Become a teacher

Under the NSW Education Standards Authority's (NESA) Professional experience (PEX) in initial teacher education (ITE) policy, an eligible pre-service teacher may complete their final PEX placement at the school where they are already employed as a Conditionally accredited teacher.

This arrangement, known as an employment-based final PEX placement, is managed by the ITE provider on the pre-service teacher's behalf, following this process:

1. The ITE provider determines whether an employment-based final PEX placement is appropriate for the pre-service teacher and meets PEX policy requirements.
2. The ITE provider liaises with the pre-service teacher’s principal (or delegate).
3. The ITE provider submits the placement details to NESA for verification before the placement begins.

Eligibility

The eligibility of a pre-service teacher for an employment-based final PEX placement is determined by their ITE provider, in consultation with the principal (or delegate) of the school of employment.

The determination is based on:

• support from the principal (or delegate) for the final PEX placement being undertaken at the school of employment
• agreement from the principal (or delegate) that existing principles and practices of independent and impartial assessment will be applied during placement
• the pre-service teacher’s understanding that all the requirements of their TPA must be met.

If an ITE student has completed all previous placements at the same school of employment, and extenuating circumstances lead the principal to request that they remain there for their final placement, the ITE provider may apply for an employment-based final year PEX placement, supported by additional advice.

This advice must include a principal's attestation that the proposed placement meets the intent of the 2-school requirement. This means demonstrating that it offers a breadth and diversity of teaching experience comparable to what could be achieved across 2 different schools. Find out more on NESA’s employment-based final PEX placement process webpage.