100 signatures reached
To: All State Ministers for Education; Jason Clare, Minister for Education, Federal Government
Living wage during teaching placements
There is a teacher shortage both across the country and in Victoria yet the next generation of teachers face tremendous hardship when on placement. No one should be expected to work for free, and it’s no wonder that after weeks of unpaid labour while accruing expenses ranging from travel to teaching supplies to building a professional wardrobe, many future teachers drop out of their courses and the teacher shortage is exacerbated further.
Why is this important?
Financial strain, which jumps 600% during placement periods (Smith et al., 2018), is one of the leading drivers of preservice teacher drop outs. Not because these teachers are poor at the job, nor that they do not enjoy the work or the high workload, but purely because they cannot financially sustain themselves for weeks without pay. During a teacher shortage, this is a broken system. Furthermore, there should not be an education system that only allows for those who are financially viable to succeed, especially in a sector that so desperately needs new staff.
Let's fix this now!
Support the AEU Preservice Teacher Association members in our fight for preservice teacher payment by signing below.
Join our Facebook page to assist in the campaign here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/635367530941019