A new cohort of 148 educators has begun teaching in schools experiencing the greatest workforce shortages through the Teach For Australia Leadership Development Program (LDP).
The educators have been placed in low socio-economic status (SES) schools across the country as Australia continues to grapple with teacher shortages.
More than half of the 2026 cohort (52 per cent) are mid-career professionals who graduated more than five years ago, highlighting a growing number of Australians transitioning into teaching from other industries. Participants bring experience from fields including business, science, engineering, mining, health and the creative arts.
Teach For Australia CEO Ms Edwina Dohle said career changers bring valuable real-world experience to classrooms.
“Experienced career changers bring a wealth of real-life experiences and real-world applications that boosts students’ engagement and understanding of their subjects,” Ms Dohle said.
“More than half of this year’s cohort are career professionals bringing much needed subject-specialist expertise from business, science, engineering and other industries directly into classrooms.”
Nearly half of the cohort – 71 teachers or 48 per cent – hold STEM qualifications, helping address critical shortages in science, technology, engineering and mathematics teaching roles.
Many of the new teachers will also work outside metropolitan areas, with 45 per cent of the cohort placed in rural, remote and regional communities.
Among the new educators is STEM teacher Ms Madalena “Maddy” Russo, who has commenced teaching mathematics at Cobram Secondary College in regional Victoria after relocating from Melbourne.
Ms Russo previously studied a Bachelor of Science majoring in Engineering, followed by a Masters of Mechatronic Engineering.
She said her transition to teaching was driven by an interest in problem solving and a desire to make a difference.
“I’ve always known that I wanted to go into teaching eventually, but I wasn’t sure how to go about that. Teach For Australia’s mission really resonated with me,” Ms Russo said.
Ms Dohle said increasing numbers of Australians were choosing to enter the profession through the organisation’s programs.
“We’re seeing more and more talented Australians choose teaching through Teach For Australia’s programs – a choice they make because they are passionate about creating a brighter future for young people,” she said.
Founded in 2009, Teach For Australia is a non-profit organisation focused on addressing educational inequity by recruiting and developing teachers and leaders for schools with the greatest need. Since its inception, the organisation has placed almost 2,000 teachers into classrooms in disadvantaged communities.
Participants in the Leadership Development Program are employed as teachers while completing their teaching qualification, enabling professionals to transition into education without leaving the workforce.
