The Northern Territory has welcomed its newest cohort of teachers and principals into its ranks today, as their orientation begins. Over 150 staff are stepping into roles, but it's not enough to cover the deficit. The new teachers are keen to mould young minds but are perhaps a little naive about the challenges ahead.
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00:00Class is in session for the Northern Territory's newest cohort of teachers, including arrivals
00:08from interstate and overseas.
00:10I've wanted to come and really experience what Australia is really like and the diversity
00:16that it has.
00:17A good experience, a good learning experience on just coming out first year and getting
00:21straight into it.
00:22For those returning to the Territory, there's words of wisdom for the first timers.
00:27I think they're unexpected, that's the advice I can give them, expect the unexpected, always
00:34believing that whatever strategy you may come up with, they may not work.
00:41With 146 new teachers and 23 principals, it's one of the biggest intakes in recent years.
00:48But there's still a significant shortfall, 110 vacancies.
00:53Some of those positions will be filled from department staff that do have their teaching
00:58degree.
00:59The shortage having a trickle-on effect.
01:01The flow-on effect of shortages is that it puts a lot of pressure back onto the people
01:06who are already there.
01:09So you do have people backfilling, working two jobs at once, having split classes.
01:15Teachers in the Territory are often required to do more than just educate.
01:19They can find themselves being makeshift social workers, sports coaches, drivers and
01:24family counsellors.
01:25There's only so much we can do to prepare people in those instances, it comes back again
01:31to making sure we have the systems in place once they're there to receive that support
01:35if they need them.
01:36Plenty of learning ahead.