Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I teach secondary English and wondered if this was possible to speed up your visa application. If so, which areas normally offer this or does it depend on the specific school?

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Dont think you will find sponsorship anywhere for a secondary English teacher, plenty of those around to fill any vacancies here I should think unless, as I have said in answer to your query on another post, you are prepared to go to the back of beyond. Even then, I dont think you will find sponsorship in this climate.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

WA stopped their sponsorship a while ago.
However it has been around a couple of times. So it may come back in the future should a shortage appear again.

However as Quoll has said very unlikely at the moment. No real shortage unless your Science.

Gems

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

there is still a shortage in all subjects, it just depends where u r willing to go. Also lots of private schools are still looking to sponsor teachers in all subjects. Send out some c.v's to some of the privatly run school in rural and remote areas, you should have some sort of response from them

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Please, please ensure you check out what rural or remote areas you are willing to go too.

I live rural and have also lived in a remote town for 6months. Many UK families find it a bit of a shock and have seen teachers uproot their family and hate it. Some only lasted a few weeks and went back home.

Its huge distances in Australia and rural can be very different to what you have back in the UK. You would really need to think hard to accept a remote posting.

Im in a large rural town, but its still nearly 5hours to the city. We love it, but be careful and make sure you have checked everything out first.

Gems

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I think it goes without saying that you should think before accepting any job, whether its rural , remote or in the city. they way a lot of aussies view remote and rural jobs is that it is a means to an end. That is , they will do a committment to the rural post to earn the 'right' to teach where they choose. Its a good way of doing things if you are willing to 'rough it' for a few years in order to teach in a place that you would consider your dream area.

Dont believe that there are no teaching jobs in WA, there are in all areas- if you are willing to 'rough it' for a while

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

This is something I would really consider. The idea of teaching somewhere with a smaller community really appeals as it would give me a chance to settle in and I think the idea of paying your dues to the country makes sense. I'd be interested to know what people think the pros/ cons are of living in a very rurual area and also how did they go about finding out which schools/ states were interested in sponsorship. Thanks, this is all really informative.:D

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Hi Gems,

I know this will sound daft, but do you find that the town has most of the facilities you need? Whereas the idea of living in a remote area appeals to me, I'm aware I need to consider my son (six) but presumably if the town had enough facilities it wouldn't be an issue. Did you find that a remote area meant a greater sense of community or that it was harder to fit in?

Also (sorry for all the questions), when you are sponsored, do you state how long you will stay e.g. two years or is it like a temporary rolling contract? I am looking to move to Oz permanently (or at least to have that option), I wouldn't want to go for a couple of years, love it, then have to return for Visa reason.

Thanks again.:D

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Is there an easy way of locating these? I have no idea where to start at the moment.:D

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

independant schools of western australia has its own website, best to start there I guess. just google schools in various regions and see what comes up

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Gems lives in Gero as far as I know, it has all the mod cons.Gero is quite a major town and people usually don't get posted there for rural positions.

We live in a mining town that was built in the early 70's and nothing has been updated since then. Not much here for kids bar a few parks, beaches & an open air cinema that is run at certain time of the year. We also get a range of winter sports that are run, as way too hot during the summer to do much, usually high 30c's to mid 40c's. For community feeling, I find the transient nature of the town we live in makes it hard to form real friendships as people seem to move on to a nicer part of WA at the first chance they get.

WA only sponsor for PR visa now, as they can't do the 457 route any more. I don't believe they're currently running the scheme, but it may come up again at a future point. Looking back would have stayed in the UK for a year more and got own visa and had greater choice in where I live, as 3 years is a very long time.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Australia_Bound is right about some of the towns you could end up working in, very run down, lack of facilities and not that good for the kids. It would only be for a couple of years though, once you do your commitment to the department you are free to move where you want. So its like i said before, if you are willing to rough it, its a good option

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

It seems as though the choice is between doing that for a few years or staying here for a couple and applying. How does sponsorship work excatly?

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Have you got a state you can apply to for sponsorship? If not you could be sat round for a few years waiting for one of the states to start seek to sponsor Teachers.
Couple of years in some back water town is a very long time. Has been very unpleasant for some of the people who've come out here.

