Rural teaching?
 

Has anyone gone to rural post in Australia?

We are used to living in rural area, eg house in middle of famers fields. Nearest shop/tiny village was 3 mile walk away. So we prefer some place rural to the usual city centre.

Everyone wants to go to the city in Australia but we do not!

So anyone got any experience living in rural australia or applying for rural posts?

We have kids, and they like rural living too.
Yes, we do reliase the outback can be a desert and way from civilisation! Im not saying every rural place is suitable, we will have limits. But would prefer something out of big town or city.

Husband is Primary Teacher with over 10 years experience.

I have seen WA offer rural posts with housing included. What sort of jobs and housing is it?

Any input appreciated
Gemma

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Gemma

Rural in Aus can mean couple of hours drive to nearest shop! Somewhere very dry and hot, that's why they're in dire need of teachers.
But if you like the 40 odd degree desert type lifestyle with very little to do then go for it! Is not for me and mine. Have plenty of job thread on this forum just do a search ;)

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Other poster is right - rural can mean a lot of different things in Australia - from tiny villages/small towns an hour out of the city to remote larger towns in the middle of the desert. I preferred remote/rural areas when I was in the UK as well but it's not quite the same over here. Try to get an understanding of the area before you move/apply for jobs so you don't get too much of a shock. In the south west of WA you will have quite a few smaller towns grouped together on the coast etc but in the north there's a lot more distance between these small towns and a lot of desert/space in between.

It's not completely dire but it does take a special type of person and commitment to stay out here long term. I've just taken a job in the desert and it's not as bad as I expected but I'm only here for a year and probably won't stay on longer than that - but I'm from Oz and planning to head back to rural UK. If I didn't have that plan I might stay here longer.

It depends on what you are looking for and if you are keen on more rural areas - there seem to be more jobs out here. So perhaps it's a plan for your initial years here? Once you've got the Oz experience and a few years of 'country service' under your belt you could move somewhere greener?

Regional NSW/Vic and parts of SE Qld (and possibly Tasmania but haven't been so can't say) are probably closest to your idea of an English countryside/village BUT saying that there is a vast difference between a Yorkshire village and an Aussie country town - all of which you will discover in time! :)

Re: Rural teaching?
 

hi Gem

Im at present teaching in what you could call a rural school, more outback than rural. Been here 6 weeks. Pm me if you want. I may be able to help.

regards

lolly

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Hi there I am studying for my Dip Ed and am living in what is known as a rural area in Victoria. To be honest I would happily live and teach in a small community, although you need to consider carefully the fact that you will not have any time where you are not "off duty" so to speak. As with most small towns everyone tends to know everyone else and that can be difficult for some people. I personally love the sense of community and I will be looking to teach in a small rural school if possible and am currently looking at prac placements out of town.
In Victoria you register with VIT and then apply for jobs as and when they come up so you have the same freedom as you would have in the UK. The rural areas are harder to recruit to and you tend to find that communities here welcome anyone who moves here and rolls their sleeves up and gets on with it.
Yes it can be hot, but Victoria isn't as bad as some places, and you do get used to the distances. I would say go for it! At the end of the day, if it turns out to be too much then, you can always move to the city later on and you will have some rural experience under your belt.
Nicky

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Gemma,

No real experience save for being interviewed for such a post some 10 years ago!

Like yourselves we are attracted by the WA opportunities - although motivation stems from a lack of sufficient points for the Skilled Ind. visa.

So far have seen posts for Port Headland (Australian version of Port Talbot) and Newman, a mere 460 odd kms inland! These really are the positions for which there are no teachers.

Bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Lolly,

In addition to Gem I to would appreciate some feedback as to what it is like - I know what teaching in a large metropolitan school in Aus is like but am unsure about the rural (WA style) posts.

Bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Nicky,

I notice from your profile that you live in Wangaratta - nice area from memory of a Melbourne to Sydney trip through Albury. From what you say are you currently teaching or studying or both?


Living in the community is likely to help (I think) but what are the general job prospects like for teachers? The immigration forum lurches (not for teachers obviously) from the company will sponsor me and pay everything to I have been here 12 months and am still waiting for my license.

Do you foresee problems or will there be a good chance of employment for yourself?

Bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Hi there I am currently doing the equivalent of a PGCE here which will cover me to teach P-12 (English method for VCE years as that was my undergraduate degree).
Wangaratta is a nice enough place, it is a city (technically) but is more like a town in the UK. Living here does help my employment prospects apparently but the truth will show when I am actually looking for work ;) . Most rural areas find it hard to keep teachers and jobs are definitely out there especially in the growing communities such as this one. It will, as with anything, depend on what you teach though. I am hoping that my interest in literacy will help me out and I don't really foresee any problems with finding a job. The only potential problem is that I am pretty well tied to this area as hubby's job brought us over here and the kids are settled at school. If I was happy to move a bit more then I would walk into a job straight away.
Nicky

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Thanks for the reply Nicky.

I sense rural in Victoria clearly means something different to WA: glad your work propects are good.

bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

hi Gem and Bezzanbob

sorry its taken so long to reply but having travelled back from oz at the weekend im only just recovering from jet lag.

