Preparing for placement

Preservice teachers preparing to undertake the following professional experience courses may request a professional experience in a rural, remote setting. Certain conditions apply. Regional, rural and remote placements are those outside of the Brisbane metro area, Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast for students whose residential address is South East Queensland.

Please complete the Request for Professional Experience away from residential address (Rural, Remote, Interstate or International Placement) form located in SONIA (login required for access) and submit it to the PEO as soon as possible for consideration to undertake a rural or remote professional experience placement.

As with all other professional experience, the PEO will arrange your rural, remote professional experience.  You are to provide a list of schools that you wish to attend in your application. Do not contact the school requesting professional experience.

You are responsible for organising all accommodation and travel, along with any associated costs. Regional, rural and remote sites sometimes provide accommodation for free or at a nominal cost. (The Professional Experience team will confirm any availability prior to the placement being confirmed.) If you have family or friends who can offer accommodation in regional, rural and remote settings, please include this on your application form.

Rural PEx Incentives:

Isolated Children's Parents' Association of Queensland offers incentives to pre-service teachers completing rural placements. A list of these incentives can be found here however check with the Professional Experience team first before making contact.

Beyond the Range bursary is offered by the Department of Education (payment up to $5,000) and provides some finances for travel and accommodation. Please visit the website for more information.

Kelvin Grove Teacher Education Centre of Excellence (KGTECE) - Support for preservice and beginning teachers, employment opportunities following graduation. Working with regional, rural and remote, Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy and high priority schools across Queensland. You can apply to join the KGTECE and find out more via their website.

Students who are interested in a rural or remote placement should make themselves aware of the requirements within the third year Pex.

Preservice teachers should check state authorities for additional training requirements.

Placements are arranged using details of your home address provided to Griffith. Students already living interstate are usually able to complete placements within their location.  Interstate placements are possible but are more challenging to arrange and space may not be guaranteed.

Students may suggest schools in their local area, and the PEO will make initial contact with the school.

Preservice teachers will not be placed at a site or school where there is a potential conflict of interest. A conflict of interest may occur when there is a previous or existing relationship with staff or students. This includes employment, in any capacity, at the site or school. Preservice teachers have a responsibility to declare to the PEO any such relationship prior to beginning a professional experience at that site. Failure to declare such relationship breaches the ethical expectations and responsibilities of the student as per the Student Charter . 

Preservice teachers will not be placed in a school that they have attended as a student. Another appropriate professional experience will be found. However, in some circumstances professional experience may be possible providing more than five years have passed and confirmation is received from the school that a conflict of interest will not occur by undertaking a professional experience at the school.

In the event a preservice teacher has attended a P-12 school as a secondary student and has requested a preferred professional experience at that school in the primary area, the school coordinator will be advised of the circumstances. Approval and confirmation will be required from the school coordinator that a professional experience for the past student would not raise any concerns or create any possible conflict of interest.

Disability

Any student with a disability and/or health condition that may impact on their ability to successfully undertake required learning activities of professional experience courses, are required to complete the Griffith University Disclosure Statement and advise the Professional Experience Office. Meeting with Disability Services does not transfer automatically to communication with PEO Staff. This provides confidentiality of information being shared. Students have a responsibility to follow-up to discuss required adjustments.

Medication and health conditions

Some students will be required to obtain a medical clearance from their doctor declaring they are medically fit and capable to undertake all the duties related to the professional experience. For example, students taking prescribed medication known to alter behaviour or students who have applied for extensions to assignments prior to the commencement of PEx. This must be submitted to the Professional Experience Office before commencing any professional experience visits. Preservice teachers uncertain of the effects of medication they are using should consult their prescribing doctor before commencing any professional experience activity.

Pregnancy

As per Department of Education, Training and Employment regulations, a preservice teacher who is pregnant must:

• commence maternity leave at least six weeks prior to the expected date of birth of her child
• remain on maternity leave until at least six weeks after the birth of her child.

The Director of the Professional Experience Office may, at the request of the preservice teacher, and on receipt of a certificate from her medical practitioner certifying that in the opinion of the medical practitioner she is fit for attending the professional experience placement, reduce the period mentioned in the above clause.

