“Interested in working again? Our Fixed Term Teacher Pool is a great way to be considered for a range of fixed term teaching opportunities,” the message from the state Department of Education reads.
Recently,the Department hired around 100 new teachers from overseas,and plans to bring in another 100 to fill roles.Cameron Myles/ iStock
“We have sent you an email with a link if you wish to apply.”
Teachers,who asked they not be named to speak freely,claimed the message,which was sent in November and again before the 2024 school year,was the first time they had been contacted to come back to the classroom.
The department confirmed it had contacted retired teachers,but did not say whether it was a novel strategy,or if it was targeting teachers in specific areas of expertise.
Opposition education spokesman Peter Rundle said retired and semi-retired teachers had reached out to him stating they would be happy to start work again,but claimed there was too much red tape involved with the state’s Teacher Registration Board.
“They are being put through the mill,” he told parliament this month.
“We are looking at teacher shortages in some remote and regional schools. I know that the minister for education will probably stand up under a Dorothy Dixer and tell the chamber that there is a teacher in front of every classroom.
“I can assure the minister that the cracks are starting to appear.
“We have teachers out there who are actually prepared to come into the mixture,but the board guidelines make it so difficult.”
Rundle said red tape that needed to be removed included having to log 20 hours of teaching commitment a year,including formal professional learning or reading,and 20 days of professional engagement.
“The Teacher Registration Board is an opportunity for[the minister] to improve the situation and get teachers at the coalface,” Rundle said.
But Teacher Registration Board of WA chairwoman Margaret Collins said was it was wrong to characterise legislative and nationally consistent requirements for teacher registrations as “red tape”.
“They are in place to ensure that the best interests of children are being addressed,” she said.
“Such minimum requirements are a common feature of any vocation where professional registration is mandated.
“Some flexibility is afforded to applicants who have previously been registered with the board. Such applicants are not,for example,generally required to provide evidence of their qualifications again.”
Collins said after a fixed period of registration,usually five years,teachers were required to demonstrate their ongoing proficiency and suitability to secure re-registration.
Education Department deputy director-general Jim Bell said the department engaged in year-round activities to ensure there was an experienced and qualified supply of quality teachers,particularly in the lead up to the school year.
“Retired teachers provide flexible support across a range of learning areas and age groups,and many retired teachers enjoy returning to classrooms on a part-time or short-term basis,” he said.
“The department continues to support schools filling teacher vacancies. There is a raft of system-wide strategies to create and redirect teacher supply to where it is most needed.”
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