Our schools have COVID-smart measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff remains a priority along with ensuring educational continuity for all learners. Refer to our Advice for families page for further information including vaccination requirements for staff.
Getting started
To find out how best you can support our schools, select below the pathway that is most appropriate to you.
Please note, current NSW Department of Education employees with teaching accreditation who are not currently in the classroom will be contacted separately and do not need to register via the steps below.
You can sign up to ClassCover and begin immediately. You will need to complete a limited amount of mandatory training before your first job, but otherwise you can start whenever you like.
If you are already registered on ClassCover, ensure your profile and availability is up to date. Schools will then be able to contact you regarding casual work in line with operational demands.
The department can assist with your accreditation and fast-track approval to teach. Contact accreditation@det.nsw.edu.au including your full name, date of birth, NESA number and department serial number (if applicable and known) and the dedicated support team will provide assistance.
NESA is prioritising requests from anyone who would like to reactivate their accreditation. The department has established a service team dedicated to helping staff with their accreditation – you can contact them via accreditation@det.nsw.edu.au.
If your accreditation is on a leave of absence, you can reactivate it yourself via eTAMS by:
- Logging into your NESA eTAMS account (you can find your NESA number in MyPL under ‘Learning Transcripts’)
- Selecting ‘Proficient Teacher’ (or relevant level of accreditation) on the left-hand menu
- Selecting ‘My Applications’
- Selecting the leave of absence entry
- Change your end date.
You must have a valid working with children check before coming back from leave.
ClassCover
ClassCover is the department's preferred casual teacher booking solution and acts as your online resume and free booking service.
To assist as a casual teacher, please register via ClassCover.
To register for casual teaching:
- Visit the ClassCover website and create your profile.
- Enter your details, including qualifications, experience, and preferred subjects (use the ClassCover checklist as a guide).
- Upload files, such as any mandatory training documentation. Each school will still need to confirm these before you can start work, but having them on your profile means they're always available.
You can use the ClassCover website or mobile app to manage your availability, bookings and preferences.
ClassCover’s Knowledge Base can assist you in getting started and learning how to use the platform. This includes a library of short videos that guide you through common tasks. There’s also a quick start guide to take you through common tasks.
You can also contact ClassCover via:
- support@classcover.com.au
- 1300 650 442
- live chat through the support portal.
Their support hours are:
- Weekday business hour phone and email support is from 6 am to 6 pm
- Weekday late night phone and email support is from 6 pm to 10 pm
- Weekend phone and email support is from 8 am to 10 pm
- Closed on public holidays
Schools will be able to see your ClassCover profile and send you booking requests based on your location, availability, preferences and other details. This is why it’s important to have a complete and up-to-date profile.
No. You can choose which jobs to accept. You can also set your availability in the ClassCover app (e.g. if you are busy on Thursdays you can block out these days so schools know you aren’t available to work).
The role
Your primary role will be to support the continuity of learning for students, and carry out the day-to-day duties of the teacher you are replacing. This will include continued delivery of the curriculum and may include other tasks such as playground duty.
Principals will ensure that you are familiar with the school's teaching requirements and expectations. If you require additional support to undertake specific aspects of the role such as liaising with parents or managing student wellbeing, the principal or school executive will be able to support you.
No. Usually school-based staff must complete a suite of mandatory training, including regular updates. However, in recognition of the short timeframe and the likelihood that most volunteers will only be required for short periods, this has been relaxed for retirees temporarily returning to assist with pandemic-related vacancies. Instead of the full suite, you will need to complete:
- Child protection awareness training (2022 update)
- Code of conduct
- Anaphylaxis
- e-Emergency Care
- WHS Induction for Employees
If you plan to continue working after the pandemic, you may be required to complete additional training. For more information about these courses, visit the mandatory training page.
It is expected that most COVID-19 related staff absences in Term 1 will be due to a seven to ten-day isolation or quarantine period. As a result, we are expecting most staff would be for a period of one to two weeks. However, this may change with the evolving nature of COVID-19 and its continuing impact on the community.
Your contribution is completely voluntary and you can continue teaching casually for as long as you want, including beyond the immediate need. You may need to undertake additional mandatory training if you plan to continue working beyond the present emergency.
Where possible, the substantive teacher will have prepared lesson plans and materials. In instances when this is not possible, the school will provide you with resources and the curriculum to maintain continuity of learning for students. You can also utilise the department’s curriculum resources to support learning and teaching.
The principal has responsibility for the schools and will be responsible for your staff supervision and line management.
When you arrive on your first day, you should report to the school’s administration office. They will provide you with an induction to the school system and other information you will need.
The department has a range of COVID-safe measures to protect the health and safety of our students and staff. This includes enhanced cleaning, hygiene, and ventilation arrangements in schools, as well as the vaccination mandate for all school staff (including volunteers) and strong encouragement for all students to be vaccinated.
All school staff will be supplied with rapid antigen test (RAT) kits prior to working on school sites, and to support twice-weekly screening (or daily screening for SSPs and support units) for the first four weeks of Term 1. This includes casual teachers, support staff and any corporate employees deployed to work in schools. Please advise your school if you have already received tests from another school.
The department is consistently updating its COVID-safe measures in line with government advice.
Payment
You will be paid as a casual teacher.
Band 1 casual teachers are paid $381.41 per day, and Band 2 casual teachers are paid $460.01 per day.
In general, no. If you are retired and withdrawing your super, returning to casual teaching will have no impact on your current benefits.
If you have a defined benefit account, you will need a new accumulation account for future contributions. This can be done automatically.
Depending on your circumstances there may be issues making new personal contributions in addition to the mandatory employer contribution. More information on this can be found via the ATO.
If you are unsure, we suggest you speak to your super fund or seek independent financial advice. If you are with Aware Super (formerly First State), their How Super Works booklet and Clever Ways to Grow Your Super factsheet have important information. Further assistance is available on Aware’s website including contact details.
Accreditation
Yes. NESA is prioritising requests from anyone who would like to reactivate their accreditation so they can undertake short-term teaching roles in schools.
If you would like assistance with this, your first point of contact should be a department established service team dedicated to helping staff with their accreditation – you can contact them via accreditation@det.nsw.edu.au
You can also contact this address if you are unsure of your accreditation status.
More information about pandemic measures related to accreditation can be found on the NESA website.
If you are currently on a leave of absence and would like to be available to teach, you can log into your NESA online account (eTAMS) and take yourself off leave. If you have approval to teach, you will be immediately eligible for employment in NSW.
To do this you need to:
- Log into your NESA eTAMS account (you can find your NESA number in MyPL under ‘Learning Transcripts’)
- Select ‘Proficient Teacher’ (or relevant level of accreditation) on the left-hand menu
- Select ‘My Applications’
- Select the leave of absence entry
- Change your end date.
You must have a valid working with children check before coming back from leave.
Your accreditation should be active a short time after completing these actions and you will receive an email from NESA to confirm this action.
If you are a teacher who has retired in the last 2 years and would like to return to the classroom for Term 1, the department is working with NESA to support you to reactivate your accreditation at no additional cost. Please contact our dedicated service team at accreditation@det.nsw.edu.au.
Additional support
Initially you should raise any issues, or concerns with the principal at the school. If this is not suitable, please contact the DEL.
As always, additional support is always available via the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). You can contact our EAP provider toll free on 1800 060 650, or Converge International.
If you have any further questions, please contact covid.workforceplanning@det.nsw.edu.au