Phonics & Early Literacy Teacher — Saturdays

My Gym Hornsby is developing a small-group phonics and early reading program for preschool and early primary children at Westfield Hornsby.

We are looking for a patient, engaging educator who can help children build robust reading foundations through structured, explicit teaching and enjoyable, age-appropriate activities.

Experienced primary teachers, teachers returning to work, and retired teachers are warmly encouraged to apply.

About the role The program will initially begin with one weekly 50-minute class on Saturdays. The exact teaching time will be agreed within our late-morning to early-afternoon schedule.

There may be opportunities to teach additional classes as enrolments grow, subject to demand and mutual agreement.

Your responsibilities will include

- Teaching small groups, initially planned for up to six children per class.
- Helping place children according to their assessed learning needs, while considering age and classroom readiness.
- Helping finalise a structured teaching sequence and recommending suitable learning resources.
- Preparing engaging lessons appropriate to each group’s starting point.
- Conducting brief placement assessments and monitoring student progress.
- Providing concise, practical feedback to parents.

Preparation, assessments, parent feedback and the associated paid workload will be discussed and agreed before commencement. Any substantial initial curriculum development will be scoped and agreed separately.

Teaching focus

Depending on the children’s assessed needs, lessons will cover:
- Phonemic awareness and letter–sound relationships.
- Blending sounds to read words.
- Segmenting words for spelling.
- Reading appropriately matched decodable words, sentences and texts.
- Vocabulary, comprehension and reading confidence.

We aim to help children apply their phonics knowledge to reading and spelling, rather than simply memorising letters or words.

About you

We are seeking someone with:
- Relevant teaching qualifications or substantial,



demonstrated experience teaching early literacy.
- Practical experience delivering explicit, systematic phonics instruction.
- The ability to model clear, accurate English sounds and teach blending effectively.
- Confidence managing young children in small groups and adapting lessons to different learning needs.
- A warm, inclusive approach and strong communication skills.
- Reliable Saturday availability.
- A current NSW Working With Children Check appropriate for paid work, subject to verification.
- The legal right to work in Australia.

Experience teaching Kindergarten to Year 2 and using structured synthetic phonics programs will be highly regarded.

Schedule and remuneration

- Advertised rate: AUD $45–$60+ per hour, depending on experience, responsibilities and applicable minimum rates.
- Higher rates may be negotiated with exceptionally experienced early literacy teachers.
- Initially one 50-minute Saturday class per week, plus agreed paid preparation, assessment and feedback duties.
- Potential for additional classes as the program develops; additional classes are not guaranteed.
- Cooperation is planned around school-term blocks, normally comprising 10 sessions per class.
- Potential for continued term-by-term cooperation throughout 2027, subject to enrolments and mutual agreement.
- Start date, program dates and paid workload will be confirmed before commencement.

How to apply Please submit your CV and a short introduction outlining:
- Your experience teaching phonics and early reading.
- The age groups you have taught.
- Your Saturday availability and preferred start date.
- Your expected date.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to discuss their teaching approach and demonstrate a brief phonics lesson. Pay: $50.00 – $60.00 per hour

Expected hours: 2.0 – 4.0 per week

Benefits

- Employee discount

Application Question(s):
- Which suburb do you currently live in?

Experience:
- Phonics teaching: 2 years (Required)

Licence/Certification:
- Working with Children Check (Required)

Work Authorisation:
- Australia (Required)

Work Location: In person

📌 Phonics & Early Literacy Teacher (Hornsby)
🏢 MYGYM HORNSBY
📍 Hornsby