FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question that is not answered below, please submit it via email to info@teachforaustralia.org
APPLICATION AND SELECTION
How do I apply?
Complete the online application at this website, via the 'Apply Now' link on the right. You will need to provide information relating to your education and background, along with answering some short response questions.
What happens after I apply?
All applications are personally assessed by a member of the Teach For Australia staff. If you are successful at the application stage, you may be invited to participate in a 20-minute telephone interview. The final stage of the selection process is our Selection Day where you will complete two interviews, a group activity, a sample teaching lesson, and a problem solving test.
Successful candidates from the Selection Day are extended an offer to join our Associate Program.
Teach For Australia's recruitment and selection process is designed to identify those candidates who have the potential to effect significant positive change in challenging educational environments. Based on extensive consultations with new and experienced teachers, and studies of successful participants in similar programs overseas, we have developed a process that identifies key qualities in candidates.
The competencies we look for are:
- Communication and influencing skills
- Demonstrated leadership experience and academic achievement
- Demonstrated perseverance and resilience in the face of obstacles
- Values that are aligned with Teach For Australia, including a desire to effect positive social change
- Problem solving skills
- Organisational skills
- Humility and Learning.
I have a Diploma of Education. Am I eligible to apply?
You are not eligible to apply for this program if you hold a degree or diploma in education or are currently enrolled in such a program, as you already meet the requirements for entry into the teaching profession. Teach For Australia is a new pathway for graduates who do not meet the standard entry requirements for teaching in schools.
I graduated from my undergraduate degree a few years ago. Can I still apply to Teach For Australia?
Yes. We welcome applications from candidates no matter when they obtained their undergraduate degree.
If I'm accepted into the program, am I able to defer my place?
Teach For Australia generally does not allow deferrals. However, under exceptional circumstances, deferrals of one year may be granted on a case-by-case basis. To request a deferral, an accepted applicant should send a detailed email to mailto:apply@teachforaustralia.org.au explaining the reason for the request.
If you are made an offer from another employer in addition to Teach For Australia, we are able to assist you in applying for a 2-year deferral from that organisation.
If I'm not accepted into Teach For Australia in this round, am I able to apply again later?
Candidates may only apply to Teach For Australia once during a calendar year, but are welcome to reapply in subsequent years. Candidates who applied during 2009 may reapply from February 2010.
TRAINING
What is the training like?
Our teacher training is conducted in partnership with the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Upon the successful completion of the Teach For Australia program you will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching from the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.
Your training will begin with the six week Initial Intensive held in Melbourne that is designed to enable you to be effective in the classroom from Day 1 and to lay solid foundations for you to become an excellent teacher and achieve accreditation. During this time you will learn about key pedagogical ideas as well as having the chance to apply your knowledge and practice your developing skills.
Subjects taught by experienced and expert lecturers include:
•· Language and Teaching
•· Discipline Specific Pedagogy
•· Social and Professional Contexts
•· Individualising Learning and Teaching.
It is an intense experience and you can expect to be challenged over this time. It's also a lot of fun as you get to know your fellow Associates and explore your ambitions. Over the course of your two years on the program, you will receive ongoing training and support from Teach For Australia in partnership with the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. You will continue to build on your pedagogical knowledge of the disciplines you are teaching, develop a professional practice portfolio and advance your leadership skills.
Your teaching load is reduced to 80% of a full-time load in order to allow you time for your studies and development.
Academic assessments are spread throughout the two-year program.
Your Educational Adviser will visit you to continue your training and development, meeting with you at least once per fortnight. You will attend sessions in your placement groups as well as additional intensive training sessions as a full cohort mid-way through the year and at the end of the year. These Mid-Year and End of Year Intensives are held during school holidays and are less than one week in duration. You are also assigned an In-school Mentor who will mentor you over the two-year placement.
When will the Initial Intensive be held?
The Initial Intensive will be held from late November to late January (with a break for Christmas). The Initial Intensive, and the two-year's ongoing training, will be conducted in partnership with the Graduate School of Education a The University of Melbourne. Associates are required to live in-residence at Melbourne University during their time at the Initial Intensive, Mid Year Intensive and End of Year Intensive. Mid-Year and End of Year Intensives are held during school holidays and are less than one week in duration.
Teaching is a challenging and complex undertaking and is not something that can be taught in six weeks. You will continue to develop your classroom practice over your two years on the program, and beyond if you choose to stay in the profession.
The Initial Intensive is only the first stage of your training. Over the six weeks you will be introduced to key skills, mindsets and knowledge which will allow you to be effective from your first day in the classroom. This forms a solid foundation upon which you will build throughout the two-year program.
Associates completing all requirements of the two-year program will be fully qualified as secondary school teachers and graduate with a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching from the University of Melbourne, allowing them to teach in secondary schools across Australia. All costs associated with this qualification are covered through the program, with no tuition costs to be paid by Associates. Associates may choose to continue their studies beyond the two-year commitment and gain a Masters of Teaching (an extra 50 points, or approximately six months of study). The additional study will be at your own cost.
PLACEMENT / WORKING CONDITIONS
Where will I be expected to teach?
Teach For Australia places Associates in schools in areas of educational disadvantage according to criteria including socio-economic profile and test results. Placements are currently in schools across Victoria. In 2011 we expect to be operating in at least one other state with nationwide expansion planned in the near future.
Can I decide where to go?
On acceptance into the program, you will have the opportunity to state your placement preferences and we will endeavor to take these into account where possible and where they align with school needs. Our main priority is to place you in an area where you can have a significant impact and where you will receive adequate support. See `In the classroom' for further details.
