Graduate teacher entitlements

By Natalie Blewitt Growth Team coordinator

The SSTUWA has early career teachers covered. In this edition, the focus is on your graduate entitlements. Your rights, entitlements and responsibilities as a public school teacher in Western Australia are laid out in the School Education Act Employees’ (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2019 and the Teachers (Public Sector Primary and Secondary) Award 1993. Both the General Agreement and the Award are documents negotiated between the SSTUWA and the Department of Education (DoE) and are registered in the Western Australia Industrial Relations Commission. These documents apply across all Western Australian public schools, irrespective of Independent Public School status.

Graduate Teacher Allowance

Full time graduate teachers in their first two years of employment will receive an allowance of $1,600 per annum. Graduate teachers who are employed less than full time (and who have a contract) will receive a pro rata graduate teacher allowance. This annual allowance is paid according to the term of employment and payment will be made as soon as practicable after commencement of employment. The graduate teacher allowance is paid directly to you through payroll. If you don’t receive the allowance within four weeks of your start date, use the Raise a support request link which can be found on IKON under the Understand your graduate allowance section.

Graduate Teacher Release Time

In your first year of teaching, additional non-contact time of 0.05 FTE per week will be provided to each contracted graduate teacher. While it is expected that this time allocation is available to graduates on a regular basis, up to 2.5 days a term can be accumulated to accommodate different contexts and needs.

Graduate Teacher Curriculum Materials Allowance

A curriculum materials allowance is available to support contracted first year graduate teachers in acquiring personal curriculum materials. Primary and district high school graduate teachers have access to $150 and secondary graduate teachers have access to $78. You should use your own professional judgement to choose the materials most suited to your needs and the materials purchased will belong to you. Perhaps you may even like to purchase one of our resource books (visit sstuwa.org.au/shop). Funding for the Graduate Teacher Curriculum Materials Allowance is allocated directly to your school once the department is notified of your appointment. Remember, prior to any purchases, make sure you speak with your business manager/manager of corporate services to ensure you are following proper ordering procedure.

Graduate Teacher Professional Learning Program

Don’t forget to enrol in the Graduate Teacher Professional Learning Program. Completing the four modules over the first 30 months of your teaching career (or longer if working casual or parttime), is a DoE requirement. Seize these opportunities to sharpen and refine your skills, network and advance in your career.

All graduate module participation by contracted teachers is entitled to be paid; funding for two days per module is allocated to your school. This includes modules completed online, on weekends and during school holidays. All contracted graduate teachers – including those completing graduate modules in regional areas on Friday afternoons and Saturdays – should be paid for two days per module completed.

Travel Contingency Allowance

Funding is available for graduates to participate in module 1 and module 2 of the Graduate Teacher Professional Learning Program. Any unspent funds for travel costs for the graduate teacher can be used to attend module 3 and 4 of the program. The travel contingency allowance is based on the school’s location. So, for metropolitan schools, that equates to $113.30 for each graduate teacher and for those in regional schools, the amount paid is based on isolation and the distance from Perth. This allowance covers travel, accommodation and other associated costs.

Once again, remember to check with your business manager/manager of corporate services prior to your attendance at any graduate module to ensure you are clear about what expenses are covered for your individual situation.

If you have any questions about your graduate entitlements, get in contact with the SSTUWA Growth Team at neweducator@sstuwa.org.au or contact our Member Assist Team on 9210 6060 or at memberassist@sstuwa.org.au