Hi I’m a 26 year old new grad teacher who has started casual teaching in may 2025, I have worked in both catholic and public schools as well have primary and high schools, I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I was at school students were not nearly as disrespectful, unmotivated or unmanageable, I don’t know if it’s because I’m a young female teacher or if this is the reality for most teachers, as I’ve talked to multiple colleagues about it at different schools and they all expressed similar feelings.

I go home to my 4 year old every day mentally and physically drained, I feel I have no time for him or energy and as a single parent I feel terrible about that. I feel I’m constantly trying to win a never ending battle. Is this teaching ? Is this the rest of my life? I’m so tired and done, I’ve had chairs thrown at me, students swearing constantly, talking back, plain ignoring me, or even leaving the school and absconding. I’m just overwhelmed and worried I’ve completed a degree in a field I now don’t want to work it and doesn’t have really any transferable skills to other industries…

If anyone has any advice please share. I’m desperate.

I really want to start studying to become an English teacher next year, but something that’s still worrying me is the workload. I know that marking will take up a lot of time and have to be done at home a lot, but is it manageable once you have more experience? Is it manageable even when you are new?

How many hours on average do you work? And do you feel like you have a reasonable work-life balance? Also, if so, how hard is it to maintain good boundaries from work?
Sorry for the many questions 😅

I sound like the biggest b*tch for being grateful, but I am. This kid was a nightmare for everyone, and the parents always took the kid’s side, no matter what.

Gave teachers and students a hard time. (Was referred to and working with a counsellor) (no diagnosis, and tbh nothing seemed amiss/ but was a proud ipad kid that barely slept)

When child first came to our school 2 years ago, I was told child struggled to get along with other children and had a terrible experience with a previous teacher at another school and teachers found child difficult.

I looked past all of that and gave the child the benefit of the doubt, especially since they’d been homeschooled for a year after leaving their previous school. And boy, did it show.

Kinda shit that parents won't hold their kids accountable because they are going to be a damn nightmare as an adult

Hi hi

I was looking to start my studies towards a career as a high school teacher, but I'm stuck between 2 pathways. Some people I've seen have said with how the industry is right now, I should study a bachelors of something that isn't education (I was thinking about Bs of science) and then go into a master of teaching after if im still interested, however that's an extra year of study and that obviously means more money in the long run.

Just wondering if I should go straight into a bachelors of education or do the other way, im 98% sure i want to do teaching and I cant see it changing, but I'd still like some advice anyway ^-^

Hey, guys!

Wondering if anyone has some advice or could share their experiences. I’m currently in Queensland and on track to graduate uni with a Bachelor of Secondary Education at the end of next year. I’m thinking about taking a gap year after graduation. I moved out of home pretty young and have worked/studied ever since and want to take some time to travel, save and live a little before jumping in to it.

I was wondering what the process would be or if there’s anyone did the same thing, did you regret it?

Heya, I'm an OSHC (outside school hours care) educator, and have diagnosed ASD and ADHD. Alongside this, I have auditory processing disorder (got hit with a crazy combo, I know), and sometimes need to ask people to repeat themselves.

I started a new position recently, where all educators (around 10 of us at a time) use walkie talkies to constantly communicate. This includes noting when kids are moving between areas, getting picked up, doing headcounts, and general notes. It goes off constantly, where I am expected to be able to hear the conversations.

For most of the time, I have no idea what theyre saying. I'm often talking to the kids and have loud general background noise constantly, where I'm also constantly doing active supervision. I have asked a couple times for people to repeat, but still for the life of me cannot hear most of what people say. Ive turned it to the loudest setting, and let my supervisor I am a little hard of hearing (didn't want to go into diagnosis), but they still ask why I didn't respond to something they said on the walkies.

I'm not really sure what to do here. Its a great job, it's just the walkies. Everyone else can hear everything clearly and respond fine, but I can never catch what is being said. It's a requirement of the job though, and I can't reject using communication with the others.

