Teach for Australia Graduate Programs & Internships

What it does: Non-profit organisation helping to improve student and school outcomes
Staff stats: Numbers vary but around 120 Associates are placed each year
The good bits: Social impact, Being in a community of like-minded people
The not so good bits: Can involve relocation, juggling workloads
Hiring grads with degrees in:  Engineering, Maths, IT & Computer Sciences; Finance, Accounting, Economics & Business Administration; Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences; Law & Legal Studies; Sciences 

The Teach for Australia story

Few other careers offer the opportunity for genuine responsibility, autonomy and impact from day one. Teach For Australia’s Leadership Development Program allows participants to share their skills where they are most needed – as teachers in secondary schools – while they earn a Masters in Teaching over the course of two years.

Teach For Australia is part of a global movement dedicated to breaking the cycle of educational disadvantage through teaching and leadership in education. The organisation’s award-winning Leadership Development Program provides an employment-based pathway into teaching, developing highly effective teachers and leaders that help to improve student outcomes in schools serving low socioeconomic communities.

Founded in 2009 by Melodie Potts Rosevear, a former consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership, the organisation is part of the global Teach For All network of over 40 independent, locally led and funded partner organisations with a shared vision for expanded educational opportunity in their countries.

The culture

Through the Leadership Development Program, Associates learn the necessary skills to lead effectively both inside and outside the classroom, in an environment where they can practice them every day, and with the evidence to demonstrate success.

Associates are provided with a comprehensive network to support their professional development and successful completion of the program, and to maintain their health and wellbeing.

Following the two year commitment, Associates remain connected and continue to work in various capacities towards achieving educational equity – through teaching and leading in schools, innovating to solve problems in education, supporting low socioeconomic communities and influencing education policy.

Social contribution

In ten years, Teach For Australia has placed over 800 Associates into more than 180 schools, ultimately helping to change the lives of over 230,000 students. Their stated goal as a collective force—educators, advocates, entrepreneurs, policymakers, community members— is to strive for the aspirations of students and families.

Veterans report

• “There’s no other graduate program that forces you to confront and actively work on your own strengths and weaknesses in such an intense and intentional way.” – Ramya Madhavan
• “Once you become an Associate, you’ll always be part of the Teach For Australia family. We’re all working for the same purpose.” – Shane Woon
• "Every year, more Alumni are taking up positions which allow them to raise the profile of education and how important it is to Australia’s future.” – Edwina Dohle
• “Without Teach For Australia, I don’t feel that my leadership skills would have been developed to a point where I’d be willing and ready to take on an Assistant Principal role in such a short time.” – Adam Ross
• “Teach For Australia is the best pathway that you could take out of university. You’ll grow as a person while working to combat a critical problem for this country.” – Saul Walkerman

The recruitment process

Teach For Australia Associates don’t start out as teachers and come from all academic and professional backgrounds. They look for well-rounded and passionate individuals who have the qualities to create change.

Successful candidates become ‘Associates’ and commit to a two-year period teaching in a school serving a low socioeconomic community, while concurrently undertaking a Master of Teaching (Secondary)(Professional Practice).

Candidates must have completed (or be in the final stage of completing) at least a Bachelor Degree in any discipline by the end of the year. They need to have completed a major study in a learning area taught at high school (i.e. maths, English, science, geography, history, foreign languages, music, or art).

The process starts with an application on the GradAustralia or the Teach For Australia website. After this, candidates progress through a phone interview, an online cognitive assessment of verbal and numerical skills and a Selection Day involving group assessment activities and a one-on-one interview.

Associates are matched to a Teach For Australia partner school to fill an actual vacancy and to meet the unique needs of each school’s profile, curriculum, subjects and culture. Teach For Australia currently places Associates in schools across metropolitan, regional and remote communities in the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.

The program begins with 13 weeks of intensive online and in-residence training, commencing in November. Associates learn about both the practice and theory of teaching, with a particular focus on working in disadvantaged contexts. Associates are given access to teacher coaches, an in-school mentor and an academic mentor.

Remuneration

Actual salaries vary, as Associates are employed by the relevant state or territory government department or directorate or school, according to their specific placement.

The vast majority of program costs are covered by scholarship from Teach For Australia, but Associates are required to contribute a portion of the overall cost of their qualification. FEE-HELP is available to those who are eligible.

Career prospects

Upon completion of the program, Associates are awarded a nationally accredited Master of Teaching (Secondary)(Professional Practice) and become part of the national Teach For Australia and global Teach For All Alumni networks.

Regardless of the future careers they take, Alumni continue to work collectively with each other, with agency and efficacy, to strive for improved outcomes for all children

The vibe of the place

Associates are driven by their sense of social justice. They share Teach For Australia’s belief that the cycle of disadvantage is escapable and that education is the circuit breaker. You can expect to have an unforgettable experience that will be exhausting, frustrating, fulfilling and inspiring, often all at the same time.  

From the Employer:

"As it stands, not every child in Australia has access to the education they deserve. By age 15, children from the lowest socioeconomic households are on average almost three years behind in school than children from the highest socioeconomic households.

Teach For Australia seeks to level the playing field for young people across Australia so that all children have access to the education they deserve. We do this by developing and supporting leaders who positively impact students’ academic achievement, access to opportunities, aspirations and attitudes towards learning.

Our vision is of an Australia where all children, regardless of background, attain an excellent education.

Teach For Australia’s Leadership Development Program allows participants to share their skills where they are most needed – as teachers in secondary schools – while they earn a Masters in Teaching over the course of two years.  Following the two year commitment, they remain connected and continue to work in various capacities towards achieving educational equity – through teaching and leading in schools, innovating to solve problems in education, supporting low socioeconomic communities and influencing education policy.

In ten years, we have placed over 800 Associates into more than 180 schools, ultimately helping to change the lives of over 230,000 students.  As a collective force—educators, advocates, entrepreneurs, policymakers, community members—we strive for the aspirations of students and families.

We are part of a global network with a shared vision for expanded educational opportunity.

Teach For Australia is proud to be a member of the Teach For All global network of over 50 independent, locally led and funded partner organisations with a shared vision for expanded educational opportunity in their countries."