Teacher Education

ICPA Qld lobbies various stakeholders to ensure a positive attitude to teaching in rural and remote areas. ICPA Qld supports all teachers during preservice training, ias well as being available later through induction and inservice programs. 

Attraction and retention of quality teachers is an issue felt across Australia due to the teachers shortage crisis. In 2024, this remains a key issue for our rural and remote schools which we continue to work hard to find proactive solutions to. ICPA Qld welcomes the Australian Government initiative of the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan and will follow outcomes and recommendations with keen interest. 

The journey of a teacher into the bush must begin as a preservice teacher. ICPA Qld focus is to increase awareness of the critical role that preservice rural placement plays in the attraction of teachers to all schools in rural and remote areas within Universities and the Department of Education. Offering preservice teaching students positive experiences within our communities often results in them gaining confidence to return to similar rural areas upon graduation. Testimonies from experienced teachers often attribute their success to the foundational experience gained whilst being a fully engaged teacher immersed in a rural community. These skills are often the cornerstone of the making of a quality educator, principals and future leaders in the education sector. 

Bec O’Connor – Principal – St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School

“My transformative journey at the forefront of St Joesph’s Primary School, Gayndah has sculpted my preparedness for any challenge. There is something to be learned from the warmth and closeness of country towns, an invaluable lesson in community that I carry forward into my new role at The Gap.” Brisbane Catholic Education 22/02/24

Communities and schools need to work hand in hand to welcome preservice teachers into our rural and remote areas and ensuring their time with us is pleasurable and filled with experiences which they may enjoy while living beyond the range.

In 2024 the Teacher Education Portfolio will focus on issues including:

• the establishment of formally recognised qualifications for ‘Home Tutors’, who are required by Distance Education enrolment procedures to provide onsite support and supervision to students in a Distance Education schoolroom setting; and
• the attraction and retention of quality educators from Kindergarten to Secondary schooling, including specialist teachers, in rural and remote communities; and
• the promotion of bursaries/scholarships which provide assistance to those preservice teachers already residing in rural and remote areas, as well as targeting secondary students in ALL schools with grants to study education; and 
• collaborating with universities to provide information regarding rural service practicum placements, as well as rural and remote specific units within course offerings.

ICPA Qld Branch Rural Practicum Incentives for Preservice Teachers

Many ICPA branches across Queensland offer a variety of incentives – financial, accommodation, social, etc – to encourage preservice teachers to undertake practical experience placement in one of their local schools. Details of these branches and their contact information can be found here or by contacting the Portfolio Leader. 

ICPA QLD encourages secondary students who are considering teaching as a career path, preservice teachers, teacher aides wishing to further their studies, mid-career professionals looking for a career and lifestyle change, trade professionals wishing to become teachers to review the following link for benefits of teaching rural (Rural and Remote Benefits) and Scholarships and Grants available here. 

We aim to provide information and support to preservice teachers wishing to engage in practicum beyond the range, and to the rural communities who wish to attract them. The links provided below will assist preservice teachers or aspiring teachers who are keen to include rural and remote communities in their career journey. 

Welcome to Teach Rural – here we aim to provide information and support to preservice teachers wishing to engage in practicum beyond the range, and to the rural communities who wish to attract them. The links provided below will assist preservice teachers or aspiring teachers who are keen to include rural and remote communities in their career journey. 

Teach Queensland Style

Study teaching – ‘make a decision today to make a difference tomorrow’.

There are lots of great reasons to become a teacher and even more to teach in our rural and remote communities. There are many incentives on offer and details can be found via the link above, or by reading below. 

Aspiring Teacher Grants

For Year 12 Students from Queensland Schools.  These grants have a special category for rural and remote students. Priority selection will be given to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students and those students who reside in drought affected areas. Up to $ 5000 for rural and remote residents. Register your interest and be alerted when 2025 Grant applications open in Term 4.

Pearl Duncan Scholarships

Are you an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander aspiring to be a teacher in a Queensland state school? With the assistance of a Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarship, you will receive financial assistance during your study period and a guarantee of permanent employment. 

Beyond the Range Professional Experience Grant

For preservice teachers there are opportunities to receive financial benefits to support your professional experience placements in a rural or remote school within the Central Qld, Darling Downs-South West, Far North or North Qld regions. Up to $5000/professional experience placement could be available to assist you with related expenses including travel and accommodation. 

Regional Professional Experience Grant

If you are a current preservice teacher undertaking a professional experience placement during Semester 1, 2024, you could receive a one-off grant of up to $3400 to assist with organising your travel, accommodation and living expenses. Placements must be for a minimum of 3 weeks (15 days), and undertaken in a Queensland State School that has a transfer rating of TR2 or TR3, within one of our priority regions. 

The grant offering is at the discretion of the Department of Education, however, it’s envisaged to that the eligibility criteria for the Semester 1 2024 will continue for Semester 2 2024 (8th July – 13th December).  Register your interest and be alerted when applications open later in 2024. 

Supported Pathway into Teaching 

From Term 3, 2024 Teacher Aides employed by Department of Education who are studying an initial Teacher Education degree will receive special leave with pay to undertake compulsory practical placements and an offer of permanent employment when they graduate. 

Regional, Rural and Remote Graduate Teacher Scholarship

This scholarship supports final year preservice teachers with a one-off taxable grant of $15,000 and, upon graduation of an Australian initial teacher education (ITE) program, an offer of permanent employment.  Recipients must commence teaching in a Queensland State School from Term 1 of the year their scholarship commences for up to 3 years in a priority location. 

Priority regions include Central Queensland, Darling Downs-South West, Far North Queensland or North Queensland.

These scholarships include 40 STEM scholarships for candidates specialising in science, technology, engineering or maths including primary maths, primary science and psychology, and 60 general scholarships for any teaching area excluding STEM. 

Trade to Teach Internships Program

Applications for the Trade to Teach internship Program have now closed.  Register to be alerted if another round of Trade to Teach is offered in the future.

Federal Government Assistance

The Australian Government has announced scholarships to deliver on Action 2 under the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan to help attract high quality candidates in the teaching profession and to help address teacher workforce shortages. Round Two applications are expected to open in late 2024/early 2025.  Please refer to details here. 

ICPA Qld Teacher Education Portfolio Report 2023 and the Teacher Education Portfolio Policy are available for your perusal.