I can only speak from a SA prospective as that is where I was based, some four hours outside of Adelaide.

The school was very small, only ten pupils, however this incompassed every age range apart from years 2 and three.

I found that the school council (made up predominately of students parents) very much involved with the school. However, in my situation they were very supportive.

Being one of only two teachers meant that I covered nearly all of the duties, that was from 8.30 till 9, then recess 11.00 till 11.20, lunch 1-1.40 and finally home timie, seeing the students off the premises. Very rarely did I get a break froom duty at recess. As I rarely got a break from the students I found this quite tireing. However, this school may well have been an exception.

Without going into too much detail, i found the set up at this particular school to be woefully lacking, no planning, no assessment etc etc, and no support or communication between myself and the principal. He has since left on sick! The students were way behiind the levels they should have been!

However, the community in such a small place were lovely, very supportive and friendly. It was very very peacuful (its a good job as I spent ALL my free time drafting programmes for all the subjects, for ALL the year groups! God I sound like a right winger..lol)

As I said earlier, this school may well have been an exception to the norm and if you are prepared to live a little way from civilisation then go for it. You will gain valuable experience and see what the outback really looks like.

good luck to you both and I hope this has helped you a little.

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Hello Lolly

Thanks for your honest reply.

I have spoken with a few other teachers who are posted in rural schools. They seam to be in bigger schools than you and so lighter load than your current one.(You must be exhausted) But they are in different state to you.

But starting to think its personal taste with rural teaching. Some people love it others hate it! Think it can be all down to luck and what school you get posted too. So anyone considering rural teaching or sponsorship needs to realise they could be posted any place! and it may not be too your liking. Or you could take too it like a duck to water.

One question I wanted to ask was about the registration of qualification. They want transcripts but the one I recieved for the PGCE is not that detailed. Do they need to see every unit/module listed. This transcript says how long course and how long teaching experience. Very brief description of course and how many points its worth etc. But no mention of individual topics/units covered. Is this ok? Or do we need module/topics covered too?

Thanks for you reply.

Gems

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Lolly,

Many, many thanks for your response and insight.

There are clearly very good aspects to working in a rural community - the sense of belonging is clearly very important.

Your post sounded hideous in many respects given the duties etc. but I am sure it was really rewarding and an unforgettable time.

For me it is the question of where (rural) rather than the nature of the school - could so easily be a big issue but I'm sure we'll get there.

Bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Gems,

Glad to know someone else is thinking along the same lines.

Am keen that we experience real Australia - we have experienced suburbia and the bright lights in the past so when/if we return it won't be to the Gold Coast!

Re your Q regarding transcripts - if you can't get course outcome detail go back to your Uni and get a copy of the prospectus and a declaration about the nature of the course itself.

Bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Hello
I am a primary school teacher from the UK and we have been living on the Sunshine Coast QLD for the past 7 months. Our visa was based on my OH's skills and we were granted perm residency. When we arrived I started the long process of getting my skills assessed ny the QLD college of teachers. The forms were okay but I had to get so many certified documents sent off it was not funny! After 4 months of waiting I was registered and this meant I could send off the same documents again to be registed with TRACER. I don't know about other states but TRACER is a gov service which deals with all supply for state schools in this area of QLD. It didn't take long for that to go through so I was quite excited about getting some work!!!

Well I am still waiting! Term 1 ends in a week and a bit and I haven't had even one day supply. I have contacted schools with letters, CV's etc etc to let them know I am available but nothing. I have contacted TRACER asking them why no work and they have said term 1 is very quiet and there are lots of teachers on the coast wanting work.

I am so fed up. I absolutely love teaching and I hate being out of the classroom. I can not think of anything else I would want to do and although the money helps pay the bills it is more than just a job to me.

I was aware of country service but I was too concerned with whether my OH would get work (he did easily) I did not spend enough time looking into my own job prospects. It appears that without country service I have no hope of a position on the coast. My only option is private but positions are like gold dust and if I can't even get a days supply how will I ever get my foot in the door.

Anyway it has got to the point now where we are considering going back to the UK (that is how much I miss teaching) so that I can work! We are also expecting a baby so financially we need a second income soon.
After a lot of thought today I am faced with the decision of dragging my OH and baby back to the UK or taking them outback so I can complete a few years country service. Which one? How do I go about getting country service? I am still limited by where I can go as my husband needs to work as well (luckily he is a maintenance fitter so could work in the mines).
I have sent an email to the QLD education authority asking about this but any help would be great, also are there any states which are easy to get work than others? QLD seems particularly difficult.
Good luck to everyone else

Re: Rural teaching?
 

For those who dont want to extreme differences.

My research has led me to think Victoria state is best place for rural teaching.
Those who want small town rather than middle of a desert!

The state isnt as big as others and so not vast distances in between. Its also supposed to be greener than say WA.

They have permanent sponsorship for high school and early years.
For primary it is temporary visa.

But Victoria is probably safer bet if you are not sure you can hack it some place remote.