Your qualifications and subject experience to date will be the main factor in deciding what you are able to teach. This will be determined by the appropriate body in your placement state (for example the Victorian Institute of Teaching).
Depending on school needs and your preferences and abilities, and based on departmental policy in the relevant state, you may also be asked to teach other subjects.
Do Associates teach full-time at schools?
Teach For Australia Associates work as full-time educators in their schools, with equivalent responsibilities to any beginning teacher. Associates will teach 80% of a standard teacher's timetable, to allow for university coursework, additional development and mentoring time spent with your Educational Advisor or in-school mentor, or observing other teachers.
What grade level will I teach?
All Associates are placed in secondary schools, teaching a range of classes from years 7 to 12.
Can I teach for only one year?
No. Teach For Australia Associates make a two-year commitment to Teach For Australia, as well as to their students, communities, and schools. Completing the two-year commitment is required to become a Teach For Australia alumnus and to obtain full qualification as a teacher.
What are Teach For Australia Associates paid?
Teach For Australia Associates are paid by their schools and receive similar salaries and benefits as other new educators. For example, in Victoria, first-year Associate pay for 2010 is between $45,000-$50,000 base salary (depending on placement location), plus 9% superannuation.
RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN SCHOOLS
How are schools chosen?
Shools are selected based on their profile as socially and economically disadvantaged and their ability and willingness to support a group of Associates.
Disadvantage can manifest in many ways but primarily refers to schools that serve communities with low socio-economic backgrounds and have relatively low student outcomes. Schools that participate in the program must have leaders who are supportive of the program and be ready and willing to participate. Schools are also clustered regionally to allow Associates and schools to form local support networks. All Associate placement decisions are carefully considered to provide an environment most conducive to Associate success.
Teach For Australia Associates are placed in schools as beginning teachers and you should expect to be treated and perceived as such. We only place Associates in schools that are supportive of the program and have committed to help you to achieve. However, as with any new job, you will need to prove yourself to your colleagues as hard-working, professional and committed.
In your school you will have a dedicated In-school Mentor who is an experienced teacher whose role is to provide support to you within the school environment. Your In-school Mentor will usually be someone in the same subject area as you.
In addition, you will be visited on a fortnightly basis by an Educational Adviser who will help you to develop your classroom practice as well as ensuring you are happy and well-supported and that you are on-track to achieve your qualification. Your peers will also form an important support network. You will be placed with other Teach For Australia Associates and will be encouraged and supported to build strong relationships and share ideas and experiences.
BEYOND THE PROGRAM
What career options am I likely to have at the end of the second year? Does being an Associate limit my options in fields outside of education?
Certainly not. Based on the experience of our international affiliated programs, while many participants choose to remain in teaching beyond their two years, 40-50% of participants enter jobs in other fields such as law, business, engineering and public policy.
As an alumnus of our program, you will have developed leadership skills that are directly transferable to careers in all sectors.
This is recognised by our partner organisations, giving you access to exclusive job opportunities with some of Australia's leading public and private sector employers. See our `Partners' page for further details.
Teach For Australia Associates teach within Australia for their two-year commitment. On successful completion of the program, Associates are fully qualified teachers and join our alumni network that gives access to exclusive development and career opportunities both within educational and across other sectors. We are currently formalising international opportunities for our alumni.
Is this the same program as Teach For America or Teach First?
No. While Teach For Australia has strong links to similar programs in other countries (for example Teach First and Teach For America), each of these organisations is independent and 'home-grown'. Teach For Australia is a unique program designed and run to tackle educational disadvantage in Australia.
I've heard mixed reviews of the program? Does the program really help children in disadvantaged areas to succeed?
Many studies have been carried out into the impact of similar programs in the UK and the USA. The most rigorous and recent studies carried out in the US found that Teach For America Corps Members impact on student achievement exceeds that of other teachers in their schools, even veteran teachers. You can find the full study at:
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411642_Teach_America.pdf
The New York Times published an editorial on the study which you can find here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/16/opinion/16fri4.html
For more information on the full range of studies completed on Teach For America, visit:
http://www.teachforamerica.org/mission/our_impact/our_impact.htm
In the UK, a year-long inspection by OfSTED: Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Child Services, led to inspectors judging Teach First teachers to be 'amongst the most exceptional trainees produced by any teacher training route.'
The second part of the program's impact actually occurs after the two-year commitment. Program alumni from the US and the UK have gone on to have real impact on the issue of educational disadvantage from fields as diverse as policy, social enterprise, law and consulting, as well as by staying in education as teachers or school leaders. We fully expect the same to be true in Australia.
While we hope and expect that a proportion of our Associates will stay in the classroom beyond their two-year commitment, we actually believe that the issue of educational disadvantage is so complex that it requires cross-sector involvement.
By giving exceptional graduates the opportunity to make a difference in disadvantaged schools, and then supporting alumni beyond the two years, we aim to equip tomorrow's leaders in all fields to affect educational equity.
THE ORGANISATION
How long has Teach For Australia been running and how many graduates have been recruited to the program?
Teach For Australia was founded in January 2009 and our first cohort of 45 Associates, selected from over 750 applicants, commenced in schools in January 2010.
We are part of network that has been in operation since 1990 from whom we draw on a wealth of experience.
How well supported is the program?
Teach For Australia and our partners are strongly committed to the success of every Associate, in every school involved with the program. Teach For Australia draws upon tremendous support and experience both within Australia through our partnerships with governments, the private sector and the Melbourne Graduate School of Education and globally through our affiliation with similar organisations.
