Country Incentive Zone Allowance (CIZA) payments

If you’re appointed to permanent and contract positions in country zone 2 to 5 schools and preschools, you'll receive zone allowance payments. These payments are made fortnightly and vary depending on the zone. This allowance is payable for as long as you remain at an eligible site.

Zone allowances per year are currently:

• zone 2 – $2131
• zone 3 – $3757
• zone 4 – $6627
• zone 5 – $10,737.

If you’re eligible, you’ll receive the CIZA payments automatically.

Incidentals payment

There’s also a one-off incidentals payment made on your first permanent appointment in country zones 2 to 5.

Current rates per zone are:

• zone 2 – $555
• zone 3 – $743
• zone 4 – $928
• zone 5 – $1112.

Locality allowance payment

If you live at or near country schools, you can receive the locality allowance to compensate for the:

• adverse environment
• abnormal depreciation of motor vehicles
• increased cost of living
• isolation
• cost of travelling from distant schools to Adelaide for the vacation period.

To be eligible, you must be on a full-time or part-time (at least 0.4FTE) appointment or on a secondment.

To find out more about incentive payments or the zones of country schools, email People and Culture at education.hr@sa.gov.au.

Department staff can visit country incentives (login required) on our intranet (EDi).

Removal expenses and relocation allowances

If you’re a teacher or leader moving for your first appointment in the country, you’re generally eligible for removal and relocation allowances.

You'll be compensated for removal arrangements for 1 pick-up and 1 delivery.

Additional allowances you may be able to claim include:

• reimbursement for essential overnight accommodation
• packing allowance
• furniture depreciation allowance
• kilometre allowance.

You’ll be informed if you’re entitled to removal expenses in your position appointment letter.

Department staff can visit relocating to rural or remote areas (login required) on our intranet (EDi) for details on additional removal expenses that may apply when moving schools.

Travel and accommodation assistance for medical and dental treatment

As a country teacher, you can claim reimbursement for travel and accommodation required for medical and dental treatment for:

• yourself
• your spouse
• your dependants.

Department staff can visit country incentives (login required) for more information.

Government employee housing concessions

Permanent and temporary employees are eligible for government employee housing (GEH) concessions.

Concessions vary depending on location. Examples of current concessions applied to full rental costs are:

Contact the department’s country housing service at education.countryhousing@sa.gov.au for more information.

See the Department for Infrastructure and Transport – government employee housing FAQs.

The department’s country housing service is available for teachers and leaders relocating to a country position at all schools and preschools.

The country housing service supports you with:

• finding and moving into suitable housing
• accessing government employee housing concessions
• claiming reimbursement for relocation costs
• information about the local community and area
• home internet access.

You’ll be contacted about the country housing service if you’re eligible for subsided government employee housing and/or reimbursement for relocation costs.

For more information, contact the department’s country housing service at education.countryhousing@sa.gov.au or call (08) 8226 1612.

If you're a teacher working in a ‘very remote’ area, you may be eligible for HELP debt assistance after teaching at a very remote site for 4 years.

This federal government initiative is designed to attract and retain high quality teachers and provide important continuity of education and support for students in very remote areas.

Teachers can claim for 2 types of assistance:

1. Waivers of indexation on their HELP debts.
2. Reduction of their HELP debts.

For more information and to apply, see reduction of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debts for teachers in very remote areas on the federal government’s education website and complete the application form for the Very Remote Teachers Initiative.

If you're a permanent country teacher and choose to return to Adelaide and surrounds, you're guaranteed return to a teaching position in the extended metropolitan area after completing a minimum service period in your country zone:

• zone 1: 6 years
• zones 2 and 3: 5 years
• zones 4 and 5: 4 years

Service can be across temporary and permanent roles, but you must have spent at least 1 year in a permanent position in the country.

Apply on the permanent teacher register (PTR) the year before you want to return to a metropolitan position.

Study leave and training and development leave

Permanent Teachers and leaders appointed to Aboriginal and Aṉangu schools are entitled to study leave with pay or training and development leave after serving a minimum period in their position.

Eligible teachers can access 1 term of study leave or training and development leave once in each location.

Study leave

You're eligible after 2 years as a:

• teacher
• band B leader (except deputy principals)
• band A preschool director and
• preschool teacher.

Training and development leave

You're eligible after 3 years as a:

• band A leader(except a preschool director)
• band B deputy principal.

Travel days

Teachers at selected Aboriginal and Aṉangu schools are entitled to travel days on certain dates each year.

Department staff can visit country incentives (login required) on our intranet (EDi) for details on travel days at selected schools.