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When Graduate Teachers start in schools as Early Career Teachers (ECTs), they face many challenges in their first three years of teaching. However, their ability to adapt to classroom, workload and time management – as well as the challenges of the school, colleagues, students and parents – can put enormous stress on their confidence to push-through this initial teaching period.

Recently, we published an article Early Career Teacher Challenges which focused on the success and retention of ECTs and methodology to achieve this.

So, let’s look at this more closely from the ECT’s perspective.

ECTs typically enter their first job via the government sector (Department for Education (DfE) schools) or the non-government sector (Catholic, Lutheran and Independent schools).

‘Buoyed’ by their successful graduation from their university degree (and practicums), ECTs realise there will be a steep learning curve in the ‘real world’ classroom/school environment, but what they may underestimate is the lack of support from their employer, school or sector.

Caveat-emptor, ‘all that glitters is not gold’

When choosing government versus non-government as their first sector, it is reasonable for the ECT to be lured into hope that the modern, well-equipped and seemingly well-funded non-government schools will offer more resources and better support, purely by the look of the school’s buildings, brochure or website.

What the look of a building, brochure or website, and even the cut of a uniform or the reputation of a school name or sector doesn’t inform the ECT is the reality of what lies within in terms of support, workload and even a salary that is underwhelming when compared to like schools or DfE conditions.

When your faith is tested

For some ECTs, the choice of government or non-government sector may align with their own religious faith, and that is a valid consideration. However, the faith commitment may in fact become a much larger commitment to a lower comparative salary, lower Non-instruction Time (NIT), a high workload and significant work-life imbalance that finds them stressed and unwell.

On the lower comparative salary, fair compensation is hard to argue when your salary is matched to the DfE (in the Catholic sector), but the workload is significantly higher than in DfE schools.

Sound familiar?

This feedback is from an ECT/GT IEU(SA) member who shared with us their frustration about the lack of salary increases commensurate with extra hours and commitment required working in the Catholic sector versus working in a DfE school.

They have worked in both and cannot understand why Catholic staff aren’t better remunerated to show that their efforts are appreciated.

Members and potential members hold the key

We understand the full story of this member, and we are careful to disclose it fairly. But at the same time, we hear this story repeatedly. So many members. So many non-members.

You can change this through collective action.

That collective action requires commitment to join the IEU and increase the member density in Catholic schools so that Catholic Education South Australia (CESA) hear you very loudly and cannot ignore you.

Without your own action, change is unlikely to meet what you want but haven’t collectively demanded.

Join the IEU with your colleagues and speak up. Make them hear you.