For Joseph Jennings, each school day is a chance for social change.
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The 27-year-old is one of almost 400 teachers joining the ACT government school system in 2014, a move put into motion six years ago when the then engineering student was volunteering with migrants in Sydney.
''Engineering was a good enough profession, but I didn't feel like I was really engaging,'' he said.
''At the same time, I was volunteering at the migrant resource centre in western Sydney. I found that to be a lot more enjoyable than what I was actually studying and I decided to take that as my profession.''
Taking a position at Caroline Chisholm High School, Mr Jennings hoped to use his fourth year in the profession as a tool for social change. ''That's not really something you implement as an individual,'' he said.
''It's something that you achieve as part of a broader system and the systems in Canberra are more robust, better-funded. It's a good place to work when you feel like you're part of something that's an effective tool for social justice.''
While the primary motivation for the shift to Canberra may lie with his public servant girlfriend, Mr Jennings said the better-funded department in the ACT was also a drawcard. ''Particularly within the last few years of my time working there in NSW, there was a lot of funding cut,'' he said.
''We lost a lot of support in the classrooms and what this means is that it's the most disadvantaged students that end up missing out. It's the students that rely on public education more than anything else that end up having their standards reduced and it's not a very equitable system to be working within.''
Human resources director Coralie McAlister said the Education and Training Directorate usually hired about 400 people to fill positions created through maternity leave, higher enrolments and general turnover. ''Obviously retirement would be a significant factor.''