Teacher planning: What you need to know ~ Gurukam Lanka

Teacher planning: What you need to know

Teacher planning has long been a major concern for teachers in Australia, but many are now considering the possibility of retirement.

One in five teachers in Queensland and New South Wales have considered retiring by 2020, according to a new survey.

The research by the Queensland Teachers’ Association shows that two-thirds of teachers who did plan to retire had decided on retirement by the end of the year.

“A lot of teachers have taken a step back and are thinking about what their next step is going to be and how they’re going to get back to work,” teacher and director of education for the Queensland Association of Teachers, Paul Williams, told ABC Radio Brisbane.

Mr Williams said the survey was a good indication of the state of teaching in Australia.

“What we’ve been hearing from teachers is that they’re still feeling the pressure to make sure that they are delivering quality training and that they have the best teaching environment,” he said.

“And so they’re looking at the possibility that they might have to consider retirement.”

A big issue for many teachers in the state is the increasing number of remote teachers.

The Queensland Teachers Association survey also found that only half of teachers in New South Wight, where most of the remote schools are located, were willing to retire.

This compares to almost 80 per cent in Queensland where many teachers are willing to leave.

A growing number of teachers are retiring in Queensland in response to this.

Queensland teacher retirement survey Queensland teachers aged 16-24: 15 per cent