Would take you around a year to get your own visa, think it was around a year to get out here sponsored from start to finish, at one point the whole scheme was cancelled and we were left in limbo. It won't happen overnight.

On your own visa you can apply to schools where you decide to live/do relief work and find a way in. Sponsored you go where they tell you and you get very little notice of exactly where you're going.
Not exactly sure what you mean by how does sponsorship work? As it's more or less a contract where you're tied to work for the state for 3 years.

You'll get a GROH house and if you're like us you'll have no choice but live there as $1000+ a week to get a private rental is a bit steep.

From experience getting your own visa and looking at where you'd want to live is a better option, rather than putting it in the hands of the state who'll send you to where there's a shortage of people wanting to live & work there.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Austrailia_Bound,

Some really interestesting things to consider, thanks. I was just frustrated from previous posts about the idea of having to wait two years for a perm visa and thought I 'd rather at least be in Oz for two years.

There is so much to consider, at the moment I'm not aware of any states offering sponsorship, I was just looking at options. I think we're going to look at starting the Visa process now.

Can I also ask (off topic a bit now but assuming from previous posts somebody could answer), how did people go about getting mortgages? I think (if visa all ok etc) we'd rent at first to check we were happy with area and then buy once we'd been there a bit.

Also- if people have struggled to get teaching jobs when they first went over, what did you do while waiting to get one? Were you able to find a different job to tide you over? Thanks again for all the responses, really helpful as there is so much to consider.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Doing supply work is quiet normal & gets you known at schools for when positions become available, plenty of agencies & plenty of work in certain areas. Are plenty of jobs other available, dependant on what you want to do?

Wasn't aware it was a 2 year wait for a PR visa now? I know quite a few people who've got out to Aus much much quicker than that?

Mortgages - your credit rating starts from scratch, would depend on earnings on how much you can get. Seems a pretty stright forward process getting a one. Once you have a full time income & deposit there doesn't seem to be much of an issue getting one.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I'd be happy to do supply work but if I couldn't get any I'd be happy to do any old thing just to have a wage coming in.

As for two years, that was from other threads where people had commented that was the average wait for a perm res visa at the moment, it's reassuring to hear you can get one quicker.

We would have a deposit of around £70,000. I'm currently on £42,000 as an AST in the UK but I imagine I'd have to start on main pay scale in Oz? My partner is just finishing his PGCE in primary but is considering teaching pre-school as aware that's more in demand in Oz. I've been teaching five years so I'm not sure how that works in terms of payscale over there or if each state is different?

Once you decided to a apply what was the very first thing you did? Did you start by getting a break down of your degree etc or did you apply first and then apply or apply and then get paperwork in order?

Finally, my partner and I have a son but aren't married, he would be a few points short on his own visa as not been teaching long enough. He would be applying on my visa, what would we need to provide for that?

Thanks again for all the advice, it's all very exciting but also tricky not to feel swamped by application process.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Pay scales vary from state to state, I believe WA teachers are the best paid in the country and SA the worst? Your UK experience would be taken into account in Australia.

175 visa (if that's what you go for) 'can' be granted within 6 months, really depends how quickly you get a case officer, it can also take over 2 years. But as I said you could be sat around years waiting for a State to start sponsoring.

For your application follow link. http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/gener...led-migration/ As you'll very likely going for an entirely different visa to one one we did. But basically is skills assessment, then submit application all supporting documents etc, then wait to be assigned case officer, they will request you to get medicals done, then once they clear everything you get a stamp in your passport. Then the fun of getting all your stuff moved to Aus begins :eek:

If you're keen to get going start the paperwork today, it's all on the immigration site to download ;)

Would possibly look at de-facto visa for your partner? But not sure as wasn't an issue for us.

