Check your transfer status urgently, lest you might be appointed to a school where you don’t want to go.
Significant numbers of service transfers are expected to occur from 17 July, due to amendments to the 2021-23 school Staffing Agreement that prioritise transfers.
A critical detail of the amendments that members need to understand is that teachers will not be receiving offers of transfer but will be appointed to a vacant position. They should also be aware they will be matched to vacancies based on approved to teach subject codes only.
It is possible that there will be members who have applied for a transfer/s in the past, and may not be aware that the transfer/s are still active. It is also possible that some teachers with active transfers are not aware to which staffing areas or schools, and approved to teach subject codes, their transfer will be matched.
The position of the Department is that unless there are exceptional and compelling circumstances an appointment will occur, even when a teacher is not aware they have an active transfer, or that they are being matched to a particular staffing area or school, or that they have active approved to teach codes in subjects they no longer wish to teach. If teachers do not accept the appointment, the Department advises that this could result in the ability to apply for a service transfer being withdrawn for a period of 2 years.
Transferred teachers should have every expectation they may be required to teach any or all of the subjects for which they have approved to teach or willing to teach codes, because they frequently are.
Federation strongly encourages all members to take action as soon as practicable to:
- log on to the Employee Self Service to determine whether they have a service transfer (or other transfer) activated
- deactivate any transfer if they no longer wish to be transferred from their current school
- apply for a service transfer as a matter of priority if they wish to be matched to the increased number of vacant positions that will be open to transfer from the commencement of term 3
- carefully review all staffing areas and specific schools selected in any current transfer
- add additional areas/schools to which they wish to be appointed
- remove any areas/schools to which they are not prepared to be appointed
- Review all approved to teach codes, which will be used to match to vacant positions
- contact Federation to seek further advice and assistance in circumstances where members are unable to “unselect” approved to teach codes via SAP ESS.