What does a teacher do?
Teachers share their knowledge on a set of topics with students in order to develop their skills, knowledge and thinking. A teacher creates and prepares lesson plans that engage students and keep them interested in the subject being taught.
Teachers need to cater to students of various abilities and learning levels and be patient and empathetic with their students. A teacher’s duties generally also include setting and grading homework and tests, documenting student progress, communicating with parents on a regular basis and organising incursions and excursions.
Teacher skills and qualifications
A successful teacher needs to have the following skills and aptitudes to perform their role well:
- Strong communication skills
- Patience and empathy
- Flexibility and ability to adapt to changing environments
- Creativity and imagination
- Keenness to keep learning
- Great time management skills
- Good computer and technological skills
- Excellent leadership skills
Teacher experience requirements
Teaching degrees in Australia include a practical component, where the student carries out classroom teaching activities under the supervision of an experienced teacher. So newly qualified teachers will already have some practical experience in the classroom.
Depending on the role and year level for which you are recruiting, you may want to hire a more senior teacher with a certain number of years of experience. This will be down to your institution’s particular needs in each case.
Teacher education and training requirements
Working as a teacher in Australia requires a four-year university degree or postgraduate qualification in teaching, with specialisation in the desired field or age group.
This usually means a Bachelor’s of Education (Early Childhood Education) for teaching children aged 4 to 8, a Bachelor’s of Education (Primary) for teaching children aged 5 to 12, or a Bachelor’s of Education (Secondary) for teaching at high-school level. In addition, secondary school teachers can specialise in one or more subject areas such as English, Maths or Social Science.
To work in a public school, budding Australian teachers need to be approved and register with their state or territory’s education department while completing their degree in order to be able to apply for a teaching job afterwards.
Teacher salary expectations
According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a teacher is $94,017 per year. Notably, some educational institutions – especially private schools and TAFEs – offer much higher salaries that are well above the national average. Geographically, teachers in Canberra, in particular, are reporting average annual salaries of almost $140,000.
Job description samples for similar positions
There are a few roles that are similar to a teacher. Take a look to see if you need to hire one of these specialists instead of a teacher:
Teacher job description FAQs
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about the teacher role:
What career progression might a teacher expect?
As a teacher gains more experience and seizes professional development opportunities on a regular basis, they might want to explore other options in the educational sector. Typically, a teacher will strive to move up the ranks, from graduate teacher to highly accomplished or lead teacher, head of special education services, head of department, head of campus, head of school, deputy principal and finally principal. These roles come with increasing amounts of responsibility and higher salaries.
Can a teacher switch subjects?
Yes, a teacher can choose to teach a different subject than the one they chose at the start of their career. However, this may mean they will need to complete further training and an additional qualification in their new subject of choice to ensure their knowledge and skills in the field are up to date.
How do you get the best out of your teachers?
Teaching can be a very stressful job, and burnout is an issue across the education sector. As an employer of teachers, it’s important that you provide your teaching staff with a supportive, caring environment to help them feel relaxed and bring out the best in them. Make sure that teachers feel like they can share any concerns they may have, and give them the opportunity to participate in mentoring programs and further professional development.
*Indeed provides this information as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your recruiting or legal advisor, we are not responsible for the content of your job descriptions, and none of the information provided herein guarantees performance.
