There’s nothing casual about teaching

Standards-based remuneration and pre-2004 teachers

The time has finally arrived and pre-2004 teachers are receiving the long-awaited letter from NESA to congratulate them on being Accredited as Proficient.

So what does this mean for our pre-2004 casual teachers? It means you will be paid according to a standards-based remuneration pay scale. As the name suggests, it means your salary is linked to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, against which pre-2004 teachers are now accredited, and the number of days that you have taught.

There are two rates of pay for casual teachers linked to levels of accreditation in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers:

Band 1 (Graduate)
Band 2 (Proficient).

The rates for casual teachers can be found in Schedule 4 of the Award. These daily rates are calculated based on the Band 1 and 2 salaries for permanent and temporary teachers (plus a 5 per cent loading to account for some leave and other entitlements).

All pre-2004 teachers, who are now accredited at proficient, should now be being paid at Band 2, which, in 2018, is a rate of $419.52 per day.

Teachers coming into the service after January 2016 will directly enter standards- based remuneration according to clause 23 and Schedule 4 of the Award.

After completing 406 days of teaching service at Band 1 and attaining Proficient accreditation with NESA, the casual teacher will move to the Band 2 rate. For these teachers, the service requirement will be met by combining all casual, temporary and permanent teaching service with the Department.

More information is available in the industrial bulletin, Standards-based pay for casual teachers — 2017 Award update, in the Members’ area of the website.

Temporary engagement notices

Federation has updated the Issues Update, How to fill out a Temporary Teacher engagement Notice to reflect the changed Casual Employment Payroll System (CEPS) used to indicate the reason for a vacancy to be filled and where the money is coming from to reflect the implementation of Learning Management and Business Reform (LMBR).

Accreditation and maintenance

Chapter 9 of the Casual and Temporary Teachers Handbook has been updated to reflect the changes to NESA’s policies on Accreditation and Maintenance, which were issued in January 2018.

The Casual and Temporary Teachers Handbook is available as a downloadable PDF in the Members’ area of Federation’s website.

— Julie Moon, City Organiser and officer responsible for casual and temporary teachers