Interstate Students are required to source their own placements (excluding students completing placements in the NT):
- It is recommended that interstate students enrol in their Professional Experience unit/s as soon as enrolments open as interstate placements are very competitive and can take some time to organise.
- The Professional Experience Office will provide the student with a resource package (once enrolled in their Professional Experience unit/s) to navigate the process of sourcing their own placement. Documents included in the resource package can also be located here on the Interstate Students webpage.
- Students are required to complete the placement sourcing log (located in the resource package) to clearly document their attempts to secure a placement). If a student requires the Professional Experience Office to assist with sourcing their placement, they will be required to send the completed placement sourcing log to Professional.Experience@educ.utas.edu.au (must be submitted at least 8 weeks prior to the placement commencement).
- After a discussion takes place and an agreement from the school/centre is given, the student is to upload the placement details within InPlace via the self-placement tool.
- Once the Professional Experience Office has received notification of the placement submission they will confirm the placement with the school/centre. Note this submission needs to be submitted according to dates specified in the welcome email/resource package. It is a requirement that students regularly monitor their InPlace Dashboard for communication from the Professional Experience Office.
- The School/Centre will be emailed a full document pack 2-3 weeks prior to the placement commencing.
- The Professional Experience Office will inform students via their UTAS email address when placement information can be viewed on InPlace. This information will be available to students, no later than 1 week prior to the commencement of their placement.
If you are completing your placement within the Northern Territory in 2024, please make contact with the Professional Experience office to discuss the placement allocation process on professional.experience@educ.utas.edu.au
Students sourcing their own placement must ensure it avoids any conflict of interest as per the Professional Experience Guidelines and aligns with the Professional Experience calendar
* If you are a student based in Tasmania, please refer to the Tasmanian Student Webpage for more information.
Part 1: Placement Application Instructions
- Check the applicable Professional Experience Unit is showing as enrolled (not planned) in eStudent (If you are unable to change the status from planned to enrolled please contact a CALE Course Information Officer via UConnect for assistance)
- Log into InPlace and complete the following application sections:
- Emergency Contact Information
- Car and Transport Details
- Interstate Placement Information (Check Box)
- Conflict of interest
- Upon enrolling you will receive a welcome email from the Professional Experience Office which will provide you with a Professional Experience preference form that is to be completed and returned via email to our office so that we are aware of your Placement intentions. If you are currently enrolled for an upcoming Professional Experience Placement and have not yet received an email from our office, please contact Professional.Experience@educ.utas.edu.au
If you are experiencing difficulty with your placement application, please see our short instructional video explanations.
Part 2: Professional Experience Compliance Requirements
Please view the below information and follow the links provided for further instructions regarding your Compliance requirements:
- Professional Experience Checklist. Please read carefully and adhere to the included due dates to ensure you are eligible to complete your Professional Experience in 2024.
- Interstate Checklist - Semester 1, 2024
- Interstate Checklist - Semester 2, 2024
- Safe to Practise Agreement form 2024. Please read carefully, fill in and upload to InPlace. To be completed once a year. The information provided in your Safe to Practise Agreement form will determine the need of a Health Assessment.
- Health Assessment (If required)
- Students are required to hold the valid checks applicable to the State the placement site is located. It is the student’s responsibility to apply for and receive the approved checks prior to the due date provided by the Professional Experience Office. Specific information regarding the requirements for each state can be found below:
Pre-Service Teachers located in Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are required to hold the following checks to complete a placement:
1. ACT Working with Vulnerable People Registration
2. ACT Teacher Quality Institute Pre-Service Teacher Registration
Students will need to upload a copy of their Working with Vulnerable People Registration card and their approval letter/email for their ACT Pre-Service Teacher Registration as a single PDF document within InPlace.
ACT Working with Vulnerable People
Information on the ACT Working with Vulnerable People Registration can be accessed here
Students are required to list the University of Tasmania as an organisation on their working with Vulnerable People application. If you already hold an existing Working with Vulnerable People Check, you will need to phone Access Canberra on 13 22 81 to add the University as an organisation on your Registration.
ACT Teacher Quality Institute Pre-Service Teacher Register
All Pre-Service teachers attending their placement in an ACT school are required to be registered on the ACT Teacher Quality Institute Register, including people who are undertaking their Pre-service teacher education outside the ACT. Information on the Pre-Service Teacher Registration, including how to apply, can be accessed here
Students are required to register online and must upload evidence of their current enrolment in an approved teacher education program and a current working with vulnerable people check.
The Registration on the ACT Pre-Service Teacher Register is valid for 4 years from the date it is processed.
Your evidence of current enrolment must be on an official document and include:
· Name of university
· Your name
· Name of the course (must be an approved teacher education program)
· Statement that you are enrolled
· Date showing enrolment is current.
Please Note:
*A Letter of offer is not evidence of your enrolment.
**UTAS students can obtain a statement of enrolment via their eStudent login, which will include all the required evidence.
Student will receive an email once their registration has been approved. The email will include the students name, registration number, expiry date of the registration and the expiry date of the WWCC.
Students will need to send this approval letter to the PE Office for review and verification of their working with Children InPlace compliance.
