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Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Education

Professional Experience Units

In order to undertake Professional Experience you must be enrolled in the correct unit (subject).

If you are unsure which unit is correct, please contact a CALE Student Advisor via UConnect.

EDP704 Birth to Two Years 10 days
EDP703 Three to Five Years 35 days
EDP702 Six to Eight Years 15 days

For Enrolment enquiries please contact a CALE Student Advisor via UConnect

Once you have enrolled in the professional experience unit, please log into MyLO and work through the Preparation for Placement Module and ensure this has been completed prior to undertaking your placement.

The school/centre you attend for professional experience placement may require you to obtain consent prior to using children’s details for reflections and observations. Please print this consent form [PDF 120.5 KB] and take it with you to the centre to obtain consent.

Placement Expectations

The school/centre you attend for professional experience placement may require you to obtain consent prior to using data or information about students for your coursework. Please liaise with your supervising teacher/educator about the site’s approach to accessing data and managing permissions. You may also find these standard Faculty of Education documents helpful to this end:

Assessment Reports

PE Interim Report Final Report
PE - EDP704 Birth - 2 years  Final Report [PDF 546.2 KB] 
PE - EDP703 - 3 - 5 years Interim Report [PDF 715.8 KB]Final Report [PDF 428.0 KB]
PE - EDP702- 6 - 8 years  Final Report [PDF 512.4 KB]

Frequently Asked Questions

Units of Study

For more information about units of study please refer to the Grad Cert in Ed (EC) page.

No. You can enrol in one unit of study per semester. This offer is provided to accommodate students' needs, many of whom, in addition to study, are teaching on a full or part-time basis. Therefore, this degree is part-time.


Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) or Credit for Placements

Yes. To be eligible to receive RPL you must complete a University Application for Credit and a Statement of Employment [PDF 251KB]. RPL must be commensurate or equivalent to the early childhood teacher role within the placement for which credit is being sought, therefore, credit for support teacher or educational leadership roles, or for employment undertaken within a Launching into Learning (LiL), Early Childhood Intervention Service, or other similar child/family-based program cannot be approved.

Please return all pages by email with supporting documents to Credit.Assessments@utas.edu.au. After receipt, a panel will be convened to determine your eligibility for RPL. You will be advised by email, by the GC in Ed (EC) Course Support Officer of the outcome of this meeting.

Multiple placements. In accordance with course accreditation guidelines students are able to apply for RPL against multiple placements in the Grad Cert in Ed (EC). Simply put, like for like i.e., RPL must be for a specific placement age group (birth – 2, 3 – 5 years, and/or 5 – 8 years).

Yes. Your application will be considered in accordance with the following criteria:

  • Continuous and current employment – Irregular casual teaching may not constitute continuous teaching. Current refers to teaching undertaken within the last five (5) years.
  • Alignment between the standards listed on the relevant Professional Experience report and the placement for which RPL is being sought. Your employer will be required to complete and authorise a Statement of Employment. Completion of this form will indicate that in their evaluation of your teaching performance you have met the requirements for the placement against which RPL is being sought. Upon receipt of the Statement of Employment and Credit Form application, additional supporting evidence may be sought by the RPL panel.

No. Successfully completed undergraduate placements are not equivalent to paid employment. Secondly, undergraduate placements are assessed at Level 7, Australian Initial Teacher Education Standards (AITLS) compared to the post-graduate standard, which is Level 8.


Professional Experience Placements

No. All placements are completed in accordance with individual student needs. You may undertake a placement at a time that is convenient to you. Placements must be undertaken in the study period that you enrol in the unit in but must not start until after census date of the study period you are enrolled. The earliest start dates for each study period in 2021 are outlined below. If you are not ready to undertake your placement, do not enrol in the unit. You must ensure you enrol in the unit prior to the census date for each study period to be eligible to be placed within that study period.  Please refer to the Key University dates for current information regarding census.

Study Period Earliest Placement Start Date
Semester 1 Tuesday 23rd March
Semester 2 Tuesday 10th August

No. Under no circumstances are students from any course to approach a school site or individual teacher to secure a placement. Failure to adhere to this requirement will render the student ineligible for placement for that calendar year. Please refer to the GC in Ed (EC) Conditions of Placement - Students for more information.

How do I apply for my professional experience placement?

  1. Enrol in the applicable unit for the semester in which you wish to undertake your placement. You can self enrol via eStudent.
  2. Log into InPlace to complete your placement application. Instructions for applying for your placement are in the Applying for Placement document [PDF 476KB].
  3. Email the Professional Experience Team to advise that you have completed your application and advise the dates you wish to attend placement. Semester 1 placement applications must be received by Census Date: 23 March and Semester 2 placement applications must be received by Census Date: August 10.

Please note: We require a minimum of 6 weeks’ notice to organise a placement – please ensure you allow enough time to source and confirm a placement for you. This is particularly important if you are seeking to undertake a child care placement within the school holiday period especially over the Christmas break.

Yes, under the following conditions:

  • I am a registered teacher.
  • The Centre Director or School Principal at my placement site is not a relative.
  • I am not being supervised by a family member/relative.
  • I am not teaching in my child/children's class/classroom.
  • I am not completing a placement in the classroom I usually teach
  • I will be fully supervised by a registered teacher for the duration of my placement
  • Assessment will be overseen by a UTAS staff member

The Faculty of Education recognises that a conflict of interest may arise from a number of situations, including family connections/relationships therefore students must identify and avoid settings where such "conflict of interest" may arise. Failure to declare a "conflict of interest" will result in automatic withdrawal and failure of the placement and may be viewed as academic misconduct. Students in any doubt regarding the suitability of their placements should seek advice from the Professional Experience Office.

Yes, conditional upon the completion of a minimum of 3 consecutive days per week, and that the placement complies with the full quota of placement days. Attendance for the total amount of stipulated days for the Professional Experience placement is mandatory, regardless of prior teaching experiences, work and family commitments or unforeseen circumstances. Students are to adhere to work hours, in relation to the arrival and departure times set for full-time staff at that school or educational setting. Students must be punctual at all times.

No. Placements can be taken in accordance with your professional needs.

No. There are no co-requisite units of study. It is however, recommended that students who have limited knowledge, or expertise in working with early childhood curriculum documents/frameworks should complete EDP708 Curriculum, pedagogy and assessment in early childhood prior to undertaking any placements. All students, however, are required to complete a MyLO Professional Experience Preparation Module prior to the start of all placements.