Without a shadow of doubt, there are snags to re-engaging with teaching
How would you feel if a qualified, experienced teacher shadowed you at work, including in your classroom?
Would you feel uneasy — suspicious perhaps — particularly in this era of metrics and accountability?
That’s even if the ‘shadower’ is seeking to re-enter the teaching workforce and has been accepted into the Victorian education department’s initiative to re-engage former teachers in the profession to address the teacher shortage in government schools in Australia.
A group of teachers recently raised this tricky question about who should be allowed into their classrooms after I’d grumbled about my difficulty in finding a placement school in suburban Melbourne. I had been on cloud nine that I was accepted into the re-engagement program, yet crestfallen at facing a brick wall.
I could only see the program’s positives: I’d be a helper, an unofficial team teacher, get to know the students and their quirks, and be available if the teacher wanted to debrief about the lessons I’d observed.
They might even find time to answer some of my questions about teaching.
An initiative with promise
Here’s the program in a nutshell: The Victorian education department is reaching out to teachers across Australia who’ve been out of the classroom for a year or more, like me.
Participants in this program can earn a $300-per-day honorarium for up to 40 days (a total of $12,000) while pursuing their career interests by observing teachers in a placement school.
Taking part doesn’t obligate a return to paid teaching. You don’t even need current registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT), but you must hold a valid Victorian Working with Children Check (WWCC). (My NSW WWCC didn’t pass muster in Victoria — I had to invest in a new one).
As well, the Teacher Learning Network (TLN) and the department are throwing in 12 free professional development courses to help former teachers re-integrate. The welcome email also mentions I’d have access to 82 pre-recorded courses. Completing those will earn me a TLN certificate towards meeting the standards for VIT registration requirements.
Participants aren’t meant to teach while in the program, but to reacquaint themselves with teaching, student behavioural issues and the education system via a fly-on-the-wall perspective.
I couldn’t find any comparable program offering an honorarium in other Australian educational jurisdictions, either on their websites or by directly asking their media teams.
Western Australia runs a two-day Entry and Orientation Program to “develop an understanding of current best practices”, according to a media spokesperson.
However, there was no response on whether participants are paid for their time. Queensland is focusing on reconnecting with retired teachers, largely for part-time or full-time placements.
Numbers and dollars talk
The Victorian program was launched in August 2023, with the first placements starting three months later. It ends on 30 June.
I asked the Victorian education department’s media team about the number of participants and how many had re-entered the workforce.
They kept quiet about the numbers, apart from noting that most participants hadn’t been teaching for over six years.
One participant I spoke to off the record shared that it wasn’t until day 20 of her placement that she realised she wanted to return to teaching, though transferring her registration from interstate had been a lengthy process.
Meanwhile, as a NSW-registered teacher, I took less than a month to gain my VIT number.
The honorarium is definitely a drawcard for me, as it’s close to what I’d earn as a paid teacher.
Despite graduating in 2011, I’ve only managed occasional teaching stints and never found a school near my former home in regional NSW willing to supervise me to proficiency.
As a result, I’m still a ‘provisional’ teacher — an incredible 14 years after earning my teaching degree.
I’ve never given up my day job as a freelance writer, as it reliably pays the bills — unlike teaching’s unpredictable income.
My niggle to teach still lingers, despite The Age reporting last November that “Victorian schools are losing out in the border battle for teachers” because graduate teachers are paid the lowest in the land.
A significant $13,000 less than in the Northern Territory and $8,700 below what I’d be able to ‘fetch’ in NSW.
To apply for the re-engagement program in early November, I paid $211.32 to register and cover the costs of a national criminal history check, plus an extra $131.60 for a Victorian Working with Children Check.
Within a fortnight, I was accepted and asked to prioritise which of five listed schools I felt best suited me so that the program staff could contact them to secure a placement.
I was also encouraged to contact schools not on the list, which I did — perhaps being too candid about holding a current VIT registration.
At the end of November, one school invited me to interview for a full-time role teaching all subjects to a Year 7 class .
“Sorry, but no thanks,” I replied. ‘I’m only available part time and definitely want to ease into teaching by shadowing first.”
Most other schools responded with variations of “we’ll call you,” as by early December, the looming holidays had made things too hectic for them.
One school emailed: “Is there an opportunity for you to come in and meet us?”
As I was living 1,000km away at the time, it wasn’t feasible. I suggested I’d be residing closer on the last two days of school so could make time then for a visit, if it suited them, but didn’t receive a reply.
Even if I wasn’t doing a PhD and had regular freelance writing clients, I’m cautious about returning to full-time teaching.
I wrote an Australian online K-12 education publication about my last class where an unhinged Year 8 student kept cornering me with a pair of open scissors held too close to my fringe for comfort.
I think time away from the classroom has healed me, I and feel psychologically ready to step back in.
I’m hopeful I’ll find an opportunity to observe teaching in action and avoid becoming a shadow of my former teacher self.
Maybe this time, I can find a path to earning my stripes as a fully-fledged teacher and gain proficiency.
Fingers’ crossed.
P.S. YES! I did find a school to do this placement, but I have had to sign a confidentiality agreement, alas.
