FAQs: Primary Placements

The following questions and answers will help you with your Primary Professional Experience Placements.

Questions About Arranging The Placement

You will need to provide the Workplace Learning Team with your placement information via InPlace so that the team can source an appropriate placement for you. Please follow these steps:

Please ensure you have completed the following:

Log in to InPlace and upload all mandatory documents and submit your online placement application. Once you have submitted your placement application in InPlace a member of the workplace learning team will contact you to discuss your placement.

We also recommend you upload a 1 to 2 page Curriculum Vitae (CV). By uploading your CV you are consenting to the Workplace Learning Team sharing this information with Schools for the purpose of securing a placement for you. The CV should be of the same standard you would submit to a Principal when seeking employment as a teacher (work experience, qualifications, previous professional experience, extracurricular skills, and special interests). The NSW Department of Education and Communities has some helpful guidelines for writing a CV on their website.

I cannot see my EPT Subject in InPlace and therefore cannot add the required information. Why would this be?

There are two common reasons why this may be occurring:

There is sometimes a delay of up to 24hrs between when you have enrolled in a subject and when it shows up in InPlace.
Your enrolment for the EPT subject may be in a prior session. For example, you may be enrolled in the subject in the 201830 Session but seeking to do your placement in 201860. When this occurs, we need to manually link you to the current session.

Please make contact with the Workplace Learning Team Education-WPL@csu.edu.au if your enrolment relates to a previous session.

Can I contact schools myself?

You are prohibited from making direct approaches to schools in NSW. If your placement is overseas or interstate, the Workplace Learning Team will discuss school contact issues with you.

How long will it take for my placement to be sourced?

Once a school has been approached it can take up to a week for the school to indicate whether a placement can be offered. The school needs to consult with teaching staff which can be difficult due to staff availability. We understand it can be an anxious time awaiting confirmation, and we ask for your patience during this process.

Where will placements be located?

As an online student you can nominate preferred locations for your placement. You need to be aware that professional experience may require you to travel and /or live away from home. It is important, therefore, that you undertake in advance the necessary planning and budgeting to ensure you are able to fulfil the professional experience requirements of the course.

When will I hear from the Workplace Learning Team?

A team member will contact you within the week to discuss your application.

In some cases, schools may revoke their offer for placement and this can occur at any time prior to placement and for a variety of reasons – staffing issues, problems with the classroom etc. If this does occur, we will make contact with you immediately to arrange another placement. Please be aware this placement may not necessarily be in the same location or at a location of your choosing.

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Unsuitable Placement Choices

Can I do my placement at my old school?

You may not be placed where you have been a past pupil. You will also not be placed where you have a close personal contact. This includes where a member of your immediate or extended family is currently enrolled or employed or has previously been enrolled or employed.

Can I do my placement in the school where I work?

You may not be placed where you are currently employed or have previously been employed, whether as a paid employee or as a volunteer.

Can I complete my placement at the same school my child attends or where I have a family relationship such as parent, aunt, uncle etc?

No, it is CSU's policy that professional experience cannot be undertaken within the same school as your child or where you have a close family member on staff, for a range of reasons, including conflict of interest. You will also not be placed where you have a close personal contact.

Can I do my placement in a Special Needs school, or in an IM/IO class?

No, you cannot undertake your professional experience in a special needs school, nor in an IM/IO class. There are no exceptions to this rule. The academic component of the Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) is generalist and does not provide sufficient training in Inclusive Education.

Can I do my placement in a library?

No, this is generally not possible. Teacher education students must cover all Key Learning Areas in their teaching in order to meet accreditation guidelines. This means that teacher education students can be in a library setting for no more than 10% of the placement load.

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Placement Flexibility

Can I do my placement 2 days a week, as I am working?

The usual pattern would be 5 days per week for the total number of required days. If the school agrees to allow the placement to be 4 days per week then you do not need to seek permission from the Workplace Learning Team for that arrangement. However you should email the Professional Experience Liaison Officer and notify him/her of the days when you will be on placement, e.g. Tuesday - Friday each week. This ensures that the Professional Experience Liaison Officer is able to schedule contact with you and the school at a time when you are present. If you wish to consider fewer than four days per week, then you must discuss this with the Course Director and the Manager, Workplace Learning Team: Education-WPL@csu.edu.au. Please note that you will still be required to complete at least 10 days continuous placement in your first placement and your second placement MUST be completed as continuous block of 30 days.

Can I undertake all my placements in the same school?

No, you need to experience a range of different school settings, be exposed to diverse models of teaching & learning, and simultaneously demonstrate your capacity to establish and maintain relationships in different contexts. If you are already employed as a conditionally accredited teacher, you will be required to undertake one teaching placement in a second context in order to enable you to meet accreditation requirements. Supervision by a university-appointed supervisor will be undertaken in the usual manner.

Can I split my placement into two parts, e.g. 10 days and then 15 days a few months later?

This is not permitted, because it does not allow for continuity of learning for you or the students. Do not plan placement for a time when you have interruptions.

Can I split my professional experience across school holidays?

This is the only split that is allowable, but you will need to negotiate this with your subject coordinator, as placement in the final week of one term and the first week of the next term can mean the loss of several teaching days. Any days lost (other than School Development Days where the teacher education student participates in professional development for the full day) must be made up at the conclusion of your placement.

Can I change the dates of my placement?

