Timeframe

  • 2014 -2024

Lead Researcher

  • Dr Mihajla Gavin

SDGs

  • 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth

Collaborators

  • Professor Rachel Wilson, UTS

  • Professor Susan McGrath-Champ, University of Sydney

  • Associate Professor Meghan Stacey, UNSW

  • Associate Professor Scott Fitzgerald, Curtin University

  • Professor Karolina Parding, Lulea University of Technology

  • Posted on 15 Aug 2025

This project aims to improve the working conditions and job security of public school teachers amid changing governance structures and demands that are affecting teachers’ work and conditions.

Teachers provide one of the most important services to society – educating young people for the future. Yet the effects of decades of education reform in Australia characterised by marketisation, privatisation and decentralised responsibilities have left school teachers feeling overworked, under-valued and with less secure employment.  
 
A project led by the UTS business school explored the experience of public-school teachers to help state and federal government avoid the difficulties presented by past and present structures of governance.  

Through empirical research and stakeholder engagement, the research found that decades of reform have added significant workload pressures and administrative burdens onto teachers, led to job insecurity and more temporary employment arrangements, and strained teacher/leader relationships in schools. These pressures are being felt by teachers both in Australia and internationally and are contributing to a worsening global teacher shortage and poor health and wellbeing among teachers. 
 
There is also no strong evidence that this approach has improved student outcomes but has instead contributed to the inequities in education systems on top of the impact on teachers. This project is supporting state and federal governments with policy solutions to promote a more sustainable teaching profession into the future. 
 

 

Business School

The teaching profession is very complex.
We actually do have a crisis within the teaching profession.
We need to be taking this seriously because
teachers are fundamental for students' education
now and into the future as well.
My research focuses on teachers' work and working conditions.
Over a number of years, we have seen policies coming out
that have really focussed on
a market-driven education system;
that are focussed on privatisation;
based upon the idea that having a
market system within education produces
better educational outcomes.
What we've actually been seeing through the research, however,
is that teachers' work and working conditions
have been really significantly impacted.
Policies like school autonomy and devolution
have actually increased teachers' workload.
They've increased teachers' working hours.
There's been increased precarity, or a lack of job security.
the administrative burdens and the paperwork burdens
on teachers increase significantly as well
because of these policies.
I think it's brought some real fundamental awareness
to a range of problems that we're seeing
within the teaching profession.
There's also been a range of policy announcements
which have tried to think about,
"How can we actually do things differently?"
We've also seen some current policies as well,
trying to address the teacher workload problem.
I'm not too sure those policies are always getting the issue right,
but I think it's at least a starting point to
continue this conversation of how important
the teaching profession is, and how things
need to be done differently.

More information

This research explores the experience of public-school teachers in Australia; presenting findings to help state and federal government avoid the difficulties presented by past and present structures of governance.

More information

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Researchers

Mihajla Gavin

Mihajla Gavin

Senior Lecturer, Business School

Rachel Wilson

Rachel Wilson

Professor, Business School

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