A move to Narromine added up nicely for maths teacher Dean Leite

Rural schools can place teachers on the fast-track to professional development opportunities.

Be it a friendly smile from a stranger or socialising at the local club, rural towns are pushing open their doors to off er a warm welcome to newcomers from the city.
Teachers in public education, in particular, are fi nding the move an easy decision to make, especially if they’re considering relocation to areas of high staffi ng need, such as non-coastal rural regions.
Growing up in the leafy Sydney suburb of Peakhurst, teaching beginner Dean Leite never imagined his career would take him over 400 kilometres away from his hometown to the fl at plains of western NSW. A teaching scholarship recipient, Dean took up a secondary mathematics position in 2006 at Narromine High School and discovered the great rewards a rural lifestyle has to offer.
Dean quickly learned how seamlessly both school and community coexist in a small town. “It’s so easy to make friends with people and you really get to know the parents of your students very quickly,” he says. “It’s an extremely friendly atmosphere.”
In particular, Dean has discovered it’s the small things in rural communities that make being a teacher enjoyable. “I love almost every aspect of teaching rurally, but it’s the little things like students asking you to watch them play sport on the weekend that really mean something,” he explains. “Having the students want you there to watch, and then seeing them really excited when you show up, makes you realise the difference you make.”
Dean believes his students benefi t from the social activities that both the teachers and students attend within the local community. This social interaction not only supports his role in the community as a teacher but also allows him to build a stronger rapport with his students. “Taking that extra effort to watch them play a sport, or just talk to them in the street, really makes them feel important,” he says.
With such strong aspirations to perfect his craft, Dean is benefi ting from a variety of professional development opportunities available in his school. In addition to teaching secondary mathematics, Dean currently supports his school as a year adviser and has spent three terms relieving as Head Teacher Administration. Competition for these opportunities, he believes, is much tougher in larger city schools.
Dean’s rural move has also facilitated his fi nancial goal of buying a house, a dream still out of reach for many of his city peers. “As a 25-year-old, it would be impossible to even consider buying a house in Sydney, yet last year I was able to buy a brand new duplex here in Narromine,” he says. “The cheaper cost of either buying a house or rural rent is a major fi nancial incentive.”
Living so close to work, Dean also benefi ts from lower fuel costs and receives a variety of rural teaching incentives from the NSW Department of Education and Training.
If you’re a city teacher keen to try a country lifestyle; or a beginning teacher looking to expand your professional development and career advancement opportunities; or a graduate teacher exploring your career options, teaching in non-coastal rural areas in particular can off er benefi ts, incentives and rewards not available in coastal locations. Check out the rural teaching possibilities open to you at:

www.teach.nsw.edu.au/ruralteaching.