Salary rise for prac teacher supervisors

Teachers supervising student teachers in NSW public schools will receive incremental daily rate increases of 13.3 per cent over the next three years.

Under the agreement, signed last week, daily rates of pay for teachers supervising professional experience (PEx) placements will increase over the life of the agreement by 13.3 per cent, reaching $34 in 2021. In 2019, the rate will increase to $31.50 per day and in 2020 to $33.

The agreement will also include a list of courses that include internship programs, which will allow Federation to provide clearer advice to members regarding their working conditions and responsibilities when supervising a PEx student and supervision of an intern.

Federation was joined by the Independent Education Union (IEU) in the negotiations with the Council of Deans, held over a period just short of a year.

Deputy Secretary (Communication and Administration) Nicole Calnan said the agreement not only represented improved pay rates for supervisors but addressed conditions and responsibilities for supervising teachers.

“Both the NSWTF and the IEU were committed to ensuring that our members engaging in professional experience supervision were remunerated accordingly,” Ms Calnan said. “Six years ago, teachers were being paid less than $20 a day, so we are certainly heading in the right direction.

“The unions felt that having a clear picture of professional learning available from universities for teachers was important. This will broaden the options available to teachers who are required to undertake PL [professional learning] on mentoring prior to supervising a student teacher.

“We often receive calls from members who are supervising a student teacher undertaking professional experience seeking clarification of their requirements and that of the students.

“There are different circumstances for students undertaking an internship program, so having a list of programs with an internship will be very useful in providing this information.”

Discussions and negotiations with the Council of Deans for an updated Teacher Professional Experience Supervision Agreement commenced in July last year with a draft agreement being provided to the NSWTF/IEU at the end of 2018.

A complete agreement, which included the required attachments outlining what PL was available through universities and also the location of programs with internships, was not received until 15 May this year.

The union encourages members to participate in the supervision of teacher education students on professional experience placements. The profession needs to ensure that teacher education students are prepared for their future careers in classrooms through quality professional experience in NSW public schools.

Federation has stressed that teachers’ professional judgement should be respected in the assessment of future teachers under their supervision.

Daily rates
Supervision Coordination

2019

$31.50

$1.60

2020

$33.00

$1.65

2021

$34.00

$1.70

— Scott Coomber