Here is link to info on visa sponsorship in Victoria.

http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au...1&contentId=-1

Gems

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Gems,

By sponsorship I guess you mean the STNI route which as you point out is very different to the 457 temp visa. In brief there is no restriction on where you live in Victoria and after 2 yrs you can move anywhere in Oz.

Of course you need to get sponsorship in the first place - my subject is on the list - what's yours? Also the qualifications need to be ratified through what was NOOSR and you need to have teacher reg.

Have I missed anything?

Bezza

p.s. Have you had any contact with the Live in Victoia organisation? Almost attended a seminar last night in B'ham but it seemed to be more medical practicioner orinentated and in the end I suppose it's what you'll find on the site in any case.

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Yes its the STNI - permanent sponsorship. So you have to stay in that state for 2 years. But get the permanent perks at the start.

Primary is SIR - temporary. This is for two years. Then the education department sponsors you for permenanent visa if you have fullfilled your 2 years in the district/school.

We are Primary so not on the Permanent visa. Only the temporary visa!

Permanent visa is better, but if you are Primary temporary is the only thing on offer in most states.

I have spoken with someone who went on STNI as a high school teacher in Victoria. They have only been over a short time. But managed to get a job as soon as the visa was finalised. They had interview over the phone (whilst in the UK). Then flew over to start. They have even bought a house!

More jobs are advertised around October for the Jan/Feb start of school year.

Gems

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Gems,

Being secondary (IT / DT) the STNI is the obvious way forward - Skilled Ind not feasible due to maturity (age not behaviour)!

Good to hear about the succesful emigrant - its the job side that causes me most angst with 2 children etc. My wife is primary trained but would have PR on my visa application.

My worry was a colleague who relocated to Vic about 7 yrs ago: she was Ausralian and had lots of experience but failed to land a permanent Biology job for three to four years!

Have been to Melbourne and surrounds on two occasions to date - would prefer a rural location given the size of the metropolis but a job would be the first issue.

Bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Bezza have pm you

Re: Rural teaching?
 

I am in regional Victoria and I would suggest that it is well worth a look. We are in a small city but can go to Melbourne for a day trip if we want to so it isn't completely in the middle of nowhere. This lady may be able to help anyone that is looking at heading to the NE Victoria area [email protected] Wendy Mitchell is the regional migration coordinator and is really worth a chat to.
Good luck and let me know if you end up in the area and fancy a coffee :D .
Nicky

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Nicky,

Thank you for the coffee - we'll pass on this occasion but you never know.

Thanks for the contact.

Out of ineterest what schools are ther in your area - specifically what rpivate schools are there whcih are worth a look at?

Bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Private schools are more in the likes of Albury/Wodonga which is NSW (well Albury is) and there you have Scotts college which is very good. Then in Wangaratta there is Cathedral College which is a new, small private school which is growing each year. Other than that you have the Catholic schools which are independent but not really the same as a private school, even though politically they tend to be lumped into the same basket. I am in the local Catholic College for my teaching rounds this week and have been very interested to see the funding disparities. Most catholic primary schools will require a Catholic Education Course for all teachers (I know that they run the same sort of thing in the UK) and it would go down well with secondary schools as well.
Good luck and Wendy is well worth a contact as she will have more specific information.
Nicky

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Nicky,

Thanks so much - apologies for copious typos in last message - teacher eh?

Will most certainly contact Wendy Mitchell anon.

Bezza

Re: Rural teaching?
 

I would avoid Queensland. Primary positions are like hen's teeth here. I am out of teaching now because of lack of jobs. We did go outback to a secondary school but my husband could not find work so we ended up back in Brisbane.

I am originally secondary trained but retrained as a primary teacher. I was told by a teaching agency here (there are not as many as in the UK) that I would need to forget about teaching primary and think about teaching secondary. Luckily I got a job where I had a mix of senior and junior classes. That is the advantage of outback schools. You can sometimes mainly teach senior classes. However you get back into the city and it is back to those first days of teaching being given all the grotty classes that noone else wants!

I did supply teaching in Brisbane for a while but it was awful. Maybe I am just older now and less patient but the classes I used to get supply teaching in London were nothing on these kids! Obviously it would be very different having my own class but the jobs are just not there so I have found something else for the meantime.

Good luck with the job search when you get here!

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Hi guys,

I see its been a while since anyone has added any posts on this thread but was hoping to try and get some info/stories from people who have successfully been granted a WA state sponsored Visa and relocated to teach. Where have you ended up? What have your experiences been? Do the packages the government offers for a remote/rural location compensate for where you are? What are the schools/kids/curriculums like? How long did it take to get your visa.

Me and my partner are currently looking into this option in order to get over to Oz. Both WA and Vic offer sponsorship but I dont think VIC supply you with a job on arrival but they do offer a permanent visa. So many things to consider.

Any help and advice would be great!

Thanks:thumbsup:

Re: Rural teaching?
 

Glad I came across this. I am thinking about a rural post. Will have to pm some of you. I'm a primary school teacher, will be coming out on my own and worried about feeling alone. I don't mind rural, as long as I can get on the internet! and go horse riding. I do mind the heat though.