Out-of-field teaching is common – but often invisible. One teacher’s research explores how educators define success when working beyond their subject expertise in STEM.
Since 2011, I’ve taught in regional NSW high schools, mostly in STEM subjects, despite originally training as a primary school teacher. Like many educators, I’ve found myself stepping into roles outside my formal qualifications. “Can you take this Year 9 science class tomorrow?” or “We need someone for Year 10 Maths, just for a term.” These requests come with little notice and even less support. It’s a familiar story for many of us.
Out-of-field teaching – where teachers are assigned subjects or year levels outside their area of expertise – isn’t a rare occurrence. It’s the norm in many schools. According to the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership, nearly half of teachers are working outside their subject or stage area. Yet, when we talk about what makes a teacher successful, we often focus on subject mastery and years of experience – qualities many of us didn’t have when we first stepped into these roles.
This disconnect is what sparked my PhD research at Deakin University. I wanted to explore a simple but powerful question: what does success really look and feel like for teachers working outside their comfort zone?
My research focuses on experienced teachers who are teaching or have taught maths or science out-of-field in Australia. I’m interested in how we define our own success, especially when we’re constantly learning on the fly. What does “doing a good job” mean when you’re juggling unfamiliar content, new classes, and sometimes entirely new year levels?
I’m not here to prescribe what success should look like. I want to listen. I want to hear your stories – what’s helped you, what’s made things harder, and what you wish others understood about your work. Because let’s be honest: out-of-field teaching keeps schools running, but it often feels invisible.
This matters, not just for us as teachers, but for school leaders and policymakers too. If we can better understand how out-of-field teachers define and sustain their own success, maybe we can find better ways to support each other. Maybe we can help more teachers stay and thrive, even when the job throws us curveballs.
That’s why I’m inviting up to 20 experienced teachers who are currently teaching or have recently taught maths or science out-of-field in an Australian high school (from any sector) to participate in a 30-minute individual online interview.
Everything you share will be confidential. I’m not collecting real names, school names, or any demographic information. The study has been approved by Deakin University’s ethics committee (Ref: 2024/HE000079).
If you’re interested – or know someone who might be – you can find more information and sign up here:
This is your chance to have your voice heard and help shine a light on what real success looks like in the world of out-of-field teaching. Feel free to email me at mjakovac@deakin.edu.au.
While my study centres on maths and science teachers, the broader issue spans all subject areas. Out-of-field teaching can be a career-defining challenge. For some of us, a source of unexpected growth. This workplace misassignment asks educators to adapt quickly, build new professional identities, and navigate shifting expectations from students, parents, and colleagues. Sometimes we’re doing this and teaching our in-field subjects.
My PhD will also explore how external pressures shape these experiences. Education policies, accreditation requirements, curriculum reforms, and resource allocation all influence how teachers see their own success. These factors can reinforce confidence or erode it, depending on the level of support available.
Through in-depth, one-on-one conversations, I aim to capture the nuance often missing from statistics – the strategies teachers develop, the turning points in their journeys, and the moments that keep them in the profession. The ultimate goal? To build a richer understanding that can inform better support structures and help retain skilled teachers in classrooms where they’re needed most.
