shift leader

elementary school teacher

teacher

assistant principal

high school teacher

Department for Education, South Australia

What is the best part of working at the company?
I didn’t have any parts of working with the DECS at all exciting or good, it was very hard to find work anywhere..

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Trying to keep my position working at any of the schools, as that was always a struggle, and it was just tough on everyone including my family..

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Each school was different, l had different teaching roles at every school this l was employed at.. meeting new staff and students was always daunting for me, l always felt anxious going to these schools, especially when l only had work as a TRT, and that was difficult and at times nerve wrecking.. l had worked all over SA, especially when l worked in the country schools.. This was fun and exciting for me in the beginning, but towards the end of my contract, l just couldn’t wait to get out of there quick enough, as it was so painful and stressful and not enjoyable at all.. Sometimes I go to work and feel like a zombie, as the days just became enduring and in the end l just couldn’t deal with it anymore..

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It became repetitive and boring, sometimes I just didn’t want to be there at all.. my role became more tedious and I just wasn’t getting any respect from my colleagues and l always felt like I was alone on this.. Most of the time l just kept to myself, I felt as if I didn’t belong at certain schools.. l hardly ever enjoyed my days at these schools..

A typical day includes teaching, student support, collaboration with colleagues, yard duties, student behaviour management.
Working as a teacher in DECD is rewarding and fun, but also challenging.
 If you you enjoy working with students aged 11 years and older then you should enjoy day to day teaching as most students are serious about their work and commitments. Challenging student however, can be VERY challenging and often the same can be said of indulging- and helicopter parents.
DECD is also in the midst (at the time of the writing of this review) of significant systemic changes that is going to demand much of staff, students and parents/carers and other stakeholders.
These changes will place much pressure and expectation on teachers, but those who embrace change and love challenges should succeed.
A down-side of working for DECD is how hard it is to become a permanent teacher. One has to start out as a TRT (Temporary Relief Teacher), then obtain contracts ranging from a few weeks up to a calendar year. One only stand a chance of permanency once you start to get contracts. I'm aware of other teachers who have been contract teacher for 10 years+ without ever getting to the interview stage of application processes, and I'm referring to good, highly skilled/experienced teacher.

I work in a large Regional High School with a student body of around 1,000 students. Due to the Regional isolation an Arts culture is quite hard to maintain in an area dominated by Sports culture. There is a lot of change in management and at times this can be frustrating, as very competant and innovative managers often move to the Metropolitan area. The most enjoyable part of my day is the classroom and Teaching itself, which provides me with endless creative opportunities to facilitate learning for a wide variety of students from a varied range of socio-economic backgrounds. Everyday is full of challenges and learning opportunities for refining the craft of teaching and developing new curriculum understanding. The Performing Arts has specific challenges, on a daily basis, and each day is filled with a variety of organisational and creative decisions. The Arts community/faculty is always fun and productive as a work environment and although many government schools are underfunded, we are provided with endless creative challenges around      developing quailty Arts education with what we have available regarding physical resources.

working for department of education and children services is very challenging and have a good team of colleagues around you give you an extra support to overcome these challenges. as one of the staff at the school some times we can have a very tough day because of one incident or some impropriate behaviour. talking to the students about what  the school's expectations are can be very challenging and getting the messages  through when they are not keen to listen even make it more harder. have a healthy and constructive communication with co-worker ensure the quality of work we provide for the students. if we want to have an enjoyable work environment we should treat each other with the respect and dignity. one of my hardest time in school when a colleagues or work mate is about to announce his or her retirement or departure from the school.

DECD is a very unwieldy organisation which is riddled with"mates" and nepotism. The students are great, as are most of the teachers. But management and leadership is closed to anyone who doesn't toe the line. Buzz words are at the heart of everything DECD  does. Those who toe the line will be fine. Those who do not will be ignored.  - I have never applied for leadership in DECD, so please note that this is not the rant of an embittered applicant! The culture is pretty toxic though.

Having been out of academic studies for a long time before my role, the degree of difficulty with various teaching roles depended upon level that I was teaching at
Younger grades at Top Level classes as well as more senior grades at a Bottom classes I felt more confident with a higher success rate
Were as Year 10  grades Top Level classes I found more challenging as I myself relearning a lot of material before each lesson

Working for DECD is amazing. There so many fantastic personal rewards. I love working with the children to help them reach there education goals. My co works and fantastic always willing to help each other out.
Hardest part of the job is student agression which dosn't happen that often.
The most enjooyable part of my job is when I have helped a student learn some thing that may have taken them years to acheve.

I enjoy working with my colleagues, as well as the sometimes autonomous nature of the work. Also, the variety that every day generally brings.

Unfortunately there is not really any possibility of career advancement in my position. 

It can be highly stressful and the workload is basically impossible.

Restructures happen on quite a regular basis which can make people feel very unsettled, and concerned about their job security.

Management varies, depending on where you work.

Toxic, environment. Spy network, back stabbing, ruthlessly competitive, jobs and advancement jobs for the boys.  Open , honest discussion not encouraged. Totalitarian leadership, would never recommend or work for this organisation again. Unfair biased assessment of employee work performance. 

I worked for the DECD for more than 10 years in various teaching roles and one thing is for sure, they do not support their staff one bit if there is a situation involving a student. Regardless of what you have alleged to have done or said, you are immediately guilty until proven otherwise.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Shift leader 364 salaries reported	$133,060 per year
Elementary school teacher 236 salaries reported	$101,841 per year
Teacher 274 salaries reported	$101,794 per year
Assistant principal 132 salaries reported	$140,842 per year
High school teacher 157 salaries reported	$99,128 per year

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