You could also consult an Agent for advice, some will offer free or low cost assessment. As I recall I got one done a few years back for $50. Basically tells you what your options are and is professional advice, that is current with the legislation, as it does seem to chop and change all the time.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Fantastic- thank you. I'm 99% sure I'm going to just apply for visa as that seems to be the least stressful (although still stressful) option. I'm going to have a look at all the paperwork I'll need to start looking at and considering areas we'd want to live more. So far Melbourne looks fab but with few jobs, Brisbane Bay seems gorgeous but also hard to get a job so thinking perhaps Adelade (sp?):D

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Adelaide - not sure specifically about high school English but there do seem to be jobs for High school and particularly if you can teach senior high school (equivalent of A level).

Primary seems exceedingly difficult to get a job.

Cooler

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Interesting. We've decided to apply in January next year. That will allow my partner to complete his NQT year and to give us time to research in more depth which state would be best for us. Ideally we'd love to visit but aware that the substantial costs of flights etc would come from the 'living allowance' that we would need when we first get there.

My main concern is that in that time they'll say they no longer list secondary teachers as a skilled worker- fingers crossed for that.:fingerscrossed:

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I havent posted on BE for a while, but now I am living and teaching in WA thought I would offer my comments from an "on the ground" point of view. Some very good comments on this thread, but I don't necessarily agree with Poppyandpeanut's comments about there being plenty of teaching jobs available in WA. The WA media tell us that there are over 400 unplaced graduates this year and in a statement made by the Department of Education it was stated that only 2 positions remained unfilled throughout the state at the beginning of the academic year. All that aside though, the ageing teaching population in WA is obviously going to retire at some point, and there was a report issued at the beginning of the year stating that enrolments for teaching degrees were well down from previous years. Whilst the Dept of Ed aren't sponsoring now, I wouldnt be surprised if they did in the future. Private schools are certainly sponsoring, especially the Catholic sector. I heard that the Northern Territory have sponsored teachers recently, but it was for very isolated and remote communities. There is nothing on their website, but a friend in UK rang them and spoke to a recruitment adviser who said some NT schools were recruiting from overseas. Might be worth pursuing.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

regardless of whether you agree or nor Mr Briarton it remains a fact, there are dozens of positions avilible in WA- if you are willing to go to the places that all the unplaced graduates are not willing to go. I know of 4 schools in my region that are still short of teachers, both primary and secondary and that is just the schools i have friends at.

like i said before, there are jobs out here, u just gotta decide if its worth the few years of hardship

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Where abouts are you located poppyand peanuts? I did try to look at your profile but it said Manchester but I'm guessing that's not the case!:D

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I am up in the Kimberlys, also taught in the midwest and in Perth Metro

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

PoppyandPeanut how did you get to teach in Perth metro on an RSMS visa? Is there a loophole somehow? My GF is on RSMS and teaching in the Kimberley (Broome lucky girl.....). Costs us a fortune to see each other and it would be nice to know if there was a loophole to get her down to Perth to join me.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I taught in Perth at a Private school on a WHV a few years ago bofore I came over on the RSMS visa

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I think if you are prepared to work on a cattle station thousands of kms from anywhere (and sleep with a knife under your pillow!!) you might get sponsorship in NT but not in Darwin as there are plenty of teachers locally. There are lots of graduate teachers not finding jobs after university in Queensland. Interesting from there being a drought of teachers a few years ago they now seem too plentiful. I am qualified to teach secondary English and business but haven't been able to find work in Queensland. There are more maths positions around than anything else it seems.

The Catholic sector, in my experience, has more positions in secondary but you need a spiritual referee (ie, to be a Catholic!). It's also far easier to teach at these schools so if you have a religious background it might be worth a go.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I'm Australian/Australian trained and have just relocated to Darwin from Qld because it was pretty much the only way I could get a permanent job. Perth and regional NSW were plan B if this hadn't eventuated. I didn't even get acknowledgements for my applications in Queensland and have heard that some posts were getting too many applicants to count. Saying that my cousins have both had no trouble getting jobs in Cath Ed on the Gold Coast - however they're in their first years of teaching and don't have the speckled (I call it character building!) work history I have.

Have you looked at teachers.on.net? Many private school advertise on there and that is where I found this job as well as a previous position in Alice Springs.

