Professional experience for pre-service teachers

Professional Experience is a full-time commitment. You are required to attend the site for a full 'school/work' day, or the same duration as your supervising teacher. This may be 45 minutes before school starts for the day, and 45 minutes after school finishes. Check with your placement site what hours they expect you to start and finish.

Hours cannot be varied because of work arrangements, childcare or other responsibilities. You will need to make other arrangements for work and personal commitments during your placement.

To meet the requirements of teacher registration, you must complete all days of professional experience.

Absences

If for any reason, you can't make it to your placement, you must:

• Notify the principal or site coordinator and the supervising teacher by 8am (or another time specified by the school)
• Supply a medical certificate if you're absent for more than one day
• Negotiate make up days with the supervising teacher and/or site coordinator
• Inform the Professional Experience team and university partner of any days missed and the arrangements made for make up days

If you are absent for more than five days, you will be withdrawn from your placement.

Pupil free days

If a pupil free day falls within your placement period, you will either need to attend (and take part in the programs that are running that day) or arrange an alternative make-up day.

Public holidays

If a public holiday falls within your placement period, you will need to arrange an alternative make-up day.

As soon as you receive your placement allocation, you are to make contact with your university partner and site coordinator and provide them your Goal Setting Sheet with your contact details.

Download the Goal Setting Sheet (PDF file, 533.9 KB)

Communication with QUT

Your assigned university partner is your first point of contact. Their details can be found on InPlace.

If you experience any problem, contact your university partner as soon as possible. If you can't get in contact with your university partner, contact the Professional Experience team.

Communication with your placement site

Discuss with your site coordinator or supervising teacher the best way to make contact outside of working hours.

Your standard of dress and grooming should be professional. Many sites allow smart casual dress, however check with your placement site. Some sites will have strict dress codes and rules for:

• visible tattoos
• body piercings
• jeans and t-shirts
• types of footwear
• hair style and/or colour

Be aware that every site has the right to accept or reject a placement based on that site's personal presentation and dress standards.

Each placement requires interim and final reports to be completed.

These reports must be completed by the supervising teacher, however it is your responsibility to ensure that they are completed and submitted via Blackboard. If you have multiple supervising teachers during your placement, they must all collaborate to complete and sign one interim and final report.

There are separate reports for those undertaking a Primary Specialisation.

Download the guide for Primary Specialisations (PDF file, 347.5 KB)

The progression tables specify how much teaching and other professional activities you should be undertaking while on placement. Both you and your supervising teacher need to be familiar with your progression table in order to plan your placement.

Your placement site will have a Workplace Health and Safety Policy and a Risk Management Policy. Please familiarise yourself with these. You may be asked to sign to show that you understand these policies. Some sites may require you to attend training.

You have a responsibility to report all hazards, incidents, near misses, injuries and illnesses while on Professional Experience. You must inform your Supervising Teacher, University Partner and the Professional Experience Office, and then report it via QUT's online incident reporting system, the HSE Hub.

If you encounter any behaviours relating to sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination, bullying or abuse, talk to your supervising teacher (if appropriate), then with your site coordinator if the behaviours does not stop. You must also speak with our QUT work-integrated learning team. Further information about respect and safety is available for students.

You can also contact QUT harassment and discrimination advisers on (07) 3138 2019 or via email. They will talk through your options with you.

Duty of care

Your supervising teacher has a legal responsibility for the physical and intellectual wellbeing of their students at all times. However, should harm come to any student through your negligence or poor judgment, you (and your supervising teacher) could be held responsible, especially if such harm could have been reasonably foreseen.

If your supervising teacher isn't with you and the class, you must know where they are and be able to call on them.

If you're working with potentially hazardous materials (even a sharp pencil in a student's mouth is a potential hazard), you need to take particular care. Always exercise professional judgement.

Confidentiality

Schools and centres deal with confidential information about students and their families. You are expected to maintain this confidentiality at all times. It is a serious breach if confidentiality is broken.

Student disclosure

If a student tells you personal information about experiencing sexual assault, neglect or abuse, you may have legal obligations to report it.

Your site will have a policy and procedure which you must follow. Report to your site coordinator that a student has made a disclosure to you (but not the student's name or details the students shared with you).

Defamation

Abuse of confidentiality and/or criticism of site personnel in a defamatory way could result in a civil court action taken against you by a person who believes they have been defamed.

Disciplining students

Your site will have procedures for disciplining students, which you must follow. Corporal punishment is illegal in Queensland schools.

Relationships with students

Teachers have a significant duty of care for all students. Relationships established with students must be based on respect and trust, placing the best interests of the student first.

It is NEVER appropriate for you to engage in a personal relationship with a student even after the Professional Experience has been completed. This would be a significant abuse of the trust placed in the site community (including pre-service teachers) by a student's family. Legislation has been passed to comprehensively protect students from sexual abuse and other inappropriate conduct by those working with children.

Code of conduct

Teachers working in educational settings are bound by the relevant code of conduct which shapes and guides the standards of practice required of teachers. The Queensland College of Teachers determines that individuals working in Queensland schools are fit and suitable to teach. Any serious legal infringement may result in failure to be registered with the Queensland College of Teachers and therefore not able to teach in Queensland schools.

