Regional teachers to receive financial incentives

Teachers who move to regional and remote parts of NSW will receive a suite of financial incentives to assist them.

These will include $10,000 to help cover stamp duty costs when buying a home in their new school community.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the state government was committed to removing barriers for teachers and helping them make the move to a country town.

“Regional, rural and remote communities are an incredible place to live, work and raise a family,” he said.

“That is why we are providing additional support to help cover the costs of teachers moving to our communities, and support to help them buy a home so they can put down roots.”

Treasurer Matt Kean said the stamp duty incentive was another way to attract teachers to the regions and help them buy their dream home.

“Teachers will be able to claim back up to $10,000 in stamp duty, helping them buy a home close to where they work,” he said.

“This is another incentive for teachers to take up a position in the bush on top of other first home buyer assistance.”

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said offering additional support for teachers after they had relocated was the logical next step.

“Once we’ve helped a teacher move to a regional, rural or remote school, we need to do everything we can to make sure they become part of the community,” she said.

Mitchell said a new Support for Rural Beginners program had also been introduced to provide hundreds of early-career teachers with access to a range of supports to help them settle into their community and make local connections.

“We want to reduce the level of social isolation experienced by new teachers who have moved to the country and improve retention by encouraging them to build a sense of belonging in their communities,” she said.

“The program includes a one-off financial incentive of $600 to be used towards building social connections such as registering with a local sporting team, signing up for art classes or even having coffee with new friends.”

To be eligible for the program, teachers must be within their first five years in the classroom and have recently moved to teach in a regional, rural or remote school in the principal networks of Barwon, Deniliquin, Far West, Griffith, Gundagai, Mitchell, Mooki, Narrandera, Temora, Wagga Wagga, West Wyalong, Western Plains, as well as selected Connected Communities schools.

Expressions of interest in the program are now open on the Support for Rural Beginners program page.

Image credit: iStock.com/JohnnyGreig