Australian teachers need AU$100k to retain staff

MELBOURNE – “To tackle the teacher shortage and attract and retain quality teachers we need to offer rewarding salary and career structures,” said Australian Education Union (AEU) federal president Angelo Gavrielatos.

“The first way to do this is to establish a competitive professional salary for all teachers to ensure that the profession can attract and retain teachers in the numbers required to guarantee a qualified teacher in front of every classroom across the country no matter where it is located.

“We also need further recognition and appropriate reward for demonstrated quality teaching, knowledge, skills and practice.

“This requires the Federal Government to respond with a clear funding commitment.”

The Business Council of Australia has called for an additional AU$4 billion to be allocated to pay teachers who meet required standards a salary of at least AU$100,000 per annum.

The AEU is calling for the Federal Government to fund a new national classification scheme and career structure to retain accomplished teachers in the classroom.

“The EAA study shows that establishing a national assessment and classification structure for ‘Accomplished teachers’ is possible based on standards and criteria already being used in various ways across the states,” said Mr Gavrielatos.

“Based on these standards, the AEU supports the development of a negotiated framework for a new salary band that would allow teachers to voluntarily apply to be assessed as an ‘Accomplished teacher’.

“Establishing a new ‘accomplished teacher’ band is crucial to keep these teachers in the classroom. Currently there are few options for such teachers other than to move into leadership and administrative roles which take them and their teaching abilities out of the classroom where they are most needed.