Teaching in an isolated location can be very rewarding, but the challenges are not for everyone. Caroline Illingworth reports.

Imagine this: the town you are teaching in can only be accessed by aeroplane six months of the year. It has one local store that sells lettuces for $4.00 a pop, and there's not a caffe latte in sight. Welcome to the world of remote teaching. Working in a remote school amid the extraordinary beauty and isolation of the Australian outback can be personally and professionally rewarding, but it is important to understand the challenges ahead.

In the past, some teachers have transferred to a remote school for what are seen as “the wrong reasons” such as financial incentives and the opportunity to get permanency after three years. While these incentives have brought the numbers, they have also been criticised for attracting teachers seeking only financial gain. And this doesn't usually work out.

Over recent years, conditions for remote teachers have improved significantly, with perks such as additional salary, subsidised or free rent, rest and relaxation trips and six months' paid study leave at the end of three years. The level of incentives offered depends on the category—schools are ranked from 1 to 3, with category 3 being the most remote.

Challenges and changes

Since the WA government introduced incentives 10 years ago as part of workplace agreements, 'remotes' have gone through a period of change, says State School Teachers' Union WA north-west organiser Frank Herzog.

The situation has stabilised now, says Herzog, who oversees the Gascoyne, Pilbara and Kimberley regions, with teachers returning to union-governed certified agreements in 2000, and several new measures in place. As a result, the number of people taking on a remote role solely for the incentives has reduced—and retention has increased.

An improved 'merit selection' process is now in place and this has helped recruit teachers more suited to the role. This process—implemented on the recommendation of the union and school principals—involves a selection panel that includes people who have worked at remote schools and who understand their unique requirements.

The panel evaluates applicants on their qualifications, experience and personal suitability, and relevant personal attributes such as resilience, flexibility, tolerance, interpersonal skills and independent working.

As a result, the number of teachers heading to remote schools purely for incentives has gradually reduced, with more being attracted to the opportunity of working with Indigenous communities, seeking an educational and lifestyle challenge, or living in a natural environment.

Providing more detailed information to prospective teachers about the remote school environment has also improved the selection process.

In both WA and the Northern Territory, the teachers' union has become actively involved in induction sessions run by the Department of Education and Training, which outline the conditions teachers can expect.

Cultural differences

Nhulunbuy Primary School principal and AEU NT executive member Stephen Pelizzo, a remote teacher for eight years, says teachers must be able to cope with several confronting issues.

One challenge is the lack of personal space. Teachers may have to share housing, or if they have their own house, they may be next-door neighbours to their colleagues.

Then there are the facilities, which are usually fairly basic. In Category 3 and most Category 2 schools there are no supermarkets, so teachers must buy expensive goods from the community store or have food flown in. Medical services are also limited; communities may have only fortnightly access to a flying visit from a nurse and doctor.

There is also the physical and emotional isolation. Some schools cannot be accessed by car during periods of the year, or may be hundreds of kilometres from the nearest major town. The lack of friends and family can often lead to loneliness. “That disconnection from the things you know and the people you are close to is probably the single most difficult aspect for people to adjust to,” says Pelizzo.

While some teachers relocate with their family, this is not without its problems, as some family members may struggle to adjust. Another factor is the cultural differences of remote communities. Many such communities are Indigenous, especially in NT and WA, and teachers must be culturally sensitive to the children and families they are dealing with. Some of these communities also have problems with alcohol abuse or petrol-sniffing that can be very confronting for teachers coming from a mainstream environment.

The educational aspects are also very different to mainstream schools, as most remotes have a small number of teachers, who may have to teach several year levels simultaneously. In many communities, teachers work hand-in-hand with Indigenous assistant teachers so both an Aboriginal language and English can be used in the classroom.

Despite the challenges, teachers can find the remote experience rewarding, even exhilarating. Many of the schools are also in stunning natural environments with abundant wildlife, and the experience is very different from a sedate suburban location. “Ten minutes from where I live I can go and see real live crocodiles,” says Pelizzo. “It just makes it a bit more out there than what the average person does.”

Proper induction needed

Paul Bridge, principal of One Arm Point Community School in coastal WA, says that teachers often take on the role of social worker. “You want teachers to be part of the community out here, so the role is not clearly defined—there are extra responsibilities you do have to take on board,” he says.

While teaching skills and experience are valuable assets, they don't guarantee success in a remote location, says Bridge. “I've seen some graduates come out and do a fantastic job, and I've had some really experienced teachers that have floundered out here,” he says. “It's got nothing to do with ability—they just weren't suited to this particular work context.”

Even though the challenges facing teachers in remote locations are well known to education bureaucrats, training and access to counselling appears to be sporadic. While inductions occur, they are usually conducted at the beginning of the year and may not capture those who are employed throughout the year. They are also not uniformly carried out in individual schools to address the community's particular needs.

Some of these issues were recently addressed in an internal discussion paper commissioned by the WA Department of Education and Training, entitled Rethinking the Provision of Education and Training in Remote Aboriginal Communities. A key finding was the need for a more structured induction process to increase the preparedness of teachers, particularly in the areas of cultural awareness, health and wellbeing, ESL pedagogy and behaviour management.

As a result, WA has begun to implement pre-appointment induction, district induction and school induction, as well as a six-phase model that supports teachers before they go, when they arrive, while they are there and when they choose to leave. The report is relevant to other states, which are currently grappling with similar issues.

Though experts attest that no amount of training can fully prepare teachers 'going remote', a swag of preparation and support is the key to making the experience a positive one—and encouraging teachers to stay longer.

CAROLINE ILLINGWORTH is a freelance writer.