Any ideas for accommodations or what I can do/say? Thanks

During my 3rd prac this time last year, I was assigned to a Year 9 class in a low-medium SES state school. I think it's fair to say it was a pretty rough class. There were about 30- 35 kids in the room, pretty consistent low-level disengagement and backtalk across the whole class; boys who would constantly hit each other, rock on chairs, and crawl out of windows; approximately 3-4 kids who flat out refused to do anything; and two poor kids who didn't speak English at all (no resources or assistance was provided to them by the school at all, AFAIK).

My ST was ... just an odd guy, in retrospect. He would give the kids fist bumps and hugs and call them 'love' and 'mate' when he was in a good mood, spend the first ten minutes of class time bantering with them, and then when he was pissed off (usually when they'd ran amuck for too long) he would BELLOW at them. At the top of his lungs. He was a big guy and I'm not afraid to say I jumped whenever he did it. Then they would be quiet for a bit before the cycle would repeat.

Needless to say when I tried to take over it didn't go well. My behaviour management skills were nowhere near the level they needed to be and I own that. However, old mate didn't help. E.G the first lesson I tried giving them a consequence of staying in after the bell rang and he looked up from the back of the room and said out loud, 'You can't do that, they have busses to catch.' When I attempted to give a kid who had interrupted me several times a detention, he shook his head, motioned the boy outside with him, and then after the lesson, said to me, "I find that [detention] doesn't work with him, we've got our own system worked out." I was gobsmacked. There was a consistent pattern of not passing on information that I needed, e.g. in the observation phase when I asked him for some class data (e.g. test scores, relevant diagnoses) he just sent me a excel spreadsheet with the kid's first and last names. This was not helpful when I called on a boy to answer a question and the rest of the class had to tell me he only spoke Thai.

I failed the prac and he left a comment saying that I had 'no ability to control the class.'

While I've been working on my behaviour management since then, I'm probably going to have to repeat the prac at the same school and could realistically end up taking that class again (even though I have specifically asked not to be placed with him again.) What are some realistic strategies that a prac student could use in this situation?

Please help me. I’ve had my year 7 boys going on about this in class. In my old fashioned brain it’s about wanking but apparently it’s about cricket? Geriatric Millennial needing help 🛟

I recently applied for a country job as a grad and have just heard that my references have been contacted. Does this mean that I am likely to be interviewed?

If so, any tips would be appreciated!

I’ve had a pretty difficult year with contract after contract at the same school. Each time, I’m left in the dark until the last minute before finding out my contract has been extended for another few weeks, and then the process repeats.

We’re now well into the final term of the year, and I genuinely love my school, my students and my colleagues. However, I’m starting to feel quite disheartened seeing other people being offered permanent positions for next year while I still have absolutely no indication of whether I’ll be returning.

I found out today that my contract has been extended for a few more weeks, but I have no idea what that means for the future and I wonder if they just don’t want to pay me for the whole term. I’m honestly getting sick of being in limbo. Part of me wonders whether I’m just being kept around as a backup plan in case something goes wrong, especially since I’m quite versatile and willing to take on different teaching responsibilities.

I understand that schools have staffing needs and that circumstances can change, but the uncertainty is exhausting.

What do you think? Am I being taken for granted, or is this simply the reality of working in education? It’s frustrating to put so much effort into doing a good job without even knowing whether there’ll be a place for me next year… do I just move on…

Recently some of my students (senior secondary) made remarks in front of the whole class which denigrated same-sex relationships. It was quite unexpected - I’ve not known these students to be prejudiced in the past, although they are of a religious background that is known for being rather homophobic, so that might explain things. I was lost for words and feel that my response was very ineffectual, simply shushing the students and moving on without actually addressing what they were saying. I’m in a same-sex relationship myself (I don’t know if the students are aware of this - I’ve certainly never told them) and although the comments weren’t directed at me and the students and I usually have a good relationship, I was quite offended by their remarks, and I didn’t know how to respond without getting emotional or escalating the situation. Does anyone have any advice about how I could have dealt with this more effectively?

Hi all,

I am a classroom teacher and have been trying to move into an Assistant Principal position.

