“We want to attract people to our town, not pull them there. We want them to stay longer term and be part of our community, not just come for a year and then leave.” - Participant, Rural and Regional Expert Advisory Panel
Principals and school leaders can play a vital role in attracting and retaining suitable teachers. New teachers who are made to feel welcome, provided with well-planned inductions, supported by mentors, and have access to professional and social networks, are more likely to feel satisfied with their jobs and committed to the school and community.
A central function of induction is the introduction to the school context. The school may provide a verbal briefing, and make resources available, so that a new teacher can broaden and deepen their appreciation of the school. As they accumulate insights about the communities the school serves, they will become more adept at contributing to strong student learning outcomes.
Retention of graduate teachers can improve by as much as 85 per cent when they have a positive and engaging experience in induction processes and are working with well-trained mentors.
When new appointees have relocated away from family and friends it is also important to support their emotional wellbeing and relationships with colleagues and the broader community. Scheduling a regular time to meet and discuss any issues or needs encourages new teachers to talk about enablers that are supporting them in their learning, adjustment, and the issues that they perceive as barriers to their integration in the school/community.
Effective leaders contribute to a school culture where learning can flourish through quality communication, high expectations, collaboration, challenge, trust building and support.
Principals and school leaders can be pro-active to support new appointees by:
supporting their relocation, including finding appropriate housing
ensuring they are well informed and adequately prepared to adapt to changes in living and working circumstances
highlighting the advantages of living and working in the area
supporting their integration into the local community
in collaboration with the local community, providing strong induction and welcome programs, including programs for partners/family members
providing structured support and links to professional networks
providing access to high quality ongoing professional learning and development and support such as mentoring and coaching which are especially important for early-career teachers, who are over represented in hard to staff schools
providing opportunities for career progression.
You will also have the support of your assigned Local Coordinator. The Local Coordinator has been engaged to support both principals and teachers.
We encourage you to contact out to your Local Coordinator so they can help you in your efforts to support your new teacher and provide mentoring, in addition to the mentoring provided by the school.