About ETAWA

What is the ETA?

The ETA is a professional association for teachers of English and related subjects in schools and tertiary institutions. Its emphasis is on secondary schools.

Membership of The English Teachers Association of WA is open to any person or organisation.

What does it do?

• The association has an important advocacy and advisory role which benefits all English teachers in the state.


• It provides quality professional development opportunities which keep members informed of curriculum initiatives, current theory, and ideas related to the teaching of English.


• It produces and distributes magazines and resource material.

Why you should belong to the ETA

For the Association to lobby on behalf of all English teachers, it is vital that there is a strong membership.

It is important that teachers see the ETA as much more than a provider of Professional Development and resources, important as those things are. The ETA is continually working towards improving the status of English teachers and the teaching of English in WA.

The greater the level of support from English teachers, the more effective the ETA can be in advancing the professional concerns and status of English teachers.

Education systems are committed to promoting professional excellence. Three initiatives will affect teachers in the future.

First, the introduction of performance management designed to improve teacher effectiveness and enhance career planning. You can use the performance management processes to demonstrate your professional accountability and to provide opportunities for your growth and development. You will need to present to your head of department or other supervisor information about the professional development activities you plan to participate in to demonstrate your plans to improve your performance.

Second, if you work in the government sector, is the introduction of a professional development policy for teachers which mandates the number of hours teachers must commit to their professional development and directs teachers to negotiate a professional development plan with their principal.

Third, the increased opportunity for merit promotion, and the introduction of a new career structure for teachers, creates a context in which teachers will need to provide evidence of involvement in the profession and to demonstrate their endeavours to improve their skills, knowledge, and understandings in the field of teaching English.