Welcome to teaching!
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 1, 16 February, page no. 27
A big hello to all the new teachers starting their teaching careers in 2024. As teachers who have also “survived” our first year, we at the QTU know that this year will bring many firsts, many challenges, and a lot of steep learning curves.
Being aware of your rights and responsibilities as a new teacher can help you traverse your new role. Here is some information and a few tips.
Teacher registration
You were granted provisional teacher registration by the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) after graduation. You can transition to full registration after one year of full-time teaching (200 days) if you demonstrate that you meet the graduate level Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). The provisional registration period can be extended if needed.
The QCT requires a reviewer (usually a principal or their delegate) to declare that there is evidence of the required teaching experience and that they are satisfied that the teacher has demonstrated the standards needed. Exhaustive portfolios of “evidence” are not required. Evidence can be broad and can include dates of participation in PD and staff meetings, notes of professional discussions with your supervisor, basic planning, and evidence of satisfactory completion of an assessment and reporting cycle. Click the QR code for more
Probation
All new permanent Department of Education employees undergo probation, which is usually an eight-month process. Your school should have given you information about the process when you started. Expectations, support, and timelines for meetings should be agreed. You must be provided with a performance review by your principal after three months, which must be recorded on the applicable form. Any concerns must be identified, and an agreed action plan developed, and at the three-month mark there must be genuine support to address the issues identified. A formal appraisal will be conducted by the end of six months of service (usually July), resulting in a recommendation of confirmation or termination of appointment. Contact your Union Rep or QTAD on 1300 117 823 with any questions.
Induction
All new employees must undergo an induction program giving them an understanding of their role. This should provide basic “who’s who” information, human resources protocols, workplace health and safety (WH&S) procedures, how to traverse the system, and where to seek support.
Permission to Teach (PTT)
PTT is a short-term, interim form of QCT approval that allows a person to teach prior to qualification, which is granted if a registered teacher is not available to fill a vacancy. PTT employees have the same working conditions as all beginning teachers, but they should receive additional guidance and support, given they are not yet fully qualified and will be juggling work and study commitments.
Members employed under PTT provisions should submit their academic transcripts to the QCT upon completion of their qualifications. You should also provide them to DoE, as it will not automatically transition a teacher to the higher salary scale (band 2 step 1) upon graduation. To learn more, visit https://cdn.qct.edu.au/pdf/Principles_for_Permission_to_Teach.pdf and https://www.qct.edu.au/registration/other-approval-permission-to-teach.
Turn to Teaching (TTT) internship
TTT interns commence in schools after undertaking the first year of a Master of Teaching degree. They have a .5 teaching load, but with a full-time salary, and have access to the same entitlements as a full-time teacher, with support from a supervising teacher and a mentor teacher.* Interns are employed under a Permission to Teach (PTT) registration arrangement. They must be fully supervised during the first term, and ongoing supervision and mentoring must be provided through the internship year. They are required to meet the gradual release indicators’ (GRI), which are outlined in their internship agreement. They will be assessed against the GRIs at the end of each term.
Mandatory training and beginning teacher induction
You will have participated in the mandatory all-staff training (MAST) online modules, as well as modules that form part of a beginning teacher induction program. While not mandatory, the Beginning Teacher Learning Suite (an online resource consisting of ten modules) is highly recommended.
Beginning teacher mentoring
The certified agreement (CA) requires beginning teachers to have access to structured mentoring support. At the end of 2020, DoE suspended the funding of the school-based Mentoring and Beginning Teacher (MBT) programs, and instead introduced online and regional mentoring support. The QTU continues to seek full dedicated funding for MBT programs. Mentoring remains key to the support of beginning teachers. It should be undertaken in rostered duty time and resources should be allocated for this purpose.
Lin Esders
Research Officer - Professional Issues
* Please note support of TTT interns attracts four days of release time for the supervising teacher and some release for their mentor teacher.