Frequently Asked Questions

This will vary depending on the particular placement your pre-service teacher is completing. For more specific information please refer to the Supervising Teacher information Sheet for each practicum.

Pre-service Teachers are required to maintain their own valid Child Safety Screening Clearance (CSSC) as per Australian state and territory regulations. Swinburne University of Technology Pre-service Teachers are required to apply and/or provide a copy of their current CSSC. Swinburne Online does not assess a person’s suitability to work with children, however we encourage our Pre-service Teachers to arrange an interview or planning visit prior to commencing their placement.

As part of the placement, Pre-service Teachers are required to be involved in all aspects of the early childhood setting or school. For example: yard duty, staff/level meeting or professional development, collaborating with other teachers and engage with parents and carers. To have the opportunity to meet this requirement, Pre-service Teachers are required to attend full work days during their placement.

They are expected to shadow their Supervising Teacher and work similar hours with the minimum attendance being seven hours per day.

Early childhood placements have a minimum of five contact hours with children and two hours of planning that Pre-service Teachers should do onsite with their Supervising Teacher.

Please see How Placements Work.

Payment is made for the supervision of our Pre-service Teachers. Please visit Claim for Payment for more information.

If permitted by the setting, Pre-service Teachers are encouraged to attend school camps and excursions. These events count toward the placement attendance provided that the Pre-service Teachers are able to meet the teaching load requirements outlined in the Mentor Teacher Information Sheets.

Swinburne University of Technology’s public liability insurance policy covers the University for any claims made against it related to personal injury to other parties or damage to the property of others. During the placement, Pre-service Teachers are regarded as an extension of the University and the policy protects them against such claims that may arise from activities associated with the placement.

Please note, that Pre-service Teachers are not paid by the University and therefore not covered by the University’s Workers’ Compensation policy.

A Conflict of Interest (COI) exists where the Pre-service Teacher:

• Is employed (e.g., as an educator, teacher aide, technical assistant or administrator)
• Attended as a student (in the last 10 years)
• Has family members or close friends employed or attending the setting

As part of the process for arranging a COI placement, the Pre-service Teacher must apply for a COI waiver.

COI applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, and it is at the discretion of the education setting if they are comfortable in waiving the COI. The education setting will be contacted to confirm via email they are aware a COI exists and are comfortable in assessing the Pre-service Teacher fairly, objectively and in an un-biased fashion, to the requirements and expectations of the placement.

All Pre-service Teachers completing placement within the Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Teaching can complete placements within their own workplaces.

In many states, there are rules allowing Pre-service Teachers permission to teach prior to graduation. These rules are temporary and alternative authorisations to teach that enable individuals who do not meet the qualification requirements for teacher registration to undertake the duties of a teacher in a school.

Pre-service Teachers and their school employer need to go through a process of applying for this directly with the relevant registration body in their state. This process is not handled by Swinburne Online as the Initial Teacher Education course provider.

What is important for us to clarify, is:

• EAT is ‘employment’, and typically this teaching will not be ‘supervised’.
• ‘Placement’ must be ‘supervised’ by appropriate Supervising Teacher/s.

The EAT ‘employment’ is therefore separate to the ‘placement’, as ‘placement’ needs to be ‘supervised’ teaching practice under AITSL accreditation requirements.

Therefore, if a Pre-service Teacher wishes to undertake a placement at their place of employment this presents a Conflict of Interest (COI), so the COI must be considered by the placement school/employer and formally waived before the placement can be approved.

Pre-service Teachers must complete a minimum of 3 days per week of supervised placement.