• 01The high-demand methods — where the shortages are3
• 02The competitive methods — and how to make them work4
• 03Primary versus secondary — a job-market decision5
• 04The power of a second teaching method — the key lever6
• 05The trade-offs nobody mentions — eyes open7
• QFrequently asked questions — quick answers8

Your method subjects shape how fast you find permanent work, often more than your marks or your university, and that choice is made years before your first job. Australia has a broad teacher shortage (83% of schools reported staffing shortages in 2024), but it is not evenly spread. These are the methods where shortages are genuine, national, and well documented. [Source: Australian Government Dept of Education, 2025]

Maths is the standout. A large share of secondary maths classes are taught out-of-field, by teachers without a maths-teaching qualification, which means a qualified maths teacher is genuinely scarce. Special education has among the highest shortage rates in the OECD, spanning special schools, support units, and inclusion roles in mainstream schools. Secondary high-need subjects appear on state shortage and skilled-migration nomination lists across every state and territory. [Source: Dept of Education / OECD / AMSI, 2026]

The flip side, which subjects are harder to get into, is less precisely documented than the shortages and varies a lot by region. Two things are clear. First, metropolitan primary generalist is consistently the most competitive entry market: graduates compete in one large pool, and in the cities where most want to work there are more of them than vacancies. Second, within secondary, the methods not on shortage lists are harder to place than those that are. This is not a blanket "humanities is oversupplied" claim, though: a 2026 workforce source lists secondary Humanities and Social Sciences in demand alongside maths and science, so check current demand for your specific method. [Source: Dept of Education, 2026]

A competitive method is a slower path, not a closed one. With a second method, geographic flexibility, and patience through a CRT period, every method leads to permanent work in time.

Pre-service teachers often treat primary versus secondary as a question of personal preference, which age group they want to teach. It is also a job-market decision with very different consequences.

Primary is taught as a generalist qualification, so primary graduates compete in one large pool. In metropolitan areas that pool is crowded, and permanency typically takes longer. The same primary qualification in a regional or remote area is far more employable, because that is where the unfilled positions are.

Secondary is method-specific, so your prospects depend entirely on what you teach. A secondary maths or science graduate is in one of the strongest positions in the country; a secondary graduate in a non-shortage method is more competitive. Choosing secondary does not, by itself, help or hurt you. Your method does.

If there is one lever that widens your options more than any other, it is a strong second teaching method. A teacher who can be timetabled across two subjects is far easier for a school to fit into a staffing plan, and far more likely to be offered a permanent line.

The strongest combinations pair a shortage method with anything else: maths with another subject, science with maths, or English with a language. Even a competitive primary qualification becomes more flexible with a specialist strength a school can use, such as a language, a music specialism, or a learning-support focus.

Choosing a shortage subject for employability is sound, but go in with eyes open.

None of these outweigh the employability advantage of a shortage method. They are simply the reason that "study maths, get a job" is true but incomplete. Choose a high-demand method if you can see yourself teaching it well, not just because it is in demand.

Secondary maths, the sciences (especially physics and chemistry), digital technologies, special education, languages, and early childhood are the clearest national shortages. Maths is the standout, with much taught out-of-field by teachers without a maths qualification.

It depends on location and method. Metro primary generalist is one of the most competitive markets. Secondary depends on your method: maths or science is in high demand, a non-shortage method is more competitive. Regional roles are easier in both.

Not strictly, but a strong second method widens your options more than almost anything else. A teacher who can be timetabled across two subjects is much easier to employ permanently. Adding a method is easiest while you are still choosing electives.

Usually yes. Shortage subjects mean more vacancies than candidates, which means faster permanency, more choice of location, and priority access to graduate programs and incentives. The trade-off is that some of the easiest roles are in harder-to-staff schools.

In metropolitan areas, primary generalist is one of the more competitive markets, with more graduates than vacancies. The same qualification is far more employable in regional and remote areas, where positions go unfilled.

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