This survey will be used to identify those practices currently existing in Australian universities that are aimed at promoting rural teaching. Student teachers who take up such programs will be invited to participate in the study to monitor their employment in the two years following graduation, so that those beginning a rural career can then be tracked over a period of three years to establish if, and how long, they stay in a rural position and what factors have impacted on their decision to remain or move on.
It is also envisaged that the survey will identify particular state-based financial incentives to support student teachers wishing to undertake a rural placement prior to graduation. Student teachers who take up such an incentive will be monitored over three years to determine the success of the programme in terms of the retention of those who begin teaching in a rural school.