Teachers and parents have called for greater stability in school employment after a recent survey found that a majority of new teachers in Victoria are employed on short-term contracts.
The Australian Education Union survey of 1033 public school teachers in their first five years of teaching revealed that 62.5 per cent are on contracts.
The survey found that on average, teachers are submitting 16 applications for positions, with 77 per cent believing that the need to reapply for positions negatively affects their teaching.
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Clare Billson, of Warranwood, has two children attending a local government primary school, with her third child beginning school next year. She says the survey findings are troubling.
‘I would like the teachers that are in charge of my children for so many hours a week to have job security.
‘That would mean they are focusing more on their teaching, rather than worrying about whether they have a job for the next year,’ she said.
Mrs Billson believes strong relationships between teachers and families are crucial to achieving good educational outcomes, but says that teachers need time to become part of a school community.
She also worries that constantly having to reapply for positions may cause new teachers to leave the profession.
‘It’s a stressful job regardless of whether they’re on contracts. Adding the extra pressure (of contracts) means teachers won’t want to be teachers any more.’
Gail McHardy, Executive Officer of Parents Victoria, agrees that contract employment inhibits relationships within the wider school community.
‘We’re entrusting the future of our children to these young professionals and they deserve to know that the community respects what they’re doing and that they have ongoing job security.’
‘Knowing you’ll be continuing in your position can only enhance partnerships with parents and students,’ Ms McHardy said.
Teachers responded to the outcomes of the survey on social media, with some saying that a lack of job security has delayed their plans to start a family or caused them to leave the profession altogether.
@AEUVictoria on contracts since 2004. Put simply it sucks. Not good 2B job searching at end of a year when you should be student orientated
— Phil Kidman (@philthy_15) August 4, 2016
Lib Derbyshire has been teaching in the public system for eight years and says the prevalence of short-term contracts can affect the entire staff of a school.
‘It can be quite awkward around the school community when people’s contracts are ending.
‘The (teacher’s) colleagues have to be on the (interview) panel and if they don’t get rolled over or a new position, they have to continue teaching with those same colleagues for the remainder of the year.’
In addition to any tension this may cause in the staffroom, having to reapply for positions “causes a lot of stress for people with families and those who want to start families,” Ms Derbyshire said.
The AEU has called on the state government to reduce the levels of contract employment, with Victorian Branch President Meredith Peace describing the contract system as ‘broken’.
Alex Munro, spokesman for the Department of Education and Training, says the decision to employ staff on contracts is made locally by schools in response to workforce needs.
‘In the majority of cases, teachers are employed on fixed-term employment to replace permanent staff who are either on parental leave, long service leave and leave without pay (for example, young teachers taking time off to travel and live overseas),’ Mr Munro said by email.
Koren Harvey 