Information for placements within Queensland

Before undertaking professional experience placements, all students in this degree are required to:

• undergo the Working with Children Check and
• be issued with a Blue Card.

It is mandatory for pre-service teachers to have a valid Blue Card before commencing any work with children in Queensland. Students must hold a Blue Card before starting their professional experience. Students who do not make an application, or who do apply but are ineligible to hold a Blue Card, will not be able to undertake the professional experience components of the program. To obtain a Blue Card students must submit an application. After approval, the Blue Card remains valid for three years.

Please ensure your Blue Card details are up to date for each professional experience. You may need to update and renew your Blue Card details.

Students must hold a current valid Blue Card throughout the duration of each professional experience. Students may be asked to present their Blue Card to facility staff on the first day of each placement and should keep their Blue Card on them at all times while attending a professional experience placement.

The University is legally obliged to warn students that it is an offence for a disqualified person to submit a Blue Card application. Further information may be obtained from Queensland Government Blue Card Services, the Education Professional Experience Office or from any Griffith Student Centre.

Blue Card applications must be submitted online by the student via the Queensland Government Blue Card Services website. There is no fee for a student Blue Card.

Information for interstate or international placements

If you are completing PEx interstate or internationally you need to check the relevant requirements for your jurisdiction.

In response to industry partner requirements, all ED39 and EU30 (Early Childhood) students must obtain proof of the following vaccinations prior to Professional Experience placements:

• Whooping cough
• Annual flu vaccine
• Measles, mumps, rubella
• Covid-19 (2 doses)
• Or a certificate of exemption for medical reasons from a GP or specialist doctor

As soon as you enrol into the unit, please make it a priority to obtain any outstanding vaccinations and upload your certificates as soon as possible.

In line with recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, all university courses preparing people for professions working with children must require students to undertake Child Protection Education.

From 1 January 2023, preservice teachers enrolled in an initial teacher education program (BEd, MSecTech, MPrimTeach) with the School of Education and Professional Studies (EPS) must undertake specific child protection training as part of their professional experience tutorials prior to the commencement of their final professional experience.

This information will automatically be recorded by Griffith.

The Student Charter helps you to be your best by stating what you can expect as a Griffith Student and what the University expects of you.

It is also the key to finding out what you need to know as a Griffith student by giving you direct access to student policies and support systems.

The full Student Charter is available via the Griffith Policy Library but further information highlighting expectations can be found on the Student Charter webpage.

Establishing and maintaining appropriate professional boundaries with students is essential, and your responsibility. Professional Boundaries: A Guideline for Queensland Teachers is designed to assist teachers. It can help teachers to consider the implications and potential consequences of engaging in certain behaviours with students. It can guide teachers in their response to certain situations to ensure their conduct meets the standard of behaviour expected of teachers in their relationships with students.

In Queensland, teachers are accountable for establishing and upholding suitable professional limits with their students. The guideline "Professional Boundaries: A Guideline for Queensland Teachers" is intended to support teachers in this area. This guide encourages teachers to reflect on the possible outcomes and implications of their interactions with students and to act appropriately in various scenarios to ensure that their conduct complies with the expected standard of behaviour for teachers in their connections with students.

It is important for pre-service teachers to know about the QCT Teacher Professional Boundaries guidelines as they provide a clear understanding of the appropriate ways to interact with their future students. By knowing about the guidelines, pre-service teachers can establish appropriate professional boundaries with their students and avoid any misunderstandings or inappropriate behaviour that could harm their students' wellbeing or their own professional reputation. This understanding can also help pre-service teachers respond to situations that may arise during their practice teaching and ensure that their conduct meets the expected standard of behaviour for teachers.

The Queensland College of Teachers “Code of Ethics” for teachers in Queensland outlines the professional conduct and behaviour required of approved teachers in Queensland.

Approved teachers are expected to understand and apply the key principles in the code of ethics for teachers in Queensland: integrity, dignity, responsibility, respect, justice and care.

Teachers are encouraged to use the code, along with codes/policies established by schools and employers, to guide their professional conduct and behaviour. View the code here.