TEACHERS WANTED

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 98, 19 January 1921, Page 8

TEACHERS WANTED

THE DOORS OF OPPORTUNITY MINISTER OF EDUCATION MAKES COMPARISONS. "The teaching profession offers superior inducements to the Public Service,” said the Minister of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr) yesterday in the course of a statement regarding the opportunities now awaiting young people. He was very pleased to notice that the improvements made by Parliament last session in the emoluments of young teachers were attracting girls and lads to the training colleges in increasing numbers. V£hen he was in Auckland a fortnight ago over 200 applications for admission to the training college there during the current year had been received. He visited Christchurch at the last week-end and was informed by the Education Board that 156 applications for places in the Training College had been receiv-, ed. These figures were more than double last year’s entries. The position might not be quite so good in Wellington, on account of the inducements offered by the Civil Service in the capital city, but he believed that if the young people studied the position they would find that the teaching profession had the superior advantages. "The.teacher’s life, while a busy-out. is not devoid of leisure,” said the Minister. “The teacher has little or no Saturday work. The holidays amount to nearly three months in each year. There is a superannuation fund, which tho State supports to the amount of 4146.006 a year. There are opportunities, which will increase, for the exchange of teachers between New Zealand and other countries, so dhat the young teachers have the chance of goTng abroad, an advantage that is seldom offered them in the Civil Service. "The salary conditions for the girl or youth entering a career are better in the teaching profession than in the Civil Service. Pupil teachers and probationers now receive in their first year -£9O if they are living at home and 41120 if they are compelled to hoard away from home. The payments for the second year are 4195 and 46125. Then at the end of two years the young teachers go to the training college and there receive a first-rate education and training. They attend the university and their fees are paid by the Department. During the two years’ training at the college the Department pays the student 4)100 a year if at home and 41130 a year if away from home, boys re. reiving an additional £5 per annum in each case. Another avenue is open, since Division B students, consisting of young people who have matriculated, go direct, to the training colleges without any period of probation at a school, and receive 4180 a year if at ’home and =£llo a yea? if away from home during their training "What are the prospects after the student leaves the training college? The student can generally get a junior town assistantship at a minimum of .£lBO per annum, rising to =£23o. The teacher who has shown promise at the t r «' T ’ ln S col ‘ lege will probably start at .£2OO per annum in the city. If the student accepts appointment as assistant in t.je coun iy, where a large number of appointments are available, he will commence at abcat .£OOO, rising to .£270. Or the young teacher, fresh from the training college may secure an even better salary by taking y charge of a small country school, where the minimum salary will beA-3 , rising to £3OO per annum without clim-r-ultv 4. year or two of service in th small’ country school w ° uld title this class of teacher to a grade < school, where the salary would range from £2BO to £370. Progress after that would depend upon the teacher h“nselL "The' new scale is liberal for teache who’ do not want schools of their own Women assistants may reach a saW_ ot eino to £3BO quite readily. Men assist ants can reach from £390 to £450 Pannum. Head teachers of schools containing above 480 pupils can now reach £6OO per annum. Further promotion may be obtained by entering the ing staff, which has now over 60 careful scrutiny of the comparative advantages of the teaching profession and the” Civil Service will reveal th: patent fact that for fhe promising boy or girl the teaching profession is betti paid and offers a more useful and attractive life than anything m the Civil > e - vice ” added the Minister. "I do not wi Compete with the Civil Service tor a“ d, i *" portion from the point of v.ew of the Education Department.