How Employing a Gap Year Trainee Can Benefit Your School

How Employing a Gap Year Trainee Can Benefit Your School

How Employing a Gap Year Trainee Can Benefit Your School

Like with many other professions, teaching can come with a huge amount of pressure, but thanks to the traineeship program, gap year trainees are able to take the workload off teachers by helping out with burdening administration tasks.

“Our trainees do the everyday jobs and give hands-on support to the school staff so they can focus on developing programs, lesson plans, classroom activities and get back to teaching,” said Andrew Murray, ArtsReady’s General Manager.

A recent article by the Australian Education Union (AEU) examines that workload and out-of-hours work is causing teachers to abandon their profession.

The article explains that in a 2018 survey of 3,591 teachers, many of the participants felt they were spending too much time on administrative tasks, taking away their focus on the curriculum.

Mr Shaun Lunnis, Director of Sport at Somerset College in Queensland, has taken on five trainees since 2019 and believes the program is a great benefit to the school.

“Our trainees take on a wide variety of tasks relating to staff, coaches, student-athletes and parents.  Not only have they taken on an administrative role but they have assisted in coaching teams at various levels,” Mr Lunnis explained.

Over the past 25+ years, AFL SportsReady has worked with over 450 schools and placed over 2,000 trainees in schools across Australia. Our school partners provided traineeships to over 200 young people in sports, business administration, IT, horticulture and the performing arts department.

But it’s not only the school that benefits. Completing a traineeship during a gap year gives trainees the opportunity to work in the industry, study a nationally recognised qualification and earn a wage. For trainees who are thinking about a career in teaching, the traineeship gives young people a deep insight into what it takes to become a teacher.

Previously, Gap-year trainees in schools achieve excellent results with 59% of graduates going to University and almost half pursuing a career in teaching. In addition, 22% of trainees in 2018 were employed full-time in the school after completing their traineeship.

Former trainee Sam Caruso from Victoria was inspired by his traineeship to pursue further studies in education and become a teacher.

 “In my traineeship, I rotated between 3 primary schools in Wangaratta (VIC) working in the PE departments I learnt a range of skills, everything from classroom management to communicating with students and parents,” explained Sam.

“I also gained an understanding of the curriculum and operations of the school and the diverse range of teaching styles which inspired me to develop my own,” he added.

Sam now works full-time with Blueearth as a Physical Activity Officer, managing ten schools throughout the area.

AFL SportsReady works with the school to employ the gap trainee that best suits and continues to support the trainee and the school for the entire traineeship experience and thereafter.

 “It’s a win-win, the trainee is gaining invaluable experience and at the same time teachers are able to get support,” said Mr Murray.


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References: http://www.aeufederal.org.au/news-media/media-releases/2019/march/060319

DATE: 3 September 2019 | Marissa Pagliarello (Edited 21 December 2022)

IMAGE: Mr Shaun Lunnis, Director of Sport at Somerset College in Queensland