College
College of Arts, Society and Education
Publish Date
30 September 2019
Related Study Areas
Part-time student to full-time teacher
Time constraints, work, and family commitments are all reasons people find themselves unable to pursue their passion. For Bianca Rogers, none of these factors could stifle her desire to be a teacher, so she enrolled in JCU’s online education degree and is now known as Ms Rogers to her students at Kirwan State School.
“I found it quite seamless at the end of my degree,” Bianca said. “I had phone calls coming from the education department, which was great because I was able to speak to them, and say, ‘Yeah, I am actually looking for work’, and then they sort of helped me through that process.”
The flexibility of the course facilitated Bianca’s success, while her own efforts, coupled with support from her peers and lecturers, got her to graduation day.
“I really found that JCU was a wonderful course for me to start studying flexibly,” she said.
“I appreciated so much of the help that I got, whether it was the online support from other students or from the lecturers,” she said.
“The accessibility of being able to email if you’ve got a question, and they got back to you so quickly, it was a really great system.”
Filling a gap
Bianca’s quick admission into a school at the end of her degree was helped along by the looming teacher shortage facing Australian education.
Dean of JCU College of Arts, Society, and Education Nola Alloway, herself a professor of education, said the shortage presented a huge opportunity for aspiring teachers.
“The Queensland Government in particular is looking at supply and demand at the moment, and doing everything they can to increase that supply,” Nola said.
“There is an opportunity for everyone, not just for young people, but people who are looking to change direction in their careers.”
For students like Bianca, great support made all the difference in getting her into a classroom in north Queensland as soon as possible, and it’s something Nola takes seriously.
“They will have constant online support, they’ll have tutors dedicated to each subject. They’ll have a success officer working on the course,” she said.
Like any university course, education had its tough moments, but dedicated lecturers and a worthy goal meant Bianca never faltered in her pursuit of a new career.
“I felt the course went smoothly for me, the help was there if it was needed, and that’s what I loved about my course and I loved about JCU,” she said.
If building a rewarding, worthwhile career in a growing industry appeals to you, consider JCU Education. If you want the flexibility of online study coupled with excellent student support, consider JCU Education Online.
"I appreciated so much of the help that I got, whether it was online support from other students of lecturers,"
Bianca Rogers, JCU Alumna
