A TEACHING CAREER
in Catholic Schools
Jo Coonan
Senior Education Adviser – Human Resources
Catholic Education Office, Thebarton
2013
CHARTER FOR TEACHERS IN
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS SA
 Founded in the tradition and strengthened by their ethos Catholic
schools in SA are committed to providing excellent education for
students from a broad cross section of society.
 The identity and success of Catholic education is linked inseparably to
the witness of life given by the teaching staff. (John Paul II, Ecclesia in
Oceania, 2001)
 In partnership with parents Catholic schools educate young people for
participation in the Church and world communities today.
 Nurturing student growth depends upon teachers who are expert in
their profession and who respect the uniqueness and dignity of each
student.
CHARTER FOR TEACHERS IN
CATHOLIC SCHOOL IN SA
Developed in conjunction with the IEU, the
Charter addresses the teacher’s role in
relation to:
Students
Employers
Colleagues
School Community
The Profession
Catholic Education in S A
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103 schools (33 with secondary)
Approximately 49,000 students
Approximately 6000 staff (all staff)
Links with parish
Systemic schools
Religious order schools – CBC, St Ignatius,
SAC, St Dominic’s, Blackfriars, etc
THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Commitment to:
 Catholic tradition and ethos
 Contemporary understanding of church
teaching
 Excellence in education
 Pastoral care of students, staff and
families
 Professional learning and development
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
 Horizons - Positions Vacant (on website)
 Types of employment
 Casual – includes relief or less than 1 term
 Replacement - covers teachers on leave
 Permanent – part or full time
 Some positions are sometimes difficult to fill
due to location of school (country), or
subjects e.g. Maths, Science, Technology
Studies, Home Economics, LOTE
RECRUITMENT
Each Catholic school is an employing
authority
- Positions are advertised on CEO website
www.cesa.catholic.edu.au
Select Vacancies
- or in The Advertiser
Application is addressed to school principal
(including applications for TRT)
EARLY CAREER TEACHERS
CONSULTANTS
Early Career consultants:
Juliana Martino
Gabrielle Vallelonga
Terry Kluzek
support early career teachers appointed
to Catholic schools for two years
COUNTRY INCENTIVES
 Removal costs (70 kms from GPO)
 Establishment grant (1 week’s additional pay for each
term worked in first year - max 4 wks)
 Additional non-contact time for beginning graduates
(0.1 FTE)
 Remote allowance (Roxby Downs $4,000 first year,
increasing to max $12,000 for 5 yrs service, indexed)
 Assistance to return to metro after 4 years
 Study Incentive Program (SIP) - priority
 Country teacher scholarships ($2,500 pa)
TEACHING CONDITIONS
 Governing conditions
SA Catholic Schools Enterprise Agreement 2010
 Salaries* (1 Oct 2011)
Step 3
POR 1
= $59,749 (B Ed)
= $2,661
Step 10 = $83,007
POR 4 = $17,224
 Catholic Professional Formation CPF1-CPF3 = $500$1,250 pa
 TRT = $286.33 / day – up to 5 days – then own step
 Superannuation
Employer & Super Guarantee (9%)
Salary Sacrifice (Super, Laptop, other FBT free items & items
that attract FBT – e.g. car, etc)
Other Teaching Conditions
 Contact time –
 24 hrs/week Primary
 22.5 hrs/week Secondary
 Position Of Responsibility – salary + time
allowance
 POR 1 = 1 hr - POR 4 = 6.5 hrs / week
 Class size benchmarks
 R – 1 = 25 2 – 7 = 29
 8 – 10 = 30 11 – 12 = 25
TYPES OF LEAVE (Existing)
 Long Service Leave - after 7 years
 Parental (maternity), Extended parental, Child rearing &
Unpaid Caring Leave
 up to 52 weeks each leave without pay – may work if
agreed
 Paid parental (maternity & adoption): 14 weeks paid
allowance
 Paternity leave: 1 week with pay
 Personal/Carers leave - self or immediate family:
10 days pa
 Compassionate leave: 2 days paid/permissible occasion
 Community service leave
OTHER INFORMATION
 Registration
 Teacher Registration Board
 Child Protection
 Responding to Abuse and Neglect (formerly Mandatory
Notification Training) (Required by TRB + NP Check)
 Catholic Police check (additional - must arrange through
school before you commence teaching duties), also required
for TRT work – arrange through PCU, Ph: 8301 66173/174)
 Other: First Aid
 Basic Emergency Life Support
 Union
 IEU (Independent Education Union)
APPLICATIONS
 Covering Letter (one page)
 Addressed to the Principal - Name position
 Brief highlights relevant to position
 C V (2 pages - relevant and recent)
 Brief & to the point
 Referees (relevant and recent)
 Response to Criteria (4 pages)
 Knowledge/beliefs
 Successful experience
 Vision for the position
Position: Year 4 Teacher Teaching (Replacement) - 1 FTE Subject(s): Year 4
Commencing: 22 Jul 2013 To 31 Jan 2014
St Basil’s College is a dynamic Reception to Year 12 Catholic co-educational College
with over1300 students. The College is situated in picturesque grounds on the
outskirts of Bordertown, SA.
