Teacher shortages, bilingual teachers and the mobility of transnational knowledge workers

Abstract The Australian teaching workforce is being transformed by transnational flows of bilingual teachers, itself an expression of and response to the complex phenomena named ‘globalisation’. In this context, this article challenges policy scenarios about Australia's prospective teacher shortages, by raising issues concerning the increasing presence of bilingual teachers in Australian schools. Constructions of teacher shortages are explored in terms of the role that bilingual teachers play within the context of arguments over transnational labour mobility.