Sixty teachers recruited from overseas began a week-long induction process in Western Australia yesterday, as part of their preparations as classroom teachers in some of the state’s regional, rural and remote public schools for Term one.
Their induction will include undertaking specialised learning modules on teaching in WA, as well as classroom management and cultural responsiveness.
The teachers are part of a larger group – 103 in total – who have arrived from Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom in response to a targeted program aimed at addressing the teacher shortage crisis in the state. The cohort of international recruits includes 15 secondary maths teachers, as well as around 10 science teachers.
Although New Zealand teachers don’t need a visa to work in Australia, all other teachers will be granted a four-year working visa, with Western Australia’s Education Minister Tony Buti saying he expected the teachers to stay at their allocated school for at least three of those years.
The minister says the international recruits were only hired when there was no available Australian teacher to fill the role.
“These teachers were appointed to their respective schools following a rigorous selection process. They were carefully chosen to ensure their skills and expertise match the needs of the school and its students,” he says.
Improving regional, rural and remote education is vital
The state government-led program to attract teaching talent to WA public schools has a focus on improving regional education following the Regional Attraction and Retention Incentive package and school redevelopment projects.
“It is vital we attract the highest quality teachers to the public education system in Western Australia and ensure we have the right people for the job,” he says.
“The majority of these teachers have been appointed to regional and remote schools where they look forward to hitting the ground running and having a significant impact on the education of WA students.
