What kind of English teacher do they want? Learning area-specific role preferences and requirements in Australian non-government school job advertisements

Abstract

ABSTRACT In addition to aligning with context-specific expectations of policymakers, initial teacher education of secondary English teachers can consider schools’ needs. Furthermore, schools may decrease attrition when they recruit teachers who meet their role requirements. To explore the learning area-specific role preferences and requirements of Australian non-government schools, a hybrid content analysis of N = 130 job advertisements was undertaken. Findings highlight three related but also distinct role preferences and requirements in relation to experience, qualifications and related knowledge, and English advocacy. It was also found that around one in five jobs were explicitly open to employing recent graduates. Job advertisements typically had poor coverage of learning area-specific role preferences and requirements, and only around a quarter of advertisements were seeking an applicant with suitable qualifications to teach in the English learning area. With reducing teacher attrition a key goal, schools could consider providing more detail in job advertisements to enable applicants to consider their skills and preferences in relation to the diverse needs of the secondary English teaching role.