An Exploration of Issues in the Attraction and Retention of Teachers to Non-metropolitan Schools in Western Australia

Recent graduates of pre-service primary/early childhood education programmes completed a written questionnaire to ascertain their teaching locations and professional development needs. Analysis of the data raised important questions concerning the attraction and retention of graduate teachers to non-metropolitan schools, challenging some commonly-held beliefs and revealing that: it is not necessary to 'go country' to obtain fulltime employment upon graduation; both metropolitan and non-metropolitan employment positions lead to changing locations and/or jobs; and it is not the younger graduates who take up teaching positions in non-metropolitan schools. The findings also suggested there are differences in professional development needs, with 'time' more predominant as a need for non-metropolitan teachers.