ANZSCO 2414-11
Secondary School Teachers
Queensland
April 2016
Current labour market rating
No shortage
Previous labour market rating (March 2015)
No shortage
Comments
There is no shortage of generalist school teachers with vacancies remaining unfilled due to the subject
combinations sought by employers. However employers contend that vacancies for a number of
secondary school specialisations can be difficult to fill.
Occupation and vacancies
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Secondary school teachers teach one or more subjects within a prescribed curriculum to secondary
school students and promote student’s social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.
One-fifth of surveyed employers in this year’s survey were public schools with the remainder being
private schools.
The majority of vacancies surveyed were for permanent full-time positions, with a small number of
year-long contract or part-time positions.
Surveyed vacancies were for a range of subject areas and subject combinations.
o Almost 37 per cent of all surveyed vacancies were for qualified mathematics teachers to teach
that subject alone or in various subject combinations (in particular with science subjects).
o Around one-fifth of vacancies sought teachers to teach senior science, including chemistry.
o Over 15 per cent of vacancies sought qualified English teachers and a similar number of
vacancies were for teachers of foreign languages including Japanese, French and Chinese.
o Others vacancies were for teachers of subjects such as information technology, business,
design and technology, music, drama and religious education.
Employers sought qualified and registered secondary school teachers with experience teaching
students in the advertised specialisation, with a preference for teachers able to teach multiple
subjects.
o Some employers required applicants to demonstrate their adherence to a specified ethos.
o Employers advertising for Head of Subject positions also required leadership skills and
maturity.
o A small number of employers also required teachers experienced in dealing with particular
students cohorts, such as Indigenous students.
Survey results
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While all vacancies for secondary school teachers were filled within six weeks of advertising last
year, this year 87 per cent of vacancies were filled.
o There was very little variation in the fill rate across the State.
Labour Economics Office Queensland
Department of Employment
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Most commonly, vacancies remained unfilled due to the particular subject combination
required by the school.
On average, there were half as many applicants per vacancy (5.6) compared with last year (11.5).
o Metropolitan vacancies attracted greater numbers of applicants per vacancy (6.8) than
regional vacancies (4.6).
There were 1.9 suitable applicants per vacancy on average, which was lower than the results of
2013 and 2014.
o Metropolitan vacancies attracted 2.1 suitable applicants per vacancy compared with 1.8 per
regional vacancy.
o While all vacancies attracted applicants, 10 per cent of metropolitan vacancies failed to attract
suitable applicants due to the subject combinations required.
Employers nominated a variety of teaching specialisations as difficult to fill, including senior science
(especially physics), information technology, design and technology and agricultural science.
Unsuitable applicants
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Around 65 per cent of all applicants were considered unsuitable in this year’s survey.
o Over 2 per cent of applicants were not qualified secondary school teachers. This included
qualified primary school teachers or applicants fluent in an advertised language but lacking
teaching qualifications.
Of those applicants who were qualified, 74 per cent were considered unsuitable, most notably for
issues around experience.
o Many unsuitable applicants did not have experience teaching a requisite subject (for example,
modern history) or had no experience teaching particular subject combinations, such as music
and drama.
o Some unsuitable applicants were new graduates and did not have the length of experience
required.
o Employers considered applicants for Head of Subject vacancies unsuitable if they could not
demonstrate leadership skills or experience.
A sizeable number of unsuitable applicants submitted poor applications, generic resumes or
performed poorly during interviews.
Several employers considered applicants unsuitable because they did not demonstrate a
commitment to a particular ethos or were not deemed a good cultural fit with the school.
Demand and supply trends
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Demand for secondary school teachers depends on school enrolments and response to subject
offerings and subject selection by students and school communities. Government funding and
policies also affect occupational demand.
As a result of the inclusion of Year 7 into secondary schools, the number of secondary students
enrolled in 2015 increased by over 14 per cent to 333,947.1
1
ABS, 4221.0 Schools, Australia, 2015, Full-time equivalent students by Affiliation, Sex, Grade and Indigenous Status, States
and Territories, 2001-2015, February 2016.
Labour Economics Office Queensland
Department of Employment
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Over the 10 years to 2014 the number of secondary school teaching staff employed in Queensland
schools grew by 16.8 per cent. However with the transition of Year 7 to secondary school, the
number of staff jumped by over 12 per cent in 2015, to 26,543.5 full time equivalents.2
There were 521 public and private secondary schools in Queensland in 2015, including 246
combined primary and secondary schools.3
The number of secondary schools increased by 4.4 per cent between 2012 and 2015, with
independent schools growing by 11.6 per cent over this time.
After falling each year between 2010 and 2014, online vacancies for secondary school teachers
increased by almost 32 per cent over the year to February 2015 and by a further one-third over the
year to February 2016.4
Entry to this profession is generally via a four-year bachelor degree with a major in secondary
education or completion of a postgraduate qualification in secondary education and specialisation
in at least two secondary curriculum areas.
o All teachers in Queensland schools must be registered with the Queensland College of
Teachers (QCT).
o From 2016, the QCT has prescribed that a prerequisite for undergraduate education degrees
will be “sound achievement” in certain English and mathematics subjects.
The latest data from the Department of Education and Training indicates that the number of
students commencing secondary school teaching qualifications (both undergraduate and postgraduate) increased in 2014 after averaging around 1140 each year between 2008 and 2013.5
The number of newly qualified secondary school teaching graduates entering the Queensland
labour market has remained relatively stable since dropping by almost 40 per cent between 2006
and 2009.6
According to data from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, migration has had
little effect on supply to this occupation, with an average of eight Subclass 457 Visas granted each
year between 2009-10 and 2014-15. In the six months to December 2015, fewer than five Subclass
457 Visas have been granted for this occupation.7
o Fewer than five self-identified secondary school teachers entered Queensland for permanent
employment of one year or more annually between 2010-11 and 2014-15.8
2
ABS, 4221.0 Schools, Australia, In-school Staff (FTE) by School Level, Function, Sex, Affiliation, States and Territories, 20012015, http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/DetailsPage/4221.02014?OpenDocument, March 2016.
3 ABS, 4221.0 Schools, Australia, 2015, NSSC Table 35a: Summary of Schools by Affiliation and School Level, States and
Territories, 2012 to 2015, March 2016
4
Department of Employment, Vacancy Report, February 2016, 4 digit 12 month average,
http://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/VacancyReport
5
Department of Education and Training, Higher Education Student Data Collection, 2014, customised tables, Field of
Education
6
Department of Education and Training, Higher Education Student Data Collection, 2014, customised tables, Course
Completions (Course Specialisation)
7
Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Subclass 457 visas granted pivot table 2015 -16 to 31 December 2015 –
comparison with previous years, https://www.immi.gov.au/media/statistics/statistical-info/temp-entrants/subclass-457.htm
8
Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Overseas Arrivals and Departures 2014-15: 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015
Labour Economics Office Queensland
Department of Employment
Other indicators and issues
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From 16 May 2016, students enrolled in all entry-level teacher education courses will be expected
to sit the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students to demonstrate that
graduates have levels of literacy and numeracy within the top 30 per cent of the population.
Since the inception of the scheme in 2013, 180 Queensland public schools have become
independent public schools and are responsible for their own recruitment.
Labour Economics Office Queensland
Department of Employment