$50,000 Bonus Offered To Victoria Qualified Teachers To Relocate To Rural Victoria

The Andrews government is providing location incentives of $9,000 to $50,000 for early childhood teachers to accept positions in particular Victoria regional, rural, and metro areas that need further support as part of the new Kindergarten Workforce Strategy changes.

The new programme offers bonus payments of up to $50,000 to candidates who accept positions that are difficult to fill in an effort to increase the proportion of early childhood educators in rural areas

Preschool teachers who relocate more than 60 kilometres from their homes or change careers from teaching or another field to work in specific regional services are given larger incentives.

For those who qualify for the $50,000 incentive, $10,000 will be awarded initially, followed by $10,000 after six months and $10,000 each year for the following three years.

In contrast, a staggering 82 per cent of early childhood educators reside in Melbourne, while only 15% and 3%, respectively, do the same in inner- and outer regional areas.

Those who relocate more than 200 kilometres to take up a position as a preschool educator are also eligible for a one-time $3000 relocation assistance.

Ingrid Stitt, the minister for early childhood education, stated that in order to provide all of our children with the greatest start possible, the government would need to hire "a tremendous number of dedicated new early childhood educators and teachers."

"As we continue to roll out our nation-leading free three and four-year-old kindergarten, we're offering financial incentives to attract additional early childhood instructors to regional areas," she said.

Qualified early childhood instructors entering or returning to the field, as well as those travelling from another state or New Zealand, are eligible for the incentive programme.

Reference: 
Kindergarten Teachers Offered $50k To Take Up Hard-To-Fill Positions In Regional Victoria, Triple M Australia