The New South Wales government reported a 20% drop in vacancies by the start of 2024. A 2022 Victorian government report predicted a shortage of more than 5,000 teachers by 2028.

Although neither the Victorian Department of Education nor the relevant federal agency release current data on the teacher shortage, the government is currently launching a recruitment drive to fill 2,285 teaching positions.

Teacher registrations increased by 1.3 percent between 2023 and 2024, while record migration saw the state’s population increase by 2.7 percent in the 12 months to March.

A Department of Education spokesperson said growth in teaching staff was exceptional, with almost 1,700 people joining Victoria’s schools.

“More than 1,600 teachers have moved to Victoria from the state or New Zealand in 2024 and they are choosing Victoria thanks to the low student-teacher ratio compared to other states and the support provided in Victoria’s public schools,” she said. declared the spokesperson.

“We continue to attract teachers with free teaching credentials, financial incentives for hard-to-fill positions, paid internships for teacher education students, and employment-based credentials.”

However, schools say these policies don’t work.

“People are very reluctant to leave Melbourne to work in Wodonga, and that’s the problem we’re facing,” Hilditch said.

Teacher salaries in all Victorian school sectors are lower than in most states, partly due to public school salaries.

Most Catholic schools have agreed to bring their salaries in line with those of Victoria’s teachers after lengthy negotiations in 2022. Both are getting a 1 per cent increase in January and July and are expected to negotiate salaries next year.

The average salary for qualified teachers at independent schools is $80,000, compared to $78,021 at public schools.

Independent Schools Victoria chief executive Rachel Holthouse said smaller schools might pay slightly less, while more established schools paid more.

Australian Principals Federation Victoria president Tina King said the increase in salaries for NSW teachers had been similar to those for nurses in Victoria, and the state’s teacher salaries were expected to follow.

The principals’ governing body has raised the alarm over teachers crossing the border into NSW in its submission to the Victorian government’s inquiry into the public school system tabled last month.

King said Moama and Echuca had also lost teachers to NSW and schools were facing a shortage of leaders.

“The message the NSW government has given to teaching staff is: we value you, we respect you and we will pay you accordingly,” King said.

“Salary isn’t the whole solution, but when you’re faced with a cost of living crisis, the extra dollars certainly help pay the mortgage, and that’s why some teachers have decided to go through the border.”

More than half of the 2,000 executives surveyed in 2022 indicated they intended to leave the sector, leading researchers to warn of a looming crisis.

King said the job of a director is comparable to that of a general manager, but the salary and bonuses are not cumulative.

“It’s not just about the teachers,” she said. “We also have a leadership crisis.”

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