Placements throughout your degree
We ensure you have all the practical experience you need to hit the ground running:
- Professional experience placements start in your first year.
- You’ll slowly develop your skill set across a range of different placement experiences as you progress in your course.
- During every placement you receive one-on-one support.
- You’ll gain practical, real classroom expertise, assessing, providing feedback, and reporting on student learning alongside industry leaders.
- You’ll also engage professionally with your future colleagues, parents, and the wider school community gaining invaluable experience. With a network of more than 6094 schools and early childhood centres across Australia, we'll arrange at least 60 days of placements for you, so you’ll graduate with confidence and ready to inspire the next generation.
Matching students with schools
We take the worry out of your professional experience placements. We’ll reach out to you for some initial information and paperwork and then all the organisation is taken care of. We’ll find the right placement based on your teaching areas, skills, residential location and mode of transport.
Your professional experience can be local, national and global. You may even be placed within our alliance network, providing additional support and opportunity. This is unique to Deakin – our alliance partners in three of our campus areas (Geelong, Melbourne, Warrnambool) providing pre-teachers with placement opportunities in local schools.
Some of these placements are exclusive to Deakin students.
I was well prepared come graduation as I was given lots of opportunities to put theory into practice on placement. All of the teaching staff were great, approachable, knowledgeable and happy to help us achieve our best.
Tim Darby
Secondary teaching graduate
Placements around the corner or around the world
When you complete your teaching degree you'll be able to teach in Australia, or you may choose to take your skills abroad. Choose to immerse yourself in a different culture and teaching practice through global, national or rural education immersion experiences. You’ll have the chance to undertake one of your student placements either overseas or in a remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community context. There are also opportunities to get your professional experience in a regional country town.
Working with Children Check
Under the Working with Children Act 2005 (VIC) a student teacher must obtain a Working with Children Check (WWCC) before commencing a placement in a school. Your WWCC has to remain current throughout your course. If you can't obtain a WWCC, practical training in a school won’t be provided and you won't be able to complete the degree.
Professional requirements
From 1 July 2016, the Australian Government requires all teaching graduates pass the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students in order to teach.
Teaching is a team sport; it is the art and science of connection. Good teachers make connections with learners, build their confidence and open new worlds of possibility they never knew were possible.
Dr Matthew K E Thomas
Director of Professional Experience
Information for current students and schools
Please refer to the Professional Experience website for further information about placement.
When considering undertaking a teaching course you’ll want to plan ahead for your professional experience placement. The following is a check list to get you started:
Working with Children Check
Information about WWCC for studentsComplete 'Safer Learners' online training package for teachers in training. You will have access to this upon enrolment.
InPlace details completed and uploaded
This includes your address, personal details and personal preferences. This is an internal system which helps us to manage students details on placement.Read and review the policies and guidelines for pre-service teachers.
Check the placement calendar for your course
You can find this on the Student - Professional Experience website.Attend/view your pre-placement briefing
This will be listed on the Professional Experience CloudDeakin unit site.LANTITE
All teaching students are required to pass both the Literacy and Numeracy Tests for Initial Teacher Education Students. This is an externally administered test which must be completed within the first trimester of study.
Contact us
For more information contact the School of Education.
+61 3 5227 3553