The ACT Teacher Quality Institute contact details are listed below, if students experience any difficulties or need assistance with their registration
Phone: +61 2 6207 5005
Email: tqi@act.gov.au
Web: www.tqi.act.edu.au
Pre-Service Teachers located in New South Wales (NSW) are required to hold the following checks to complete a placement. Please follow the below link to access the most current information and application portals:
Mandatory pre-requisites for pre-service teachers (nsw.gov.au)
1. Working with Children Check
2. DoE Child Protection Awareness online training
3. Anaphylaxis e-training (or equivalent anaphylaxis training)
4. Tertiary Practicum Student Application form
5. Code of Conduct and Pre-service teacher acknowledgement
Pre-Service Teachers located in the Northern Territory (NT) are required to hold the following check to complete a placement:
1. Ochre Card (Working with Children Check)
Applying for a Card
Information on the NT Ochre Card (Working with Children Check) can be accessed here and the application form can also be accessed via the link.
When you have received your Ochre Card please upload it to InPlace including the expiry date.
Pre-Service Teachers located in Queensland (QLD) are required to hold the following check to complete a placement:
1. Blue Card (also known as a Queensland Working with Children Check)
QLD Blue Card
Information on the Queensland Blue Card can be accessed here
Instructions of how to complete the application form can be accessed here
Registered Teachers in Queensland
If you are a registered teacher in Queensland, you are not required to hold a Blue Card. You will need to upload evidence of your Queensland Teachers Registration in InPlace, including the registration number and expiry date.
Pre-Service Teachers located in South Australia (SA) are required to hold the following checks to complete a placement:
1. SA DHS Working with Children check
2. RRHAN-EC (Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect - Education and Care) Certificate
SA DHS Working with Children Check
Information on the SA DHS Working with children check can be accessed here
RRHAN-EC (Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect - Education and Care Check
SA Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care (RRHAN-EC) Training
Pre-Service teachers attending placement in a SA school are required to complete training about their child protection responsibilities. Information on the Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect training can be accessed here
You will be required to complete the Foundation course: Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care. Information on this course can be accessed Fundamentals course: Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care
All Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect (Education and Care) training courses expire in 3 yearly cycles.
The current cycle expires 31st December 2024
All employees and applicants are offered the opportunity to complete a free online update before the expiry dates listed above.
Pre-Service Teachers located in Victoria (VIC) are required to hold the following check to complete a placement:
VIC Working with Children Check
Information on the VIC Working with Children Check and how to apply can be accessed here
Pre-Service Teachers located in Western Australia (WA) are required to hold the following checks to complete a placement:
1. WA Working with Children Check
2. Department of Education Coordinated Nationally Criminal History Check
Pre-Service teachers must be located in WA to apply for the checks.
WA Working with Children Check
Information on the WA Working with Children Check and how to apply can be accessed here
*Please note – The organisation (UTAS) will be required to complete sections 5,6 and 7 of a new application. This must be done on the original copy, so please mail your completed paper application with a return pre-paid envelope to – UTAS. We will then complete the required sections and return mail it to you for you to take it in to an authorised Australia Post outlet together with your required identification and required fee.
WA Department of Education Coordinated Criminal History Check
Pre-Service teachers attending placement in a WA school are required to hold a valid WA Department of Education Coordinated Criminal History Check.
**The WA Department of Education Coordinated Criminal History Check remains current for the length of the Pre-Service Teachers degree unless they have a break in study of more than 6 months. The PE office will check the status of each Pre-Service teachers check 1 month prior to attending placement. If the status his expired due to a break in study, Pre-Service teachers will be asked to renew this check with will take between 1-15 days.
Registered Teachers in Western Australia
If you are a registered teacher in Western Australia, you are not required to apply for a WA Department of Education Coordinated Criminal History Check. You will need to contact the WA Department of Education Screening Unit on (08) 9264 4477 or screening@education.wa.edu.au and provide them with your TRB registration number. The Screening Unit will then email you a clearance letter which can be uploaded within InPlace with your WA Working with Children Check as a single PDF document.
Failure to complete these requirements will result in being ineligible for placement in the calendar year.
If you are experiencing difficulty, please see our short instructional video explanations or contact the Professional Experience Office for more information.
Part 3: Resource Package
Tips on sourcing your placement:
- Consider the distance you are comfortable with traveling to a placement. We recommend up to 45mins/60km. Use this as a base to create a list of possible schools/centres to approach. Google Maps will be a useful tool to identify potential placement sites.
- Once you have identified possible schools remove those from your list that are a known conflict of interest. Information regarding conflict of interest can be found in the Professional Experience Guidelines - Faculty of Education | University of Tasmania (utas.edu.au) webpage.
- It is important to ensure that you have diversity in your placements, over the course of your degree it would be beneficial to have a mix of socio-economic schools and settings, such as urban/rural and or isolated.
- It can sometimes take time to source a placement. Starting this process as early as possible will provide greater success. It is important to note that often schools have arrangements with other universities regarding the provision of professional experience placement. Again, identifying the need to start sourcing your placement as soon as possible.
- When emailing a school always use your UTAS email.
- Call the school office and find out who the Placement Coordinator is and organise a time to meet or have a phone conversation. A face-to-face visit to your chosen schools to introduce yourself and meet with the Placement Coordinator is a leverage point to securing a placement.
- Send an email (template provided in your resource package) as a follow up thank you after your visit or phone conversation.
Useful questions to ask when sourcing your placement:
- If you are sourcing a secondary placement, it is important that you determine if your areas of specialisation are offered. You will need to ensure that you have gained experience within both specialisations throughout the course of your placements.
- If you are sourcing a primary placement, try and secure a grade (within prep-6) alternate to any previous placements to give you a range of experience. Ideally you would be aiming at sourcing placements over the course of your degree that focus on lower, middle, and upper primary.
