I have been teaching sessionally at various TAFEs in the last 10 years.

Currently, I am teaching ESL at RMIT (5 years) and AMES (7 years) as a sessional staff member.

I have never been made permanent, let alone been offered a contract.

As a sessional teacher, I work as hard and as long (almost full time hours in total) as those ongoing, and yet get paid a lot less. Just like other sessional teachers, I am always chucked out of the door when enrolment numbers are down.

At the time of writing this, I will have no more work next year due to changes that are unfavourable to TAFE and the federal and state government favouring small, private RTOs who offer courses that are sub-standard.

Although sub-standard, students would rather enrol in those courses because they are cheap.

These recent changes make me angry because it demeans the integrity of the teaching profession and undermines the qualifications and training TAFE teachers have done.

This has to stop to give all TAFE teachers the due respect they deserve.

— Posted by Alex Vista, TAFE teacher, RMIT and AMES