As Victorian teachers flock interstate, Kiwis are filling the education gap

Victoria’s already stretched teaching ranks are being propped up by an influx of New Zealanders as the state’s home-grown educators move interstate.

For every 100 teachers moving to Victoria from other parts of Australia, there are now more than 150 heading in the other direction and choosing to work in other jurisdictions, according to official new registration data.

Though the exodus has gained pace over the past four years, this year alone an average of 38 Victorian-registered teachers a week have been leaving for other parts of the country.

But while Victoria is having difficulty retaining its homegrown teachers or attracting sufficient replacements from interstate, it has welcomed a flood of registrations from New Zealand.

Since the start of 2023, 1732 New Zealand teachers have gained registration in Victoria – more than 10 times the number of Victorian teachers who have moved across the ditch – despite some of the overseas-trained educators being underqualified to meet the state’s minimum qualifications.

Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration data, compiled for The Age, reveals that since the start of 2023, 5746 Victorian-registered school and early-childhood teachers have used a mutual-recognition agreement to transfer their qualifications so they can work in other states.

Over the same period, 3692 interstate-registered teachers have used the mutual recognition provision to gain VIT registration and work in Victoria’s education system.

Overall, Victoria has experienced a net loss of 2054 Australian-qualified teachers over the past four years – and the size of the gap between those moving from and to Victoria has grown every year since 2023.

More than 600 Victorian teachers transferred to NSW in 2025 alone, where graduate teachers are paid up to $15,000 a year more, while only 329 moved south of the Murray River.

Relocations between Queensland and Victoria have also been strong, with 419 Victorian teachers transferring to the Sunshine state in 2025 compared with 325 travelling the other way. An entry-level teacher’s wage in Queensland is currently about $11,000 a year higher than that of their Victorian counterpart.

The Northern Territory also attracted 360 Victorian teachers in the last 16 months, while only gaining 111 who relocated in the other direction.

The Victorian government said it was not relying on New Zealand teachers to prop up the state’s school workforce, but it hopes its proposed pay increase – of between 28 and 32 per cent over four years – and improved working conditions will help retain talent.

The propos