What You Need To Know About The School Teacher Shortage

There’s no doubt that teachers have been under pressure for a while now. They’ve complained of being underpaid and overworked for years, as well as struggling to get on top of a rise in administrative tasks and badly behaved students, so a teacher shortage was sort of inevitable. 

However, in Australia right now, it’s at crisis point, with up to 70% of teachers considering leaving the profession.

COVID–19 had huge and ongoing impacts on the education sector, but the problems mentioned above predate the pandemic, and are now just being exacerbated by it.

Keep reading to find out more about the school teacher shortage, what it means for students and why it’s never been a better time for students to get tutored and for teachers to start tutoring… 

Why It Started

There is no one, clear answer or explanation as to why the teacher shortage Australia is facing has become so widespread. It’s more a combination of factors and events over the past few years that have slowly changed what teaching is. 

The role of a teacher is ever evolving, and nowadays, many have to go above and beyond classroom lessons. It seems that being enthusiastic, educated and dedicated to teaching, inspiring and motivating students is no longer enough. 

There are so many other job demands that have taken priority. Teachers are expected to engage in playground politics and take on parental duties like discipline. Post pandemic, many students have become disinterested and dejected, and teachers have found themselves having to manage and monitor these emotions – a job better suited to a mental health professional.

Not only that, but it seems that the increasing needs of students, principals and parents, plus administration requirements and legislation, is putting too many teachers under too much pressure.

Teaching has become time–consuming and physically and emotionally demanding, and teachers are increasingly getting very little financial or social reward for their efforts. 

What Teachers Want

According to Federal Education Minister Jason Clare, “about 38% of teachers say they feel valued by the community”.

Three key findings of the Australian Teachers’ Perceptions of their Work Report 2022 – a national survey asking questions of more than 5,000 teachers – backs this sentiment up, revealing that: 

• 7 out of 10 teachers do not feel respected by the Australian public 
• 1 in 4 teachers do not feel safe at work 

• Less than 14% of teachers report their workload is manageable 

In short, teachers want more support and more respect. They are starting to feel like the job has become everything other than teaching, which is a shame, because teaching alone is such an important job.

ThriveTutors co–founder Emma Goding says “As a teacher myself, I became a teacher to inspire and motivate young students and set them up for a successful future, but instead, the working hours and high job demands have taken over and a lot of teachers are forced to put ‘teaching’ to the side in favour of other tasks”.

Job satisfaction and teacher retention can only be achieved by improving working conditions and perpetuating more positive and encouraging perceptions about teaching. 

How It’s Affecting Students 

With just 50% of students finishing their teaching degree, and around 20% of those opting to leave the profession within 3 years, it’s no wonder there are serious flow on effects. 

A teacher shortage means those that are currently working (and even school principals) have to fill in the gaps left by their peers, and this often means working in classrooms and subject areas that they don’t normally specialise in.

Naturally, if they are spreading themselves too thin and having to multitask beyond their capacity or upskill in their downtime, it’s not just them that will suffer, but their students too.

Another unfortunate scenario is having teachers in the classroom that are burnt out, as this can have huge repercussions.

Teachers want the best for their students, but if their passion starts to dwindle, students no longer have the best chance at learning skills, developing interests and achieving their potential.  

How Tutoring Can Help 

Qualified, dedicated teachers who have the time and energy to develop positive relationships can make immeasurable differences in the lives of their students and their communities.

Having access to quality education from passionate teachers makes a huge difference, and this is where private and personalised tutoring can be such a beneficial tool.

One–on–one tutoring allows students to still have access to a quality education – just in a slightly different environment. It’s also a great opportunity for teachers to supplement their income or pivot from traditional classroom teachings to teaching on their terms from the comfort of home.

While the teacher shortage continues and until it is fixed, don’t let your children suffer! There are still incredible, passionate teachers that want to make a difference. Online tutoring with one of them means your student / child will still get the benefits of an education from a qualified professional, at a time and place that is suitable for both. 

ThriveTutors is an Australian online tutoring platform created to suit students from Prep to Year 12. If you’re a student / parent wanting to know more information, click here. If you’re a teacher wanting to know how to sign up, click here.