Requests to make changes to confirmed placements are not permitted. After an application for placement has been submitted by an online teacher education student (Primary & Secondary), requests to change placement dates are not permitted. In exceptional circumstances, where a serious and unavoidable change has occurred to a teacher education student's circumstances, a change to a confirmed placement may be considered. However, any decision to make changes to a confirmed placement will be made by the Manager, Workplace Learning Team. Changing a placement location after confirmation may result in a teacher education student being allocated a place in a non-preferred area or being required to defer a placement where no suitable placement is available.

I have already started my placement and I need to change my dates. Can I do this?

This can happen for a variety of reasons, including illness. Every proposed date change must be discussed with the Workplace Learning Team. Do not assume that permission will be given, except if you are unavoidably absent due to illness.

How late in the year can I start my placement?

You should plan to conclude the placement three (3) weeks before the end of the school year, so late October is a sensible cut off date for starting. It is your responsibility to find out when the school closes for the year. Also bear in mind that your grades are finalised mid-November, and if there is a delay in uploading your final report to EASTS, you might not receive your grade until after schools re-open. If you are a final year student and wish to graduate after your final placement you will need to ensure that the placement is completed and the Final Report submitted to CSU by mid November.

Do I have to do my placement this session?

It is most sensible to enrol in your professional experience subject when you intend to undertake it. However, it is permissible, if circumstances change and you need to defer the placement, to do so. You will not need to re-enrol in the subject before taking up a deferred placement. If you make the decision prior to Census date, it is best to withdraw your enrolment.

Can I do my placement in another state, or overseas?

Yes. Procedures are exactly the same for interstate placements. Please be aware of the new NESA policy on overseas placements. Students who need to complete child protection procedures for interstate placements should note that this may take considerably more time than in NSW and be prepared to have these processes completed before they apply for placement.

Can I do my final placement half-way through my course?

Your course progression is designed so that it culminates in your final placement. It is unwise to undertake your final placement when you still have many areas of teaching you have not studied.

My first placement was on a Year 2 class. Can I do my next placement on a Year 3 class?

If a placement was done in a Year 2 class, we recommend for a breadth of experience, that the following class is in a 4, 5, or 6 class.

My Supervising Teacher wants to make changes to the amount of teaching stated in the Guide. Is this OK?

Your course is accredited by NESA with the amount of teaching that is prescribed in the relevant Subject Guide to Professional Experience Placement. Your supervising teacher may not be familiar with NESA requirements, but your professional experience coordinator and Course Director will be. You need to discuss this with them. The teaching progression in the Subject Guide to Professional Experience Placement provides you and your supervising teacher with the minimum requirements: you may exceed these with the approval and support of your supervising teacher. If you and/or your supervising teacher feel that you are not able to complete the minimum requirements, you MUST contact the Workplace Learning Team: Education-WPL@csu.edu.au as soon as possible.

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Absences, Exams, Excursions and Staff Development days

What if I have an exam when I want to do professional experience?

You may have one day's leave to do the exam, but must make up the time, for accreditation reasons.

Does a Staff Development Day count as "prac days" and should I attend?

If at all possible, you should attend all staff extra-curricular activities and such days would be counted as "prac days". You will have a valuable experience of working collegially. Sometimes schools cannot allow you to participate, due to cost, or late notice or the confidential nature of some staff discussions. In this case, you will need to make up the day.

There will be a teacher's strike when I am on professional experience. What do I do?

Teacher education students incurring absences through single day or part day industrial action are not penalised by the University and are not required to make up the time. Absences due to protracted industrial action (more than two days) will be considered by the Manager, Workplace Learning Team in consultation with the Course Director.

What happens if I get sick or suffer a misadventure (e.g. death in the family) on professional experience and am unable to complete the placement?

Typically, you will be advised to submit a Special Consideration form and request a Grade Pending (GP) for the placement. You will be permitted to complete the program at another time. The duration of the deferred placement will be determined by the Professional Experience Coordinator in consultation with the Manager, Workplace Learning Team (Education-WPL@csu.edu.au).

If I miss a few days due to illness, misadventure etc. do I need to make them up?

You must complete the full number of days for your program, so missed days, irrespective of the reason or the course in which you are enrolled, must be made up.

Should I participate in a school organised excursion and who covers costs?

If the excursion will enhance your professional learning, then it would usually be approved but you should always check with your Manager, Workplace Learning Team Education-WPL@csu.edu.au. It would be up to you or the school to cover the costs of the excursion. Please ensure that you email your subject coordinator about any excursion. You must seek approval for overnight excursions, or single-day excursions that total more than two days of your placement.

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Exemptions, Credits and Waivers

What is the process for exemption from Professional Experience Placements?

Please refer to the Professional Experience Handbook for the exemption criteria for your subject. You will need to complete the Exemption Request Form. Please note that it may take up to three months to resolve an application for exemption and therefore any intention to apply for an exemption should be commenced as soon as possible after enrolment in the course.

What is the process for obtaining a waiver of prerequisites when I am undertaking more than one professional experience subject in the same session?

You need to complete the form available on the Student Portal website.

What credit am I able to have for participating in the short term International Programs offered through the Faculty of Arts and Education e.g. Nepal?

Students should refer to the Faculty of Arts and Education Short Term Mobility page on the CSU Global website in order to establish whether the program offers credit for subjects in your course of study.