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Career Pathways & Professional Development

A teaching career doesn’t end in the classroom.

There are a variety of roles available to teachers if they wish to progress to leadership or specialist positions within Catholic Education Cairns. 

Some of these roles are: 

  • Principal  
  • Deputy Principal
  • Head of School
  • Head of Department  
  • Highly Accomplished Teacher (HAT) and Lead Teacher (LT)  

We offer a range of leadership programs aimed at nurturing and growing our teachers’ ambitions if they are keen to take the next step in their journey. 

Some of the programs on offer for mid-career teachers are: 

  • A Call to Vocation for Leadership
  • Leading From the Middle
  • Introduction to Mentoring 

Some of the programs on offer for principals and teachers are: 

  • Leading with Integrity for Excellence, Governance for Catholic Schools
  • Flourishing Leadership Teams
  • Coaching for Principals
  • Essential Skills for Principals and Senior Leaders 

Visit our Leadership Programs page for more information. 

HAT and Lead Teachers

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HAT & LT) certification is a voluntary and nationally recognised process. Teachers who gain this accreditation are rewarded with a substantial pay increase, keeping our high-performing teachers in the classroom.  

The Catholic Education Cairns Advantage 

Our 30 schools and colleges extend from Tully in the south, west to Dimbulah on the Atherton Tablelands, and north to Waibeni (Thursday Island) in the Torres Strait. This means there is a huge variety of communities, cultures, landscapes and opportunities on offer across our Diocese.  

Teachers with Catholic Education Cairns can transfer to a rural or remote community to accelerate their career and experience something new. There are a range of benefits on offer for those employed in rural and remote areas.  

We Care

Our principals and leadership teams are always keen to chat with teachers about their career progression and goals. You will be supported to achieve your dreams when you’re employed by Catholic Education Cairns.