Do you want to become a primary school teacher? Are you searching for the best career opportunities for a primary school teacher in Australia? Continue reading this blog post and get interesting details on the job profile, eligible educational qualifications, and the skills required to become a primary school teacher in Australia.
Basically, teaching is a work of heart. Being a teacher is a challenging and interesting job. Especially, when it comes to a primary teacher, a lot of patience, understanding, a high level of attention, and caring are required to handle children between the age of 5 and 12 years. Also, most importantly, a primary school teacher plays a key role in shaping the minds of young children below 12 years of age and developing their creativity, problem-solving, and reasoning skills. If you are passionate to be a part of the academic life of young kids, then becoming a primary school teacher is one of the best career options.
Now, let’s explore how to become a primary school teacher in Australia.
Primary School Teacher- Job Profile
Who are primary school teachers? Primary school teachers are trained and registered educators who are responsible for handling the education of children between 5 and 12 years of age. They follow an academic curriculum prescribed by the government and educate the students on various subjects. Also, they help in the development of numeracy and literacy skills of children along with social and economic growth.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Primary School Teacher
What is the work of a primary school teacher? In most cases, a primary school teacher is in charge of planning and carrying out educational programs for children under the age of 12 in accordance with the academic curriculum established by the government. Additionally, as a primary teacher, you ought to be accountable for carrying out the responsibilities listed below.
- Follow the approved academic curriculum when creating lesson plans.
- Teach Students a wide range of subjects such as English, math, science, technology, the arts, humanities, and social science, as well as health and physical education.
- Facilitate the mental, emotional, and social growth of the students.
- Maintain classroom discipline.
- Throughout the day, keep an eye on the students.
- The students should be encouraged to develop study habits.
- Monitor the student’s progress and evaluate it.
- Participate in staff meetings. Plan and oversee activities like camps, concerts, and outings.
- Discuss the student’s academic progress with the parents and administrators.
- Evaluate and analyze the student’s academic performance.
Eligible Educational Qualifications
If you wish to become a primary school teacher in Australia, then you must possess the below-mentioned educational qualifications.
- You must have completed your Senior Secondary Certificate of Examination (QCE, VCE, HSC, etc.) from a reputable educational establishment.
- After that, you must have earned an accredited Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree course or a related higher education degree.
- If you have a double or combined degree, you can work as a primary school teacher. Example: (Primary) Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education
- Master of Teaching (Primary) graduates are also eligible to begin their careers as primary school teachers in Australia.
How to Become a Primary School Teacher in Australia
If you possess the required educational qualifications as mentioned above, then you can go ahead and apply for registration in any state or territory in Australia for the role of a primary school teacher.
The registration involves some processes. Provisional registration and full registration are the two types of registration available for teachers in Australia. In general, you will be initially granted provisional registration after a police verification process. The provisional registration specifies that you have satisfied the graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
You will be given full registration only if you meet the proficient career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and all other requirements for teacher registration. You must submit the necessary evidence of performance to upgrade from provisional to proficient level teacher.
Note: In Australia, each state and territory has its own governing bodies and guidelines for registration. So, before applying for registration, please check and follow the rules and regulations of the state or territory you are intended to join as a teacher.
After successful registration, you will be considered a registered educator in Australia. Is registration alone enough to become a teacher in Australia? No, definitely not! Upon registration, you need to seek employment in the schools of Australia for the primary school teacher role.
Career Opportunities for Primary School Teachers in Australia
Finding a teaching job is not so easy for fresh graduates. During your studies, if you have gained a chance to work closely with registered teachers and earned valuable experience in the primary school teaching field, then it is a bonus for you while seeking a job.
In general, there are more teaching opportunities available in both the rural and remote areas of Australia. If you feel difficult to find a job in Metropolitan cities of Australia, then you can relocate to remote or rural areas.
If you don’t wish to relocate to other areas, then you need to approach as many schools as you can and check for job opportunities. Some schools will hire you as a substitute teacher and will later give you a permanent position if you perform well as a teacher.
Teaching is one of the service-oriented career fields that will never fall down on the globe. Initially, as a fresher, you may find it difficult to get a job as a primary school teacher in Australia. But once you gain experience in the teaching field, you can easily climb up your career ladder and also help your students to climb their career ladder.
Skills required for a Primary School Teacher
Handling the school kids is not an easy task. It requires a lot of skills to work with students of all types and levels of ability. If you are passionate to become a primary school teacher in Australia, then you must possess the below-mentioned skills and attributes.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Good organizational abilities
- Strong knowledge of the latest education technologies and techniques
- Patience and understanding
- Friendly, enthusiastic, and caring personality
- Ability to lead and motivate the children
- Supervisory skills and time management skills
- Ability to work with a team
It will be helpful if you have additional skills in areas such as art, drama, community, music, modern languages, and sport. To grow as a successful teacher in the field of education, apart from the usual skills, you should also have a satisfactory health record.
Average Salary for a Primary School Teacher in Australia
In Australia, the average salary earned by a primary school teacher is around AU$ 60,835 per year. The salary usually varies depending upon your work experience and work location.
According to the reports of Jobted, an entry-level primary school teacher is expected to earn an average of AU$50,200 per year and the mid-career level primary school teacher with 4 to 9 years of experience is expected to earn AU$67,300 per year. The average salary of primary school teachers in Australia with 10 to 20 years of teaching experience is expected to be AU$89,400 per year.
Final Words
We hope you are clear with the details mentioned in this blog post. If you are passionate to become a primary school teacher, then you must possess the necessary educational qualifications and skills mentioned above. To excel in your career as a primary school teacher in Australia, after your graduation, first, complete your registration process and become a proficient teacher by providing your teaching service to kids between 5 and 12 years of age at any school in Australia.
Happy Teaching!