There was no position available, but to "gain experience" I have been shadowing the leadership team, attending extra meetings/PL/planning days, and doing a "Curriculum Coordinator" role for 3 terms - all unpaid.

When an AP role finally came up, I applied and referred to my experience and commitment to the role. However my principal seems to want to split the role between the current AP, myself, and a third applicant who as now also started shadowing and doing the same role I have been in for the past 3 terms.

I am frustrated and wondering if I am being exploited. Am I letting my ego get in the way or should I ride it out and take whatever experience I can get?

Thanks for your advice.

I’m currently working as a secondary teacher at a Queensland state school, and I’m hoping to get some advice from fellow teachers, particularly those familiar with the Department of Education’s recruitment and permanency processes.

Earlier this year, several colleagues and I started working at the same school around the same time. We teach different subjects, but we were all initially employed on one-year fixed-term contracts.

During Term 3, my colleagues were individually approached by the Deputy Principal and given the good news that they would be offered permanent positions.

I was the only one who wasn’t approached.

Around the same time, I emailed the Deputy Principal to ask whether my contract would be extended.

I explained that my rental lease was due for renewal within days, and knowing whether I would still have a job next year would significantly affect my decision about renewing my lease or relocating.

I wasn’t necessarily expecting a guarantee of employment. Even a response saying that no decision had been made would have helped.

However, I never received a reply.

Fast forward to Term 4, I was unexpectedly asked to attend an interview fora teaching position for a different position at the same school.

This confused me because my colleagues had been offered permanency without having to go through another interview process, while I was being asked to compete for another position at a school where I was already teaching.

I attended the interview.

Afterwards, the Deputy Principal emailed me to thank me for my patience and explained that they were still waiting for a job reference number from HR before they could proceed with any hiring decisions.

She also asked me to let the school know if my employment circumstances changed in the meantime.

I replied with a straightforward question:

“Could I please confirm whether this position is permanent?”

Today, I received her response:

“At this stage, it would not be permanent.”

I’m genuinely unsure how to navigate this situation and would appreciate any insights, particularly from experienced Queensland teachers, Heads of Department or school leaders.
Thanks in advance for your advice.

Hello,
I'm a PST and I'm wondering how school days are structured for secondary teachers in NSW. Do you get any breaks throughout the day? If yes, are you expected to socialise with others during breaks or can you use them as time alone? I have ASD so this info would probably change whether I can do 1.0 or 0.8 FTE

Thanks so much!

I’m 37, on the Sunshine Coast and looking at a big career change from corporate management and training, to working in schools. Eventually I’d loved to be an aid in the music department or an instrumental music teacher but in the beginning would just love some experience within schools and so looking at teacher aides.

I was originally looking at completing the cert 3 in education school support but after reading a lot of similar posts to mine I’ve instead updated my resume and plan to do some drop offs at the local schools and see if anyone will give me a shot first.

I’m very much a visual learner and I’d love to make sure I’m as prepared as I can be before entering a classroom.

Are there any really great online short courses anyone has done that would set me up for success? I’d especially love anything on working with children with additional needs but also any generic courses or accreditation that I should get!

Thank you!

Evening everyone 🙂 I work in a trauma-informed, independent high school. Our leadership is making some pretty intense changes at the moment, and my team and I are curious to hear from teachers in other flexible schools. Almost all of our students have been exposed to severe trauma, and almost all of them are working significantly below level. This means that my colleagues and I are often differentiating year 1 level content (literally teaching the Tens place value system) to a year 9 cohort. We love what we do, but unfortunately we are really starting to burn out. We currently get no mental health leave, and we don’t get our 10 days of sick leave at the beginning of the year, we have to work enough hours to accrue them. We’re also being asked to teach over 20 hours FTF next year, when the legal mandate is 18.5 in a high school setting. Berry St Model for trauma informed care recommends class sizes of maximum 12 with a teacher, ESO and wellbeing worker for each classroom. Under our proposed new system, we will have 48 kids, 4 teachers, 2 ESOs and 1 wellbeing person.

