important.DATES

28 November - PEAT test held at UNSW

October 2009

Welcome to teach.START, a regular newsletter keeping you up to date with the latest information about the 2010 Graduate Recruitment Program.

Build up your teaching credentials

Got your interim casual teaching approval yet? As a 2010 Graduate Recruitment Program applicant you can apply for an interim approval to teach once you've completed your "pracs", or professional experience including your internship.

Casual or temporary teaching starts you off straightaway and is a great introduction to your teaching future.

In quite a few cases the offer for full- or part-time casual or temporary work may come from one of the schools where you actually did your pracs – especially if you proved to be an outstanding teacher whose contribution they particularly valued.

Opportunities for casual or temporary teaching can come from other sources as well. Some graduates choose to be proactive and take the initiative in visiting a range of schools in their preferred location.

Another option is to check out the temporary teaching position advertisements online at www.teach.nsw.edu.au/vacancies. Updated weekly, this site features temporary, usually long-term, teaching vacancies in various schools throughout the State. It is a great resource for finding temporary employment without having to do the ‘legwork’ of making the rounds of schools.

Finally, since you are automatically registered on the Department’s Casual.Direct Casual Teacher Staffing System as soon as you get your interim approval, you might simply get a call offering you a casual or temporary teaching opportunity.

This is just what happened to Dillon LeFoe, who graduates this year with a Master of Teaching from the University of Western Sydney. Interestingly, Dillon has lived in and around Western Sydney for most of his life, but soon after receiving his interim teaching approval, he received a call from Casual.Direct offering him a temporary posting at Broken Hill High School in the State’s Far West.

“I’d never been to Broken Hill and all my location preferences were in and around western Sydney, but when I got the offer I thought, why not? So I made the trip across, and started teaching on the first day of Term 3.”

A couple of months on, Dillon says: “I’m extremely happy I made the decision.

“Life in a close-knit town like Broken Hill is like nothing I’d experienced before, and it’s something I’ve found I really enjoy.”

Dillon teaches music, and has also added art to his teaching load. He is fitting in so well that the school has offered him a further 12 month stint next school year. “My experience at Broken Hill has been very positive, and has enabled me to learn so much more about teaching that I can put to good use when I get a permanent appointment.”

Trudi Liddell

The same sentiments were expressed by Trudi Liddell, who also started her temporary teaching job in Term 3 at James Meehan High School, shortly after receiving her interim approval as a 2010 GRP applicant.

“I did my last professional experience at James Meehan, and they asked if I would be interested in some casual work,” says Trudi. “So as soon as I got my interim approval I rang them, and I have been working there as a casual teacher ever since.”

Trudi will be graduating in March next year, and for now has opted to just work on a part-time basis. But the opportunity to do casual work has been very helpful, particularly in terms of boosting her résumé. “Any teaching experience that you get will help to enhance your career prospects,” she says.

If you have completed all your professional experience requirements, apply for an interim casual teaching approval so you can get started. Check out opportunities at the schools where you did your pracs, and also those in your preferred location. Make sure that Casual.Direct have your current contact details; if these have changed, advise them as soon as possible via email at casual.direct@det.nsw.edu.au, so that you don’t miss out on any job offers.

Most importantly, make sure you regularly visit the Department’s temporary job vacancies online listings. There are new opportunities listed every week, any one of which could be your chance to launch your teaching career.

 

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grad.POSTS

Withdrawn Applications

The applications of graduate teachers who did not submit supporting documents or arrange to attend a GRP interview have been withdrawn. As a withdrawn applicant who completes teacher training in 2009, you will need to reapply online at www.teach.nsw.edu.au/apply through the regular teacher recruitment process to gain an approval to teach in NSW public schools at any time in the future. If you do not complete your teacher training course until 2010 or later you may be eligible to reapply through the relevant year’s GRP process.

 

Interim Teaching Approval

A regular report is run every week to identify graduate teachers who have requested interim approval and who are due to complete their final professional teaching experience. If your name is on the report and we have completed all necessary checks and processing for your application your interim teaching approval will be issued.

Your interim approval cannot be issued if we have not received your Statement of Eligibility for Accreditation from the NSW Institute of Teachers. If you have completed the Institute registration process and provided required documents to them more than three weeks ago you may need to contact them.

 

Permanent Employment for Sponsored Graduate Teachers

Notification of appointments for 2010 has commenced for sponsored new graduates under the Teacher Education Scholarship, Accelerated Teacher Training, Enhanced Teacher Training and Incentive Scholarship programs. Appointments are subject to the availability of suitable vacancies.

Your appointment for Term 1 2010 may be initially to a position in a school ‘above establishment’ pending a suitable vacant position becoming available in terms of the Deed of Agreement. In this case, the sponsorship unit will contact you to let you know that your appointment is anticipated as being above establishment initially. The staffing unit will contact you by mid-January to advise the name and location of the school where you will commence employment in 2010. Appointment to a substantive position may occur during Term 1 2010 or later when further vacancies become available.

Should an unplaced sponsored new graduate see a suitable advertised position in a school and subject area in terms of their Deed of Agreement, they are able to apply through the merit selection process.

 

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quick.QUESTIONS

1. How do I retrieve my application online?

Use this link to retrieve your application online to request interim approval or amend your contact details. Don’t forget to also update your contact details in the employee Portal.

 

2. When will I know about employment for next year?

Offers of employment to identified applicants under the 2010 GRP have commenced. However, the majority of teaching vacancies for 2010 will not become known until towards the end of the year meaning most permanent employment offers to graduate teachers will be made between Term 4 2009 and Term 1 2010. As a non-sponsored applicant under the 2010 GRP you are also eligible to apply for advertised permanent teaching positions. These vacancies are published every Wednesday at www.jobs.det.nsw.edu.au. As the successful applicant for an advertised position, your appointment is subject to you fulfilling all recruitment requirements prior to your entry on duty.

 

3. I’m planning to go on holidays after uni finishes. What happens if you have a job to offer me while I’m away?

We communicate job offers and other employment opportunities to teachers by phone, email or even SMS. You need to ensure that the contact details we have for you are current and that you check your email and phone for messages regularly. If you do intend to travel where you will not be contactable (such as overseas), you may wish to authorise a relative or partner to accept any job offer on your behalf. You will need to provide us with your authorisation along with name, relationship to yourself, contact details and the period you will be away by email to grp@det.nsw.edu.au.

 

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