Don't hold your breath for the teachers to retire - I remember them raving on about that when we started uni in 1998 and over a decade later those oldies are STILL clutching on to their posts. I've moved in teacher-librarianship and found to my incredible frustration that I wasn't able to get positions in my home town because a gaggle of old ducks had claimed them all back in 1963 and are now waiting out their final years (steadfastly refusing to update their skills or IT knowledge).

"Country service" is not entirely bad - there can be more opportunities for career progression, experimentation, management positions - in regional schools. Transient populations can often be easier to befriend than die-hard locals and as I've found there are usually a handful of 'newbies' starting with you.

Good luck!

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Totally agree hubby has older teachers in his school and they have no intention of retiring. In fact the older teachers here have told Hubby that you dont retire early. The Aussie teachers keep working but may be go part time when your 65+ E.g work 3 day week so they have more time for fishing or long weekends away. Even the teachers in their early 50s say this is their long term plan.

Gems

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

At our local school we don't have any older Teachers, nor do they hold onto the younger teachers for very long. Would suppose it would depend on where you're placed and what kind of children frequent the school. Generally it's get in do your time and get out to somewhere else as soon as you can :eek:

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

I can empathise with that Aussie bound.

I cant actually think of what some schools could offer teachers to get them to stick around a bit longer, free housing? more pay? better working hours?
not sure any of these would work to be honest.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Can someone please explain this to me, because i am confused.

I am a uk teacher, secondary qualified to teach philosophy / religious education. Have been teaching 3 years in a top uk 6th form college.
Im looking to emmigrate in the next year, maybe perth/ melbourne / gold coast.

Now, if i am a doctor, bricklayer or even hairdresser i can apply for any job thats available and go.

If i am a teacher, it appears that - A, i might not exist on the states 'skills' list any more. B, if i do get a visa i will have to go and 'serve my time' in the bush??
Does this only apply to teaching? And if so isn't this discrimination?

I basically wish to secure a post from home BEFORE quitting my job, leaving my home and loved ones and moving to the other side of the world - and live in an area of choice.

If i apply to jobs on the net that are being advertised in private / catholic schools - if they accept - is it as straightforward as them sponsoring me and i go?

Thanks
Paul

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

The problem is that teachers aren't really required as there are alot already in Australia without positions. The system is that you register with the State you are in and they place you in a school and you accumulate points which you can then use to work in your desired area. It is generally the outback schools that actually need teachers so that is where you serve your time first. It is the same , I believe, for training doctors; they have to work/train in a remote environment for a while. The catholic sector doesn't work the same way but you do need to provide evidence you are a practising catholic.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Hi, thanks for your reply.
The thing is i am not a 'training' teacher i am qualified and experienced. It seems absurd that one should have to go elsewhere first - what other profession would this be asked of?
With you mentioning the catholic sector - if i could prove that i am practising etc could i secure a post with a catholic school without this difficulty?
thanks
paul

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

It's a supply/demand thing. Australia used to only train teachers on the four year degree and then they offered a ten month grad diploma. Now there are plenty of teachers with no work. You can try and contact Catholic schools and you might get lucky.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

If you want to secure a job before you arrive, I would think that would have to be in the independent sector and not state. I'm in SA and I have no met a teacher in the state stector who has a permanent contract. The system here is quite complex and you are not even allowed to apply for jobs in the state system unless you meet certain criteria.

My advice is to go to the independent sector or the Catholic system. I know some one that is not Catholic but is working at a 'top' Catholic school as they worked previously in a Catholic school in the UK

Cooler

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Totally agree with you PoppyandPeanut. Good luck with your new position in Geraldton.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Unfortunately there are many more teachers in Aus than there are positions, especially in the government sector. So if you are wanting to gain a position before you arrive in Australia, take heed of the advice on here
about the private/catholic sector.

Re: Do you get sponsored to teach in Oz anymore?
 

Thanks, both of you.
So from what i think you are saying - if i am a practising catholic and work at a catholic school then i have a good chance of securing a job at a catholic independent school - without doing 'my time' in the sticks for the government? I am still shocked that this actually happens. Surprised there are many people wanting to teach if this is the case.
Thanks again
Paul