Paid pathway aims to lure career changers into the classroom

Lauren Shivvaan entered teaching in her late 30s and has not looked back. (Supplied) A new program will pay a wage to mid-career professionals who make the switch to teaching, with successful applicants splitting their time between their studies and working in the classroom. The Change2Teaching program will be rolled out across Tasmania's north-west and south from next year and it will take people two years to earn a Masters of Teaching. The initiative has been welcomed by the Australian Education Union, with the state struggling to attract and retain teachers. Link copiedShareShare articleLauren Shivvaan worked in law and the public service before making a life-changing career decision in her late 30s. A job as a university tutor gave her the professional clarity she needed. "Through that I realised I loved to teach and I should have done teaching all along," Ms Shivvaan said. The Devonport resident, who is now working as a high school legal studies teacher in Burnie, is the type of mid-career professional being sought by a new program that aims to attract more teachers to Tasmanian schools. Under the Change2Teaching program, 40 Masters of Teaching students will be paid a wage while studying and working part-time in the classroom. The 2027 pilot program, being delivered by the Department of Education in partnership with the University of Tasmania, will be held in schools in the state's north-west and south. "We are really looking for those folk who would like to change their careers and really give back," Change2Teaching director Mary Ann Hunter told ABC Mornings. "As you build confidence and skills in teaching … by the end of the two years you will be working in the classroom independently." Like most of the country, Tasmania is in the midst of a burnout-driven teacher shortage. Department of Education data shows that, between 2020 and 2024, the number of teachers quitting within their first five years almost doubled. Leanne McLean, director of the Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment, says teaching is a rewarding career. (ABC News: Hayden Smith) On top of historically poor literacy outcomes, the state government has also been grappling with ways of attracting and retaining teachers. "Teaching isn't for everybody," head of the UTAS School of Education, Leanne McLean, told ABC Mornings. Upon completing the program, Change2Teaching participants will be offered permanent positions within Tasmania's education department. Ms Hunter said they would be offered significant mentoring. "We are going to wrap around a whole heap of support for these 40 candidates," she said. The Independent Review of Education in Tasmania found that the state's education sector could "strengthen how it works with tertiary providers … to ensure that early-career teachers have the knowledge, skills and capabilities so they are well prepared for all aspects of the classroom." The Change2Teaching initiative has been welcomed by the Australian Education Union, with Tasmanian branch president David Genford saying it had come on the back of "good consultation". Minister for Education Jo Palmer says Change2Teaching is an exciting opportunity. (ABC News: Morgan Timms) Education Minister Jo Palmer described Change2Teaching as an "exciting opportunity". "The aim of it is to attract mid-career professionals from other industries," she said. "You might be a scientist, a carpenter… a journalist, whatever it might be." While new, the Change2Teaching program is not Tasmania's first tilt at luring mid-career professionals into education. Teach for Australia (TFA), in which participants study while working in low socio-economic schools, has operated in Tasmania since 2017. Dozens of TFA alumni continue to work in Tasmanian classrooms. Damien Viney worked in the Tasmanian cider industry for more than a decade before joining TFA in the program's 2024 cohort. "It was a really positive thing to do at this time of my life," the 43-year-old father of two said. Damien Viney completed the Teach for Australia program in Tasmania after working in the cider industry. (Supplied: Damien Viney) The Year 9 maths and science teacher said he would not have been able to enter the profession without being paid a wage while studying. "I would not have been able to support my family through the more traditional university route," he said. Ms Shivvaan said becoming a teacher in her late 30s also benefited her students. "I had the background and real-world experience behind me."

Paid pathway aims to lure career changers into the classroom

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