teacher would find themselves not only a bit of a threat to other teachers, but also disappointed.

So our dream ends. We have loved living in Australia but unfortunately were given false hope. I do hope that this contribution helps others before they invest an awful lot of money.

LiverpoolLass

Hi,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Can I ask which part of Australia your wife was trying to get teaching work in?

It is worrying that a lot of advertised jobs are not actual vacancies. I'm a teacher and planning the move to Victoria in Dec this year. I am quite open to trying other things though if it's looking like I can't secure work teaching. I love teaching but came into it late and have other skills so pretty flexible. I am secondary and although it's still very competive, I'm told not so competitive as primary . I have collegues that that been there and got the job so I'm going out there hopeful but realistic. I have International Baccalaureate experience which is more common in Oz than the UK so hoping that will give me a chance. If all else fails I might have to go back into the IT industry .

I hope everything works out for you and your wife.

Janet X

nonemigrator

I understand that it is easier in the secondary phase especially in certain subjects.

We did consider employment out of teaching but our experience her was that most of it was casual and, again, the needs of the visa would not be met.

We tried for about a year and a half but in the end we couldn't afford to finance it.

hantsfamily1

I am really sorry to hear it did not work out. My wife is a primary school teacher and is hoping to work at some stage in Oz when we arrive. Its a shame it did not work out for you as you were happy with the life style.

Good luck in the future.

Mick

jackie/steve

Well i thought i would add our experience of finding teaching jobs in Australia..
Within two weeks of arriving my husband was offered a job(not temp) he did not even apply a friend of ours was doing a small job in the school and had mentioned steve and they asked him to phone in..few days later (after interview)they offered him a full time job..he also sent his references into a different school and they have also offered him a job..He is secondary but is teaching middle school here..Jackie.

freckles1970

Hi

I am really sorry to hear about your experience; I have been told many times that primary positions are very difficult to het hold of particularly in certain states.

If you really wanted the OZ life and were willing to give it another go have you thought of WA? I know for a fact they are desparate for teachers and will allocate you a job on arrival and also help with accomodation (sometimes this is free if you are placed in a remote area). This type of visa allows you to apply for PR after two years and also would enable your wife to get 2 years Oz work experience under her belt which would help when applying for other jobs.

As for me, I am a secondary teacher in what is classed as a shortage subject. I have been sponsored on an stni 137 to victoria so hope I will not encounter the same problems; I certainly do not have enough funds behind me not to be working for long.

I wish you all the best and hope if you really want the OZ life that you persue some different avenues

Gems

Hello,
sorry to here you have had such an awful time and little support.

We are here on sponsorship by WA. They could not have been more helpful.
Hubby is Primary teacher and all has been fine, hubby had a primary job allocated before we got here. We are now sitting in 4 bedroom modern house with garden (provided by WA Ed), and all is going well.

No we are not in the middle of a desert! We are in coastal touristy/fishing town. Which is picturesque and pleasant. Also get free flights to Perth once per year. Salary is ok and get pension.

My advice if you still want to give Oz a go is try WA. They can fast track your application and you could be working within a few weeks. The schools will be rural but its ok if you like outdoors.


Just sent you pm

GEMS

nonemigrator

I was really interested to read your reply and would like to hear how you did this because our interviews with WA made it absolutely clear that they had more primary teachers than they needed and didn't need any more!

Gems

Hello,

This scheme is fairly new and not advertised. We heard of it by chance.

The jobs are not in the city, and maybe you spoke with someone who deals with innercity jobs.

As we were allocated a school and brought to Oz in a matter of a few weeks. So must be shortage of some kind.

I have sent you a private Message with the contact details in case you are interested in asking about working in WA. Only this contact will have the right info for you.

*However jobs are rural and not in the city.

GEMS

Nu-Shooz

Yes this is true. I am in WA and the shortage of teachers here is shocking. They are always on about it. 500 wanted teachers.
The education in WA is in tatters. They follow no cirriculum. I visited my kids school last month. The teachers were honest and said with the shortage and system they follow, they are very worried.

nonemigrator

Has anyone else had experience of getting primary school jobs in WA?

I_Will_Freckle

I would also like to hear more about jobs for primary school teachers in WA and jobs for special needs teachers in WA.

cavysqueak

I too am sorry to hear of the problems people have had in finding work.

I have a friend who moved over here to the UK for 2 years to work as a teacher as she couldn't get a job where she wanted (in her part of Tas), but jobs were going in other areas of Tas, she just didn't want to move there! It seems like the problem is the opposite of that in the UK - people don't want to teach in the rural settings.

I am lucky - as a single lass I am able to go to wherever the jobs are, so I'm bracing myself for a couple of years without nightclubs & other city stuff before I can acrue enough 'seniority' - then you are more likely to be placed in the areas you would like to be living in!

As an aside/reminder that the UK is no better (& has terrible weather to boot!!) - I now live 260 miles away from my family here in the UK because I couldn't get a job in a 'decent' school in the North East of England. I had to move to an area where I had no friends or family & I knew nothing of the area, but I survived & after 5 years I love my job & have GREAT friends who I have found along the way. I believe Oz will test me just as much, if not more, but I can't wait for the adventure!

Good luck to everyone - whatever stage of the process you are at!

freckles1970

I am a single lass too going over to teach, which state are you going to?

Ozzidoc

Can I suggest that letters outlining this be sent to your wife's local government ministers (state and federal), the Education minister and even the PM.