The Rural and Remote Housing Incentive Scheme (RRHIS) aims to provide comprehensive support to teachers and school leaders commencing employment in or transferring to locations with critical workforce needs.
The RRHIS assists teachers and their families relocating to eligible locations through access to specialist relocation assistance and reasonable housing costs for up to 12 months. This includes:
- access to temporary accommodation when arriving in the new location
- a rental allowance reflective of the teacher's weekly rent in the eligible community (please note: the rental allowance is paid in conjunction with the teacher’s salary and therefore is taxable)
- access to relocation and settlement assistance through the department’s priority
concierge service.
While availability of departmental teacher housing will be prioritised where available, alternative accommodation through the local rental market will also be supported.
This initiative is in addition to the department’s
Teacher Housing policy and is designed to assist in the attraction and retention of teachers in remote and rural areas.
You may also be eligible for incentives and benefits under the
Recognition of Remote Service (RoRRS) scheme.
Eligibility
Eligible individuals include newly appointed or transferring teachers and school leaders commencing employment at eligible Queensland state schools.
Teachers appointed under Permission to Teach arrangements and Trade to Teach or Turn to Teaching interns may also be eligible.
Please note that if you already reside within 50 minutes of an eligible school that you are commencing at, you are not eligible.
Benefits
At a RRHIS school, you are entitled to accommodation support for up to a maximum period of 12 months including:
- initial temporary accommodation
- a taxable rental allowance to the value of your weekly rent expense.
Where possible, you will be placed in teacher housing at no cost. If teacher housing is unavailable, we will assist you to find accommodation through the rental market. Note, there is no rental market available at Aurukun State School, Kowanyama State School, Northern Peninsula Area State College and Normanton State School.
Temporary accommodation
You may need to spend time in temporary accommodation in your new location while the department supports you in finding rental accommodation. This is arranged at no cost to you.
Rental allowance
The department will provide you with a rental allowance to the value of your weekly rent expense. The allowance will be paid fortnightly in conjunction with your salary. For example, if you sign a lease for $650 a week, you will receive a taxable payment of $1,300 (fortnightly). You are responsible for making rent payments to the landlord/property manager as per your contracted lease agreement.
Accommodation support period
A maximum of 12 months of accommodation support will be provided to you. If you spent time in temporary accommodation, this period will be deducted from the 12 months and the rental allowance will be paid for the remaining period. For example, if you spend 2 months in temporary accommodation, you will be eligible for 10 months of rental allowance.
Lease agreement
The lease agreement you enter into will be with the landlord, not the department. A lease is a legally binding contract and as the signatory you are responsible for meeting the conditions of the contract, including payment of the agreed rent.
Bond payments and rent in advance
Most landlords/property managers will require you to pay a rental bond, equivalent to 4 weeks rent, in accordance with the requirements of the
Residential Tenancies Authority. As the lease holder, you are responsible for payment of the bond. It is usually required within 24 hours of signing the lease. In addition to the bond, 2 weeks rent is often required upfront.
The department requires a copy of your signed lease before your rental allowance can be paid. Please note that due to processing timelines your rent allowance will be back dated to the commencement of your lease.
Financial advice
The department encourages you to seek independent financial advice, from your accountant, financial planner, tax agent or Centrelink.
Concierge service
If you are eligible for RRHIS, you may also be eligible for additional relocation and settlement support through our concierge service. Please refer to the list of eligible schools to confirm if you are also able to access this service.
Accessing the RRHIS
You don’t need to do anything. The teacher recruitment team, your school or regional representative will manage your referral to the Employee Experience and Retention team.
Frequently asked questions