While students across the country are heading into classrooms for the 2025 school year, many newly graduated teachers are too.
With many parents not really understanding the education, preparation and support needed to see teachers ready to face the full-time classroom setting, EducationDaily reached out to some experts to find out what it takes to train a new teacher and explore some of the issues facing the sector.
What unique challenges do first-time teachers face as they head into classrooms for the 2025 year?
Australian Catholic University National School of Education Head Professor Donna King:
“Starting one’s teaching career after years of intensive study and in-school placements is an exciting time for graduates, but it is normal for there to also be some concern about how to deal with the inevitable challenges of the profession.
“Most first-time teachers find it challenging to manage parental expectations, large administrative loads outside of the classroom, and to deal with behaviour management, which, though covered extensively during teaching programs and in-school placements, is still largely context dependent.”

Charles Darwin University Senior Lecturer in Education Dr Georgie Nutton:
“Often recruitment and your teaching course have had a heavy focus on technical knowledge of the curriculum and strategies or approaches to literacy and numeracy. The reality of day one and the first few weeks is that building trusting relationships is critical. These are relationships in which you really come to understand the children and young people you want to connect to learning.
“Firstly, being super clear about your learning goals and secondly, over-prepared with a variety of ways to teach or achieve your learning intentions in the first weeks can help you be more responsive and flexible with confidence till you do know children and young people better. Remember that all behaviour is communication of a physical, emotional, social or cognitive response that the child or young person has not yet learnt to communicate with words.”

How do these challenges differ for metropolitan and regional/rural/remote teachers?
Professor Donna King:
“The challenges are similar across the jurisdictions, however new teachers who have moved to regional, rural, and remote locations may find settling into a new community challenging. That said, education departments, Catholic Dioceses and Independent schools do provide comprehensive induction to connect new teachers with members of the community.”
Dr Georgie Nutton:
“The information available at the system, school, class and individual student level, is sometimes thin and holds little meaning until you are in the context. This can be true in all geo-locations and is more challenging in remote and very remote NT communities where Standard Australian English may be a foreign language and cultural contexts require nuanced understandings. Additionally, the support for professional and community level knowledge or orientation may be more limited.”
What does your university do to help prepare new teachers?
Professor Donna King (ACU):
“Our courses are designed so that new teachers are very well prepared to enter the profession and run their own classrooms as soon as they graduate. Throughout their degree, students have completed four professional experience placements in diverse settings, and, if studying one of our employment-based pathways, have already immersed themselves in schools while studying from day one.”
“They have also completed a mandated Graduate Teacher Performance Assessment, which is a capstone assessment that shows they are ready for classroom teaching. In our new All Points to Teaching program, students are also afforded a suite of wraparound supports designed to build their resilience in the teaching profession as they earn and learn.”
Dr Georgie Nutton (CDU):
“In the past, most schools have provided a mentor or ‘buddy’ to support or induct new teachers into their role with specific support for the context. We have noticed and been alerted by some of the new teachers that this is becoming increasingly difficult for schools to put in place with the proportion of experienced teachers reducing.
“We are looking forward to initiating a new teaching graduates’ network with a variety of support activities driven by participant need. We are optimistic that this will provide a safe space for debriefing and sharing creative solutions to the common challenges faced by new teachers. We also expect to use our productive relationships with school and system leaders to support or facilitate changes within educational settings to ensure successful induction into the profession.”
What support is there throughout their first year?
Professor Donna King:
“Most first-year teachers are assigned a mentor at their school, which is an important support as they find their place in their new school and community. They also receive relevant professional learning throughout the first year and beyond given teachers need to remain lifelong learners to best teach and support their students.
“ACU provides ongoing professional learning for all in-service teachers regardless of the time they have spent in the profession including a range of short courses and micro- credentials in key areas including advanced classroom management, STEM education, and literacy.”
Dr Georgie Nutton:
“Apart from the department or school orientation, we understand that there is little other support. According to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (2023), effective induction programs are responsive to early career teachers’ needs and include mentoring; wellbeing; coaching and support for professional practices (curriculum, assessment and pedagogical practice); workplace and professional community policy and regulation compliance, parent and external engagement; professional relationships and wellbeing.”
Why is this support so important…and what does it look like?
Professor Donna King:
“Research shows that if beginning teachers are supported in their early years, they are more likely to stay in the profession and thrive, so good supports, mentorship and ongoing professional learning are vital for their longevity.
“Effective support for graduates must meet their immediate needs as new teachers as well as helping to establish positive habits and frameworks to support them in the longer term.”
Dr Georgie Nutton:
“As noted above, AITSL, as the regulatory authority for teachers in Australia, has produced guidelines for the induction of early career teachers (new teachers) and the importance of good beginnings in keeping people in the profession.”
Is the type of teaching graduates changing? What is the gender balance and age balance?
Professor Donna King:
“We are proud to have a diverse student base in our national teaching degrees. We want to see teachers at the helm of classrooms who reflect the diversity of the students and families in their school communities.
“With our new fully-funded All Points to Teaching Program, for example, we are committed to increasing participation of students from groups underrepresented in higher education and the profession including those from regional, rural and remote areas, First Nations and mature-age students, and those with disabilities.”
Dr Georgie Nutton:
“There is a difference between enrolments by gender in early childhood, primary and secondary initial teacher education (ITE). Overall, a similar trend has persisted in gender split in ITE enrolments with 73.9 per cent of enrolments being women in 2022.”
Are enough people answering the call to help address the teacher shortage in schools across Australia?
Professor Donna King:
“We know the teaching profession has been struggling for some time with teacher shortages. However, we are seeing strong and, on some campuses increased, interest in our teaching courses nationally, which is a great sign for the future of this viable and worthwhile profession.
“There’s no question we want and need to see more people choose to teach, particularly in regional, remote, and rural parts of Australia. At ACU, we are continuing to do our bit as Australia’s leading provider of initial teacher education to attract more people into the profession through the formation of partnerships with key stakeholders across the education sector and a variety of flexible learning pathways for school leavers and career changes.
“It’s also vital that we focus on helping teachers to stay in the classroom, not just on the pipeline of new additions to the profession.”
Dr Georgie Nutton:
“ITE commencements were down 16 per cent in 2022 from previous years. At Charles Darwin University we have had two cohorts of amazing Master of Teaching preservice teachers, 80% of whom are international. Many of our Early Childhood and Primary course preservice teachers work in early learning centres whilst studying, filling the labour shortage in the early childhood sector.”
What are some tips to share with teachers about to head out into full-time teaching for the first time?
Professor Donna King:
“Being a teacher is an exciting, dynamic, and highly rewarding career. Thorough preparation is crucial, so ensuring you plan well for your students and classes is important from day one. It’s also important to seek help when you need it – and that goes for your entire career.
The teaching profession is made up of a supportive and collegial community willing to share experiences, advice, and resources with one another for the benefit of educators and students.’
“I would also appeal to graduate teachers to prioritise their wellbeing from the outset. You, your friends, your family, and your students want to see and will benefit from the best version of you. Ensure you keep up with activities and interests that sustain and enrich your life outside the classroom. This will help you to be a role model to your students who also need to learn how to balance academic pursuits with recreation for their mental health and wellbeing.”
Dr Georgie Nutton:
“Get to know as much as you can about the school, community and children or young people you are going to work with before you start. Find a trusted mentor, in your school is ideal but anywhere is fine. Know yourself well and work to your strengths. Make sure you have your self-care routine well established and prioritised before you start the school year. Don’t be afraid to model how to make mistakes for your students and ask for help and feedback from colleagues early.”