Teachers employed on a casual basis

Teachers employed on a casual basis need to identify a Teacher Accreditation Authority (TAA). The most appropriate TAA is usually the principal of the school where most of their work is undertaken.

To identify their TAA, teachers employed on a casual basis should:

• identify the school at which most casual work is completed
  
• discuss the possibility of becoming a TAA with the principal of this school
  
• access their eTAMS account
  
• follow the steps on NESA’s guide to updating your employment to identify the school as their current workplace.
  

The principal of this school will be responsible for deciding whether or not the teacher meets the requirements for mandatory accreditation at the Proficient stage.

Evidence can be collected across a number of school settings. It is recommended that teachers employed on a casual basis who work at a number of different schools have their evidence authenticated by colleagues in each school as they collect it.

Authentication does not validate the quality of your work or whether it demonstrates the Standards. This is to authenticate the evidence as your own work which will assist you when collating your final evidence for review by your TAA.

As the evidence is collected, it can be authenticated electronically by a colleague at the school, nominated through the NESA online account (eTAMS). Evidence authenticated in hardcopy must be signed, dated and include the NESA account number of the authenticator.

For further information, refer to the NESA Proficient Teacher accreditation guide for casual teachers.

• ensure you know your accreditation due date and start the process early
  
• identify a school you work at frequently
  
• request support from the principal in gaining accreditation
  
• ask the principal to allocate a supervisor to you.

As you get closer to gaining accreditation, you should:

• use teaching blocks as an opportunity to seek support from your principal
  
• discuss your practice in relation to the Standards with your supervisor
  
• collect evidence as you go and have it authenticated by a colleague at the school.

If you have worked infrequently during your accreditation timeframe, you may be eligible for an extension. You can contact NESA Teacher Accreditation for information, no less than three months before the end of your maximum timeframe.

For further information about the requirements for gaining accreditation, access the Gaining accreditation page.

It is your responsibility to ensure you complete 100 hours of professional development (PD) during your accreditation period. It is best to complete this progressively over the duration of your accreditation period.

There are a number of resources available to help casual teachers meet this requirement.

• Teaching Standards in Action
  
• MyPL
• Priority Professional Learning Selector
  
• Professional Learning on Demand
  
• Relief Teacher Association

You should consider approaching schools you work with and ask to participate in staff development days and other professional development opportunities.

You will need to complete and evaluate 100 hours of PD during each maintenance cycle:

• NESA Accredited PD - minimum 50 hours
  This includes any course delivered through an endorsed provider across NESA’s identified priority areas and aligned to the Standards. You must evaluate the course in your NESA eTAMS account.
  

• Elective PD - 50 hours
  This may include activities completed in or outside your school that contribute to your ongoing professional learning, such as educational leadership or mentoring. PD must meet NESA Elective PD criteria.

Two methods for logging Elective PD

Self-identified Elective PD

1. Log in to your NESA eTAMS account.
2. Select from the left-hand menu: Maintenance of Accreditation > Elective PD > Add Elective PD.
3. Provide activity details.
4. Select Add Elective Activity.

MyPL PD

1. Log in to your NESA eTAMS account.
2. Select from the left-hand menu: Maintenance of Accreditation > Elective PD.
3. Select any PD activity currently in draft status.
4. Follow the prompts to log activity.
5. Select Add Elective Activity.

For support evaluating PD visit NESA's website.

It is important to maintain your professional development hours and ensure your accreditation remains current in order to teach in any NSW school. For information on how to apply for reaccreditation, visit NESA’s website.