29 October 2007

Australian visas for British high school teachers

Australian state secondary school principals are calling for government support in their bid to attract and retain qualify teaching staff. Sponsoring British teachers for Australian visas is seen as an important measure in solving the quality teacher shortage in Australia.

The principal of a Melbourne high school, Ian McKenzie has written to state premier John Brumby and education minister Bronwyn Pike demanding the Australian government send a recruitment team to countries such as the UK to try to attract teachers to take up Australian immigration.

Mr McKenzie recently sponsored two British technology teachers to obtain Australian visas and come to his school.

He told the Age newspaper that state schools are struggling to compete with salary packages offered by private schools. "The minimum is an extra $10,000, which I cannot compete with, but there are added attractions, like reduced fees for their children. And the resources that are available to the teachers who go across is phenomenal," he said.

Australia needs skilled teachers: anyone interested in Australian immigration should complete the Australian Visa Bureau's online Australian visa assessment to see if they qualify for skilled migration to Australia.