You are expected to abide by the Code of Ethics for Teachers in Queensland and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

The QUT Manual of Policies and Procedures (MOPP) has relevant reference points relating to student responsibilities and misconduct. These matters are taken very seriously and a range of penalties may be imposed for students found guilty of misconduct or academic dishonesty. Please read:

• E/2.1 QUT Student Code of Conduct
• E/8.1 Management of student discipline

If you choose not to continue

If you decide not to complete your placement, you need to do the following:

• Immediately inform the Professional Experience team, your school site coordinator, your university partner and your unit coordinator
• If you are withdrawing from the unit, you will need to withdraw via QUT Virtual. Depending on dates of withdrawal there will likely be academic and/or financial penalties.
• Contact Student Support for course progression advice at askqut@qut.edu.au

If your placement site chooses not to continue

Sites can choose to discontinue a placement for a variety of reasons, some of which may not be related to a pre-service teacher's conduct. QUT's response will depend on the circumstances around the site's decision. If the circumstances are entirely out of your control, QUT will try to find a new placement. It's likely however that the placement will need to be repeated in full. Due to the limited number of placements available, it is also possible that another placement may not be able to be found until the following semester in which the unit is offered.

Sites can also choose to discontinue the placement if you breach the QUT Student Code of Conduct, or if the site considers on reasonable grounds that your conduct is inappropriate or unsuitable. If this happens, the site coordinator will contact QUT and you will be instructed not to attend. In most cases the pre-service teacher will receive a failing grade for the unit. Other disciplinary actions may also be taken in accordance with university rules.

Professional Experience is a very busy time and you may need to juggle many professional and personal demands while completing your placement. There are a number of support services available to you.

Unit tutor

Each pre-service teacher undertaking Professional Experience is allocated a unit tutor. Their role is to support you (and your supervising teacher) while you are on placement. Your unit tutor is familiar with the day to day classroom challenges that you may encounter. It is your responsibility to make contact with them and to take advantage of their support. You will find their contact details on InPlace.

Counselling services

The University's Counselling Service provides a professional, confidential and free counselling service to pre-service teachers. Professional Experience can become a stressful time for a number of reasons. Making those times less stressful is a major goal of the counselling staff at QUT.

Find out more about the counselling service

Disability services

If you have a disability/medical condition, you can discuss your situation with a Disability Officer to find out what additional support or arrangements can be provided.

Find out more about Disability services

Equity services

Equity Services are dedicated to promoting equal opportunities and support for all students.

Find out more about Equity services

Health services

QUT Medical Centre provides quality health and medical services, information and advice to all students.

Find out more about Health services

Financial services

If you are experiencing financial hardship during Professional Experience, you may be able to access some financial assistance.

Find out more about Financial services

Insurance

Pre-service teachers on QUT approved course related placements (both domestic and overseas) are covered (subject to certain limitations) under QUT's insurance coverage.

If you have an accident at the site, or on a site-related activity away from the site, you are required to report it to the school/centre administration immediately and log it on QUT’s HSE HUB. Once you log your incident on the HSE HUB, you will receive an incident number. You must report your incident and provide the incident number to the professional experience manager and your university partner.

Pre-service teachers who are participating in work experience or professional trips of their own volition need to organise their own insurance. You are also advised to discuss the site's insurance cover prior to undertaking voluntary work experience.

Find out more about insurance for Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placements

If any more details are required they are available on request from insurance@qut.edu.au

LGBTIQA+ students

You have allies all across the university, from staff in our student services and HiQ, to teaching staff in your faculty.

Note that the Professional Experience Office place pre-service teachers in private schools that have strong religious affiliatoins. If you do not wish to be placed in this setting or if you wish to discuss your placement further, email peo@qut.edu.au.

For our LGBTIQA+ students

QUT is committed to supporting our students and partner schools through Permission to Teach opportunities.  Only approved teachers may undertake the duties of a teacher in a state or non-state school in Queensland. Approved teachers include registered teachers and persons approved to teach under Permission to Teach (PTT). Holders of a PTT are not registered teachers. PTT approval is granted within strict parameters.

Pre-service teachers wishing to apply for PTT must refer to the Queensland College of Teachers website. The PTT school is responsible for initiating this process.

Before accepting an employment contract, QUT strongly recommends you to read the Principles for Permission to Teach document.

More information can also be located on the fact sheet and PTT policies documents available at the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) website.

What do I need to do?

Any student wishing to undertake permission to teach or requiring a statement from QUT to submit with your QCT application must complete a Permission to Teach / Statement of Acknowledgement Application. Upon assessment of your application, if you meet the required criteria for PTT, the PEO will generate a Statement of Acknowledgement for you to submit to QCT. The PEO will otherwise be in contact if further information is required.

Completing placement at your PTT school

Current QCT and QUT Policy allows for only one placement to occur in your PTT school, and students must be in their final year of study for this to be approved. Students who are not in their final year of study who have been granted PTT will be required to take leave from their PTT school during the placement period specified in the PEx calendar. No changes or modifications to PEx dates will be allowed.

Due to the nature of the placement whilst completing PTT, QUT strongly recommends that students complete their final placement at their PTT school. Approval from the appropriate Heads of School must be given for any student wishing to complete placement in their PTT school. Contact the PEO if you have further enquiries at peo@qut.edu.au.