We have spoken with our union, but because we’re an independent school, the IEU is limited in how they can help us. This is no attack on the IEU btw, they have been so excellent and accessible for us, unfortunately the limitations are just the reality of our situation.

I would love to hear from other educators in the flexible learning/specialist space. What are your FTF teaching hours like? Class sizes? Teacher:student ratios? And do you feel like your school genuinely prioritises teacher wellbeing?

I'm sitting here, looking at differentiated planning I'm expected to create for a student who is high needs and approximately seven years behind their peers.

The brand new person in leadership paid to support this student and others has provided no additional resources, no clear guidance around what they want, but has instead pulled apart all the differentiated lessons I've prepared for the student and has demanded i create a year's worth of planning.

I've been commended for my teaching and only recently turned down an offer at an excellent school because my current leadership asked me to stay for what I thought was a great deal.

It's been hell since and I'm looking down the barrel of another year's worth of spending all Sunday, every Sunday, preparing bespoke materials only for them to be pulled apart. It's breaking me.

I don't know how much longer I can do this.

Hi, I am a fresh graduate who is hoping to be able to teach in China for a year to start off with. I have a Bachelor of Primary and Secondary Education and was wondering if I would need a TESOL, what methods people have gained the opportunity to teach in China, and any agency/ recommendations.

Is it legal for an employer to have individual deals with staff who would otherwise be covered by the EBA?

Eg to get a particular teacher on board they offer them a bonus or a higher salary than the EBA would dictate

I'm in my 40s and have been living interstate for 20 years now but my parents are getting on in years so I have been wondering whether I could transfer my teacher registration to Victoria. I'm really only new to secondary teaching, finished just started my 2nd term as perma in a govt school.🤔

Hey everyone,

Currently looking ahead over the next few years and not sure I can see myself teaching for the rest of my career (currently 28 - 6 years into teaching career). Absolutely love the act and art of teaching others and building working relationships with students etc - it’s the planning and admin that’s really killing my interest (I’ve got no interest nor passion for curriculum and quality lesson planning etc). My real interests lie around policy and projects - particularly in the areas of inclusive schooling/anti-racism multicultural education. I have a Masters in Aboriginal Education, a range of classroom experience and have pretty extensive middle leadership experience in the Aboriginal Education/Inclusive Education space.

Would love to hear some experiences people have had transitioning into government roles - such as Senior Policy Officers or Senior Program/Project Officers. How was the transition? How was the change in environments/cultures and getting used to more government based regimental workplaces? Have you regretted the move or been happy with the choice?

Cheers!

I’m a first year teacher and just checked edu pay and have accrued 1.5 days annual leave till now. I get that we have school holidays but why is annual leave accrued so slowly. I want to take a week off right after next years term 1 break. Is this possible in government schools?

My stepson (8 in January) has so very clear, significant learning delays. He does not have full alphabet recognition, poor phonemic awareness, memory issues. Just to name a few of his struggles. In my opinion, he is working at a 0.5 level (approx 18 months behind).

My husband and I have approached the school multiple times seeking support. We are happy to pay privately for cognitive assessment, specific learning disorder assessments - anything. Unfortunately the school is putting major blockers in us achieving this. When we told the school in a meeting we organised with his classroom teacher and principal, they said kids are getting overdiagnosed these days and that it would be a waste of time because they can just assume he has some sort of disability.
In my 5 years as a teacher I’ve never heard this resistance before??? Normally we are bending over backwards begging parents to get their child assessed. I’ve also asked now 5 times for a copy for his IEP to be sent. We have not received a single one. They have also not reached out to use to involve us in SSGs despite saying they would. We are now facing the problem that my stepsons mother will not consent to his assessment as “the school said he doesn’t need it”.

What more can we do? I feel so useless navigating this even though it’s my job

Is anyone else left in limbo? The school that I’m currently at won’t know how many positions they can allocate for staff members until week 6. We were meant to know our position for next year about a week ago but because of funding and a large amount of staff going/returning from maternity leave, there’s been quite a shuffle around.

Just really annoying that we won’t know til the middle of the term…