Teach Queensland Career Fair
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 123 No 7, 5 October 2018, page no. 6
The annual Teach Queensland Career Fair on 29 August proved busy for those on the QTU stall, with 86 new associate and financial members signed up in just a single day.
Almost 750 pre-service and qualified teachers visited the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre for the DoE-organised event, which is designed to give preservice, graduate and experienced teachers a chance to talk face-to-face with school leaders and regional recruiters about permanent and temporary teaching opportunities in Queensland state schools.
It was wonderful to connect with existing and potential members, who were passionate and excited for their teaching career. We were able to speak about the benefits of QTU membership, both as a preservice teacher (associate membership) and once paid employment begins (financial membership). We highlighted the industrial, professional and legal protection that being a member provides; especially important with EB9 on the horizon.
Each of the department’s regions also hosted a stall, and attendees had the opportunity to meet with staffing officers and principals to discuss present and future job opportunities.
There were also stalls run by special interest groups within the department, such as State Schools Indigenous Education, Rural and Remote Incentives, Instrumental Music Teachers and the Teacher Applicant Centre. Organisations who support the teaching profession, such as Teachers Mutual Bank, QSuper and TUH Health Fund, were also represented. Education Minister Grace Grace attended too. Seminars were also on offer, including:
- The insider’s guide to securing your first teaching job
- Opportunities in Indigenous communities
- Inside the world of a beginning teacher
- Opportunities for early childhood teachers
- Unique teaching experience: hospital schools
- Rural and remote incentives
- Myth busting the teacher applicant process.
Feedback collected by the department indicated that attendees found it a truly worthwhile experience. Their feedback indicates that 94 per cent would recommend future career fairs to friends and colleagues.
Teach Queensland is an annual event. For details, see https://teach.qld.gov.au/