General Secretary: teacher retention is as important as finding new teachers

We all know there is a shortage of teachers across Australia, and that schools, school systems and both state and federal governments have introduced (or at least talked about) new ways to attract quality people to our profession.

Initiatives such as providing payment to pre-service teachers undertaking practicum placements are great, as is paying the HECS debt of graduates entering teaching.

Schools and school systems need to be wary though. It’s one thing to entice people into the profession, but there remains a major problem with retaining the teachers we already have - the reason for which, in many instances, is the unsustainable and sometimes dangerous nature of our work.

We all know that every workplace is supposed to have a trained and elected Health and Safety Rep, but many schools don’t. This means that when an issue like student violence towards staff occurs it is often more difficult for the union to assist than it should be.

As a result, staff are left exposed to risk for prolonged periods which invariably leads to an increased chance of injury, stress and burnout. Of course, it also leads to disillusionment with the job, frustration and ultimately to good staff looking for work in other roles.

It seems trite to say that one of the main reasons teachers are leaving the profession is workload, yet it seems that many employers are still failing to do anything meaningful to reduce it. This of course is another OHS issue.

Under the terms of the Agreements in place in Catholic schools in Tasmania and Victoria, schools are required to have a Consultative Committee which should be looking for ways to lessen workload. Too often, however, decision makers in schools are not truly leaning into this opportunity, with the result that staff are forced to complete sometimes repetitive and onerous tasks that add little to student learning.

So, while it’s one thing to make working in education attractive to new entrants, schools and school systems really need to wake up to the need to take steps to keep the staff they already have.

School leaders must be really active about this. Our schools must be great places for students, but they must also be great places for staff or the costly cycle of “burn and churn” will continue.

The IEU can advise about how your school can appoint an elected Health and Safety Rep, and we can offer the very best training to Reps once they are elected. We also offer training for Consultative Committee Reps and IEU Reps, and we advocate strongly at the school level as well as at system level and with government to protect the interest of our members and our profession.

Take advantage of our expertise to protect your career, improve your workplace, and have the back of your valued colleagues!