Fixed-term teaching jobs the norm?

Once again, the perennial issue of short-term contracts in the teaching profession has reared its head.

An article in The Age on January 4 highlighted statistics from the Australian Education Union (AEU), including the fact that 58% of new teachers for 2012 can expect to be employed on a fixed-term contract. If you missed the article, you can view it here.

We have previously argued on this site (January last year!) for fixed-term contracts to be retained for the purposes of flexible workplace agreements and educational benefits. However, what we did not explicitly state in the previous article was that short-term contracts (STCs) should only be used to supplement ongoing positions in instances of instability and/or changing class sizes.

What is becoming clear is that principals are using fixed-term contracts, mostly of 12 months’ duration, to minimise staffing costs, provide an automatic out in case of substandard performance (‘try before you buy’) and keep their options open in the event of declining enrolments. However, the financial and emotional impact on teachers who have to re-apply for their own positions time after time can be devastating.

Hall and Ballieu clearly undervalue the education system of which they are products

The article cites the example of a primary school teacher who has had three consecutive fixed-term contracts but is unable to secure one of the rare ongoing government teaching positions (only three of 73 advertised on the Victorian Government website at the time of the article were listed as ongoing). Multiply this by 8,000 (18 per cent of the State’s 44,500 teachers) and you can imagine the impact on the quality of teaching, report writing and other start and end of year activities as teachers adjust to new roles or spend time applying and interviewing for teaching jobs in other schools.

It is perhaps not surprising that so many teachers (48% of those polled) intended to remain in the public system, with the remainder either seeking better tenure in catholic or independent schools or leaving the profession altogether. For a State (and country) that claims to put such high emphasis on quality education, this is clearly a worrying trend. It is hardly surprising then that schools are continually citing difficulties in attracting quality teachers, whilst they are unwilling, or perhaps unable, to offer job security that extends significantly beyond that offered to fruit pickers and ski instructors.

The AEU is suggesting that no teacher can be placed on more than four consecutive fixed-term contracts. Whilst this would certainly improve the situation for many staff, it does not address the causes of the issue, which are a lack of sufficient funding for government schools and a thorough system of performance appraisal and management for all state teachers. The former would permit principals to retain quality staff, regardless of salary scale and would mitigate against declining enrolments, whilst the latter would enforce a strict probationary period with clear performance measures and processes for improving teaching standards where necessary. The independent sector appears to manage these aspects sufficiently well to retain quality staff, so why does it appear impossible for the State to get under control?

Let us know if you are on a fixed-term contract and how it impacts on your personal or professional life. Can you think of an alternative solution to this impasse? Have your say in our online poll.