In a new study conducted by the University of South Australia in partnership with Western Sydney University, Griffith University, RMIT, and Monash University, researchers have examined education induction policies for casual and contract early career teachers from 2016 and 2023, and found that while progress had been made, significant gaps and inequities remain.
This is especially concerning, given many beginning teachers are choosing this insecure form of work to start their education careers – largely because, while they love the prospect teaching, they are keen to avoid everything else that comes with longer-term appointments.
Chief researcher and member of the UniSA’s Centre for Research in Educational and Social Inclusion, Professor Anna Sullivan, told EducationHQ in March that a key cause of this is the failure of education departments to woo young graduates with what’s called a ‘psychological contract’ of positivity and fulfilment.
“… initially there’s a lot of teachers saying they don’t want more permanent work because they don’t want the workload and the pressures that go with that,” Sullivan, an expert in teacher retention and early career teachers, said at the time.
So despite a great deal of time, effort and money being put into teacher recruitment, those entering the profession are in no hurry to gain permanency.
Sullivan says it is clear from this latest research, that government policymakers and schools must improve induction procedures for all teacher cohorts.
“Casual and contract teachers are essential to the teacher workforce,” she says.
“They cover everything from teacher absenteeism to professional learning and administrative duties, and without them schools would struggle to deliver effective teaching and learning.
“Yet the current policy responses do little to recognise or support casual relief or short-term contract teachers.”
In terms of human resource management, it’s socialising casual and short-term contract teachers, making sure they’re well connected, it’s about the training and the development to develop quality teachers, Professor Anna Sullivan says.
Sullivan says the new study shows that current teacher induction guidelines mainly cater for teachers with secure employment, creating systemic inequities for those in casual or contract roles.
“The irony is that more than half of early career teachers are employed in casual or on short-term contracts.
“If we don’t appropriately support new teachers entering the profession, retention issues will continue.”
UNESCO reports an urgent need for 44 million primary and secondary teachers worldwide by 2030.
To safeguard the quality and sustainability of the education workforce, policymakers must urgently introduce and prioritise mandated induction support structures, targeted development pathways, and systemic human resource reform for substitute and temporary teachers, the new report urges.
With 16 per cent of Australian teachers employed casually and 12 per cent on fixed-term contacts under one year, UniSA PhD researcher Emily Rowe says the system must provide support and professional learning for all early career teachers, not just permanent staff.
“Effective induction relies on teachers having long-term, continuous employment at one school where they can access regular mentoring, establish relationships, and gain support to develop professional practices,” Rowe says.
“Yet the reality is that only 45 per cent of casual relief teachers receive a formal induction.”
Many early career teachers, Rowe explains, experience alienation, culture shock, and a lack of systemic support.
“Current induction guidelines place responsibility on teachers to manage their own career progression by building networks and collecting evidence for their portfolios.
“This puts the onus on new teachers to guide their own induction, rather than receive structured support from schools when they need it most.”
Sullivan concurs, and says given the significant amount of time that children are learning under replacement teachers over their whole education, if as a system they’re being employed in such precarious ways, it often means they’re not being developed, and therefore for kids, “that’s not a great outcome either”.
Education systems need to nurture talent to keep it, according to Rowe.
“This is vital for attracting and retaining teachers and ensuring that they have fulfilling and long-term careers.”
To read the full paper, titled ‘Precariously employed early career teachers and induction policies: a critical policy study’, click here.
