Beginning teacher? Permission to Teach? Intern? What does it all mean?
The last few years has seen a significant change to the profiles of those joining the teaching profession.
There is greater diversity in the ages and the life experiences of new entrants to the profession, compared to the “traditional” profile of beginning teachers in the 60s, 70s and 80s. The National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, and the spotlighting of initial teacher education (ITE) in the “solutions” offered, ensures that those joining the profession are likely to continue to be from diverse backgrounds and with different entry pathways to the profession.
The worldwide teacher shortage, changes regarding work and life options, and changes to the ITE landscape, have seen Queensland schools welcoming three distinct groups of beginning teachers in 2023.
General beginning teachers
These are first-year teachers who have completed a tertiary qualification in education/teaching and are therefore fully qualified. Their working conditions are outlined in the Teaching in State Education Award State 2016 and the Department of Education State School Teachers’ Certified Agreement 2022. They receive additional NCT and should be provided with mentoring support.
Please see https://www.qtu.asn.au/bt-generalworkingconditions for details of the basic working conditions. They commence on a B0201 salary classification (https://www.qtu.asn.au/salaries-CA2022).
Permission to Teach (PTT) registration
PTT registration is a short-term interim form of registration from the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) that allows a person to teach prior to completion of qualifications. It is granted when a registered teacher is not available to fill a vacancy. The legislation allows a suitable preservice teacher (and, in some instances, others who are not pre-service teachers) to be employed if a registered teacher cannot be found to fill a vacancy.
The Department of Education (DoE) has indicated that while many PTT-registered teachers are commencing in schools under the same conditions as general beginning teachers (https://www.qtu.asn.au/beginning-teachers-PTT), their advice to schools is that these teachers should be offered a reduced workload to assist them in balancing their work as teachers with their study commitments. They receive additional NCT and should be provided with mentoring support.
The QCT has provided guidelines for education leaders on how to best manage this cohort of beginning teachers (https://cdn.qct.edu.au/pdf/Principles_for_Permission_to_Teach.pdf).
They commence on a B0101 salary classification (https://www.qtu.asn.au/salaries-CA2022).
Turn to Teaching intern teachers
“Turn to Teaching” interns are part of a two-year paid internship program that the Queensland Government is piloting from 2022-2025.
It will provide 300 aspiring teachers (across three cohorts from 2022-2025) an alternative pathway into a teaching career in a Queensland state school. TTT interns will commence their two-year TTT program with one year of post-graduate study at university, before undertaking the second year as an intern in a state school. TTT interns have been granted teacher registration under Permission to Teach legislative provisions by the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT).
The QTU has negotiated the TTT interns’ working conditions with the Department of Education. Importantly, TTT interns are given a 50 per cent teaching role, to allow them to continue their studies. As such, the working conditions of interns are 50 per cent of those granted to teachers in the Teaching in State Education Award State 2016 and the Department of Education State School Teachers’ Certified Agreement 2022. They work closely with a supervising teacher and a mentor teacher to reach "gradual release indicators” (GRIs) that assist in preparing them to become teachers (https://www.qtu.asn.au/beginning-teachers-TTT). They commence on a B0101 salary classification (https://www.qtu.asn.au/salaries-CA2022).