Teaching jobs in Early Years or Primary, how do I look for work?

[Guest Scottandjo]

Can any one help please. I have been sponsored by WA as a teacher and emigrate in August. I have just applied for registration but I am unsure of the best way to look for a job. I am willing to do supply as well but again how would I put my name down for this. It is more likely that we will be living about 40/50 mins north of Perth.

thanks Jo

[Chall]

I think you need to do an orientation course first but I'm no expert. Good luck with it all and keep us posted because hopefully I'll get there too!

[Del70]

This is an old post from last year that someone put on PIO, which I've copied and pasted for you, in the hope that it may be of some help..........

Hello!

I've been through the process in the last months, so I hope I can give some information.

The registration with WACOT took about 3 weeks and was pretty straightforward.

Then the real waiting and pain began... :-) What I didn't know: to be able to teach at state schools, you have to register with the department after registring with WACOT to get a department employer ID number! So you have to send everything in again... Only scans though, but it took them almost 3 months until I finally got my "ID number"... Thanks to them losing one of my documents. It was a real pain, and when I could then finally put my general application in, it was only to get an email 3 days later that all existing applications would be deleted as they introduced a whole new application system... Great!

Now my application is finally in the "pool" (and again, it took 2 weeks from me sending in my application to an email that they had a look at it, decided that I meet the requirements to teach in WA and that they are now happy to let me now my application is in the pool). Seriously??? After sitting on my documents for almost 3 months to give me the ID number they now had to look at everything AGAIN??? It was very frustrating. And now I am swimming in that pool, not knowing if and when a principal will fish me out of there... :-)

I have now started to do some relief teaching. It is quite interesting, but also stressful to wait for a call every morning, not knowing if it will come, and if it does, you never know what will expect you. Well, I am learning to be very flexible and quick to come up with some lessons for all year levels!

So it has been a long way, and I am not full time back in school yet, sometimes I am starting to worry if I will get something at least for the next school year...

 

 

The orientation program by the department is quite interesting, although they are trying very hard to advertise going rural. I have travelled all over WA, so I know how rural and remote those remote positions can be :-) But they also give you an overview in many different areas, and I enjoyed the 2 days very much. Even though it says on their website you need to have registration and ID number, I did the program befor I had those. I just emailed them, asking if I could join the course anyway and the reply was "I can't see why not..." :-)

So good luck with everything for both of you, my advise would certainly be to call if you don't hear from them within a few of weeks. Not that the same will happen to you as happened to me and they are waiting for some additional document which I had sent in the day after they requested it!

 

It was from a thread titled [h=2]Teacher skills assessment - How long does it take?[/h]

[Chall]

Awesome info Del! I'll be saving this somewhere safe for future reference. Hope your application is going well.

 

Chall.

[Guest Scottandjo]

Thanks for your replies. I will let you know how long the WA teaching board takes to reply to my application, I was surprised that even though I had a skills assessment certificate it counted for nothing in WA and I had to send the same things off again and pay quiet a lot of money too.

[Del70]

Awesome info Del! I'll be saving this somewhere safe for future reference. Hope your application is going well.

 

Chall.

 

Thanks! Think we're about 6 weeks into AITSL by now, and dreading getting an email asking for more evidence, then having the counter reset!

Sounds like you're getting on well so far......... Good luck with Sponsorship etc.!

[Chall]

Thanks! Think we're about 6 weeks into AITSL by now, and dreading getting an email asking for more evidence, then having the counter reset!

Sounds like you're getting on well so far......... Good luck with Sponsorship etc.!

 

I had to send extra info because one of my docs wasn't signed correctly but I knew about it within 3 weeks so fingers crossed you're ok. Good luck everyone!

[Rossmoyne]

During the last year things have changed with the Department of Education regarding employment as a teacher.

 

Firstly you have to have registration with the Teachers Registration Board of WA. http://www.trb.wa.gov.au

 

Secondly, you do not have to have an ID number to gain work with the Department as this comes after you have secured a position. If the position is a permanent or fixed term position you will be required to submit an application (online) to the Department. If the position is just for Relief, the school who initially employs you can apply for an ID number for you. But be aware that this ID number will only allow you to do Relief teaching. If you then are appointed to a permanent or fixed term position, the Department will require you to submit a full application online.

 

Since July last year, all teaching jobs in WA are now advertised on the government jobs board http://www.jobs.wa.gov.au and are not dealt with by central placement in the Staffing Directorate.

 

All schools now advertise their vacancies and perform a merit select system for positions that are either permanent or on a temporary fixed term basis.

 

However all Relief (supply) positions are dealt with at school level, so to gain anything in this arena, you need to visit each school individually and hand them a copy of your resume. Might also be worth asking to speak to the person who books the relief if it isnt down to the individual teachers to book their own. Many schools have a Relief List that is updated and distributed to staff regularly and the majority of relief work comes from these lists, so it is well worth doing the personal visit thing.

 

Hope this helps....

[Sammy1]

Only one third of all government schools in WA are merit select and yes they do advertise their positions/pools on the JobsWa board and personally recruit their own staff, which is fantastic.

 

However, two thirds of government schools are not yet independent and the teaching staff at these schools are still placed by central staffing. Prospective teachers ( both graduates and experienced) if they wish to be placed, have to apply to the two general advertised pools on the jobswa board,submit their resumes and also indicate their location preferences.

 

Central staffing then send a few selected resumes to school Principals to place teachers ( it is still somewhat a lottery as to whose resume is sent to which school). An interested Principal will then contact an applicant.

 

Importantly, all schools have access to these two general pools. So, an independent school can also in theory advertise their own teaching pool on the jobswa board and yet also take teachers from the two other pools also.

 

The independent government schools start advertising from August to November on the jobswa board - the competition is fierce and the professional standards have to be addressed in all applications. Most of the jobs are actually for places in a school pool. The lucky ones then receive an interview and possibly an offer of a job.

 

The two general pools for non independent government schools ( graduate and fixed term) are running now up until the end of 2013.Those interested in positions for now and 2014 will need to apply to these two pools to be considered for placement in a non merit select ( government,but non independent).

 

Prospective Teachers....

There are hundreds of unemployed teaching grads ( many experienced also who want to work in the metro area) and so I seriously recommend that if you do not know the Australian National Professional Standards, that you look up the website now and start formulating responses to each of the application criteria, ready for application. All merit select ( independent government schools) require that you address the standards in your application.

 

If you are considering the private sector, then it s advisable that you keep an eye on Seek as many private schools advertise on there.

Edited April 21, 2013 by Sammy1

[Del70]

Thanks for all the useful information above.

[Guest Scottandjo]

Thanks for the info. It seems strange that they have only just put teachers back on their sponsor list and yet it seems hard to get a job. My first rental is in Clarkson so ill just have to hope I get something. I'll start looking in to those standards too.