SportySte

As a trained secondary school PE teacher who has 6 years experience working with pupils aged 7-18 in a Physical Education setting, I am seeking advice. As in the UK I have read that teachers of sport are not necessarily in demand. When I was lucky enough to gain my current job in the UK 71 people applied but as I want to start a new life with my family in Australia I am completely open where I now take my teaching career and I do not want to be struggling to gain employment when I and my family are out of our comfort zones on the the other side of the world!

I have arranged visits to schools in the Midlands who have Special Education Needs teacher vacancies who are simply looking for good teachers who have a caring, supportive attitude in this sector. Should I move into the Special Educational Needs sector and gain experience in the UK for a couple of years...my question is would it be easier to gain employment in this sector in Australia or do I need a particular qualifications to work in this sector in Oz. 150 applicants for each PE teacher job in some areas of Oz does not inspire me. My goal is to move my family out to Australia....Again we are open on where we live..Although Western Australia sounds the best... SEN/Primary or secondary PE teacher..I am completely open on what I do next... what has the best chance of offering me employment? And what things should I be doing now in order to make mine and my families dream of living out there become a reality?

Any advice more than welcome.

quoll

Probably won't make much difference moving into Special Ed but it wouldn't hurt your cv I suppose. PE certainly isn't in demand, plenty of local PE teachers out there. With SpEd there is an increasing requirement for specialized postgrad qualifications rather than just casual experience so if you're going to do that, do it along with a postgrad diploma or masters in SpEd.

SportySte

Thanks for the response. Much appreciated. Are there any other views on what is the best teaching post for me out in Australia?

Dorothy

Do you qualify for a visa to live and work in Australia? That should be your first question. Without the visa the rest of it is moot.

KJCherokee

Bear in mind that it is very difficult to obtain a permanent teaching position in Australia. My son-in-law qualified as a PE teacher (with a secondary subject which escapes my memory) over 10 years ago, and until last year he was always employed on contract which meant that he was not paid for school holidays (the hourly rate was obviously much higher when he was working): this made it more difficult to get a mortgage etc. He now has a permanent position at the school which employed him on contract for much of the time - but his main subject now is Home Economics, which was the only permanent position available! Obviously the school principal wanted to keep him on the staff and that was the only way it could be done.

quoll

Yup, the real advice would be to change career to something that might be needed in Australia!