The love of teaching does not pay the mortgage

Insights Newsletter
29 July, 2016

Today the average Auckland house would put close to a $1million dent in your pocket.

Meanwhile a competent teacher’s salary increases yearly and is capped at the seventh year at the mid $70,000 mark.

You do not need to be a maths teacher to see the problem with this equation.

You may have recently seen the ‘we can’t find teachers because housing is too expensive’ stories in the media again.

With regards to the housing matter, last month, Dr Oliver Hartwich offered a seven-word fix: “Build more homes. And build them now.”

But what about the teacher shortage problem?

Schools that can afford to have come up with solutions. Some are luring teachers with accommodation subsidies, others are spending big on recruitment for overseas teachers.

The Ministry of Education too is running recruitment drives to bring Kiwi teachers home.

But these are band-aid solutions: They may get the teachers to Auckland but they cannot keep them.

The issue is both one of attracting and of retaining the talent. Yet, school leaders are restricted in what they can do to meet these needs. Restrictive pay rules can work against schools and teachers.

Those weighing up returns from a teaching career and realising their earning potential has little to do with how good they become at their craft may be deterred from the get-go. And those who can no longer afford to work as teachers are already voting with their feet: either leaving Auckland schools or looking to other professions.

Employees in other sectors face the same challenges but may have an easier time charging more to reflect Auckland costs. The problem with the teacher deal is the one-size-fits-all pay rules across the country. All else being equal, a teacher in Whanganui likely gets paid the same as one in Auckland city.

Answers to the teacher shortage equation may be more than seven words but are also seemingly simple: Signal to teachers that their worth will be recognised, provide a premium to offset the cost of living, and give school leaders greater flexibility to manage their staffing needs.

Money is not the only thing that matters for teachers but for Auckland schools and their students, it is starting to matter a lot. Love and passion will only take teachers part of the way.

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