NSW teachers moving to rural, regional and remote communities will be offered a $10,000 incentive as part of a push to address shortages outside cities.
Teachers who are new to a regional posting will be able to claim back the amount in stamp duty when buying a home in their school community, the government announced on Wednesday.
It follows the launch of a pilot program called Support for Rural Beginners Program, which offers a range of resources and financial benefits to help build social and professional connections.
The program includes a one-off $600 incentive that can be used towards building social connections.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said that could include registering with a local sporting team, signing up for art classes or having coffee with new friends.
"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," Ms Mitchell said.
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.
Already, eligible teachers can access up to $40,000 on top of their base salary, plus an additional $20,000 recruitment bonus, under a rural and remote incentives scheme which in 2022 was accessed by 1700 teachers.
A parliamentary report tabled in November recommended strengthening the supply of quality teachers in regional communities as one of three key priorities.
The other priorities were growing the supply of teachers overall and encouraging more teachers to train in high-need and specialist areas.
