Relocating to Australia from overseas? Wanting to work in ECEC? Advice from Victoria

Until the end of 2024 Gowrie Victoria is offering free coaching for teachers and educators who are joining the Victorian early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector from overseas, on behalf of the Victorian Department of Education.

Some of the teachers and educators who have participated in this coaching and support recently held discussions with the Gowrie Victoria team, sharing insights about some of the challenges which educators relocating from overseas face when joining the sector, and how this support has helped them to overcome them. 

“For teachers relocating to Victoria from overseas, it can often feel overwhelming and extremely isolating, especially when they are the only Early Childhood Teacher at their service,” a Gowrie spokesperson noted. 

“Trying to understand the differences and similarities between the Victorian Frameworks and the New Zealand Framework Te Whāriki for example, can be quite daunting. There is a great deal of information to unpack across the National Quality Standard (NQS), the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF), not to mention the planning cycle and other relevant areas of practice which may be unfamiliar.”

Despite these challenging aspects, through coaching, teachers are able to ask questions, clarify their thinking and reflect on how this relates to their evolving practice and knowledge base. 

“Coaching has definitely supported my confidence. Particularly arriving from another country (NZ) and being encouraged by my mentor to look at the positive aspects of my approach so far,” participant Annie shared. 

“Having someone who has allocated time to listen to me and explain teaching approaches here in Victoria has been valuable. I feel more confident that I can adapt to the different context of the Victorian early childhood sector having been informed about other kindergartens’ positive approaches as well as current challenges.” 

Fellow New Zealander Renee agreed saying “I have really gained confidence within the ECE sector in Australia, now being very familiar with the frameworks, the similarities and differences there are between the New Zealand Framework Te Whāriki.”

For Pam, who also participated in the coaching program, it has helped her to develop her understanding of how Victoria/Australia does things.

“It helped me to reflect upon myself and my leadership and knowledge and to be reminded of my abilities and beliefs in teaching,” she said. 

This sense of reflection and confidence was mirrored in Trudy’s experience.

“I think my attitude towards teaching has had a real positive shift,” she said. 

“I’m no longer feeling unsure or overwhelmed by what I don’t know and because of it I am a happier, more present and intentional teacher. I feel more able to support student teachers and take the lead when required. Planning is something I enjoy a lot more and I’m excited to extend on and document children’s learning.” 

Annie would definitely recommend the coaching offering to peers who are relocating to Australia. 

“Having a Gowrie Coach is very beneficial and has been able to make my transition to Early Childhood teaching in Victoria so much smoother,” she said. 

Coaching one on one allows the coach to delve into areas such as professional identity, connectedness and feeling that sense of purpose in teaching. 

Coaching through these areas can then help build confidence and feeling of being connected to the wider ECEC sector. Longer term, this program can also support teachers to build connections and to network with other teachers and professionals within their communities which attributes to sustained professional growth and ongoing purpose. 

To learn more about Gowrie’s coaching program, e-mail [email protected] or call (03) 8624 1077. 

The original coverage of this story may be found here.