Basic guide to:
Beginning your teaching career
This basic guide provides QTU members with information on their entitlements and can be used by school
administration to help in timetabling
October 2016
This document is issued for general guidance only. It does not constitute professional advice. The issues with which it deals are complex and the document
necessarily deals only with general principles. No reader should rely on this document for the purpose of making a decision as to action but should seek the
appropriate advice from the Union on the particular circumstances of that reader. The Union accepts no responsibility for the consequences should any person
act in reliance on this document without obtaining the appropriate advice from the Union.
Internships
Pre-service teachers who have almost completed
their qualifications may be offered an unpaid
internship at a school in a formal program outlined
in agreements that have been reached between the
university, the Department of Education, the
Queensland College of Teachers and the unions.
These internship agreements are available on the
QTU website.
http://www.qtu.asn.au/salaries/internshipagreements/
Interns are assigned a mentor teacher and the
intern may only teach up to 50 per cent of the
mentor teacher’s classes. The intern must not be
used as a supply or substitute teacher when other
teachers in the school are away. This includes
playground duty, attendance at staff meetings and
other extra-curricular activities. The duties of an
intern are listed in the agreement.
Where the department provides employment
opportunities (e.g. offers a temporary contract) for
pre-service teachers enrolled in undergraduate
studies to undertake school-based internships,
interns will be appointed to a salary within Band 1
as stated in Part 5, section 5.6 of the certified
agreement.
http://www.qirc.qld.gov.au/qirc/resources/pdf/cert
ified_agreements/cert_agreements/2016/ca34_2
016.pdf
Teacher registration
Prior to starting to teach in a casual, temporary or
permanent capacity at any Queensland school,
state or non-state, you will be required to obtain
teacher registration from the Queensland College of
Teachers (QCT). All the information you need can be
found
on
the
QCT
website.
http://www.qct.edu.au/Registration/index.html
You will initially be granted provisional teacher
registration, and after one year of full-time teaching,
you will be able to transition to full registration if
you meet the requirements. You must continue to
pay the teacher registration fee, otherwise you will
be unable to continue teaching. Permission to
teach (PTT) may be granted by the QCT when
schools are having difficulty finding teachers to
teach specific subject areas or in remote and
difficult to staff regions. The PTT is only granted in
exceptional circumstances.
It is not possible to predict whether a PTT would be
approved for a vacancy that could not be filled in a
school, as it would depend on a lot of factors, such
as whether the PTT applicant had the knowledge,
qualifications, skills or training in a particular
subject or discipline that may be required for the
teaching position. The PTT policy lists the criteria on
which
approval
of
a
PTT
is
based
http://qct.edu.au/pdf/Policy_Permission_to_Teach.
pdf
Whether an applicant is enrolled in a course of preservice teacher education or not is not at all
relevant to QCT approval processes. Applicants
must also meet other eligibility requirements,
including,
suitability
to
teach
http://qct.edu.au/registration/suitability-to-teach
Applying to become a teacher
Your teaching appointment is conditional upon the
successful completion of course requirements by
your appointment date. Your final semester results
must be forwarded to your regional office. The
Department of Education has a comprehensive
Guide to Teaching in State Schools, which includes
information on how to get employment in state
schools across Queensland and the suitability
ranking that you will need to obtain in order to be
considered for employment.
http://education.qld.gov.au/hr/recruitment/teachin
g/forms-guides.html
Probation
All new permanent employees of DET (as well as
those converted to permanency after a period on
contract) are required to undergo probation, which
is usually eight months but may be shortened to six.
You must be confirmed in your position or have your
engagement terminated before the end of the
eighth month of employment. For teachers
appointed at the beginning of a school year, this will
be immediately prior to the September school
holidays.
Authorised by Graham Moloney, General Secretary, Qld Teachers' Union, P O Box 1750, Milton LPO Qld 4064
Web: www.qtu.asn.au Email: [email protected] Phone: 07 3512 9000 Fax: 07 3512 9050
Basic guide to beginning your teaching career – October 2016
At the end of your first three months, you will be
provided with a performance review by your
principal, which must be recorded on the applicable
form. Any areas of concern must be identified and
an agreed action plan developed.
A formal appraisal will be conducted by the end of
six months of service (usually July), resulting in a
recommendation of either confirmation or
termination of appointment.
Page 2 of 2
ACTION: Five easy steps to assert your professional
rights.
If you are experiencing problems with the probation
process, or having difficulty accessing mentoring or
induction programs, you should follow these steps.
Step one:
Research your entitlements under
the relevant department policy, DET
State School Teachers’ Certified
Agreement 2016 or Teaching in
State Education Award - State
2016.
Step two:
Discuss the situation with your
fellow teachers, if appropriate.
Step three:
Seek further advice and assistance
from your Union Rep or call QTAD
on 1300 11 7823.
Step four:
Organise a meeting with your
supervisor, e.g. the principal, to
discuss.
Step five:
Contact the QTU for further advice if
the matter remains unresolved to
your satisfaction.
http://ppr.det.qld.gov.au/corp/hr/hr/Pages/Probati
on---State-School-Teachers.aspx
Mandatory induction
All new employees are required to participate in a
mandatory beginning teacher induction program
provided by the staff at your school or accessible
online. This training should be completed during
student free days, but may also be completed
during twilight sessions.
https://det.qld.gov.au/working-with-us/detinduction/det/induction-programs-andresources/mandatory-induction-program
Beginning teacher mentoring
If you are appointed as a beginning teacher at a
school for at least twelve months, either on contract
or permanently, a mentor teacher will be assigned
to you. Funds will be provided to schools, up until
the end of 2017, to allow you and your mentor to
be released from face to face teaching for up to 18
hours per term, to work through the teacher
development and induction program.
http://www.education.qld.gov.au/staff/developmen
t/employee/teachers/mentoring.html
Authorised by Graham Moloney, General Secretary, Qld Teachers' Union, P O Box 1750, Milton LPO Qld 4064
Web: www.qtu.asn.au Email: [email protected] Phone: 07 3512 9000 Fax: 07 3512 9050