Role Description/Criteria: The teacher will:
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Apply curriculum knowledge and pedagogies to facilitate successful learning, particularly with Middle
Primary years.
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Be familiar with emerging technologies and have a strong interest in their incorporation into the
curriculum.
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Provide a balanced and challenging programme relevant to the needs of the students.
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Produce and submit units of work which address individual student learning needs, integrated curriculum
and personalised learning specific to Junior Schooling.
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Assess, record and report learner achievement in accordance with the Assessment and Reporting Policy of
the College.
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Develop and maintain effective working relationships with the members of the School and wider
Community.
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Maintain effective involvement in the general Pastoral Care Programs and structures of the College.
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Employ Choice Theory and Restorative Principles to ensure a safe, orderly and successful learning
environment.
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Support the Catholic ethos of the College and participate in our Pastoral Care Program.
 Applicants require a current South Australian Teachers Registration and a Catholic Police Check.
 A Position Information Document in relation to this role may be obtained from
http://www.stbasils.catholic.edu.au/employment
 NB: Potential applicants MUST submit with their application, an Applicant Declaration Form, obtained
from http://www.stbasils.catholic.edu.au/
RESPONSE TO CRITERIA
Suggested Approach
List each criterion in the advertisement as a heading.
Demonstrate your understanding of each criterion (knowledge).
Illustrate how you fulfil each criterion (successful
experience).
State how you would meet the expectations of each criterion for this
position (vision)
Example
Demonstrate a commitment to work collaboratively….
I understand that…
I currently demonstrate this by …
As a teacher at
(school) I would …
St. Joseph’s is an R-7 Catholic School within the Northern Adelaide parish. The school, in partnership
with the community is committed to providing a place of learning and spirituality in the Catholic Christian
tradition with a particular focus on Literacy, Numeracy, Science, Physical Education and The Arts.
Position: Primary Years Teacher Teaching (Replacement) - 0.6 FTE Subject(s): Years 3 - 5
Commencing: 29 Apr 2013 To 13 Dec 2013
Role Description/Criteria:
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Contribute to and actively support the Catholic ethos of our school with a genuine witness
to a personal relationship with Jesus and a commitment to the charism of St. Joseph’s .
Be skilled in the use of learning technologies to support the education of young people in a
contemporary learning environment.
Design and creatively implement learning programs which meet the needs of all students
with a high emphasis on student engagement and success.
Enable students to take personal responsibility for their learning as well as their behaviour.
Be a dynamic educator with energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to ongoing professional
learning.
Ability to work collaboratively and develop positive relationships with students, staff and
parents.
It is a requirement that an Applicant Declaration Form be completed. This is available at:
http://online.cesanet.adl.catholic.edu.au/docushare/dsweb/View/Collection-692. This form needs to be
submitted with your application.
Applications Close at 4pm Friday, 7 March 2013
Secondary advertisements and
applications
 Some secondary schools provide a list of criteria in the
advertisement to which you would respond as indicated
previously for primary positions.
 These advertisements also direct applicants to their website to
view the advertisement and Position Information Document
(PID) and there may be additional information provided as well.
 PIDs can be generic in that they are written so that they apply
to any teaching job in that school and detail expectations of the
teacher’s role.
 Always check the PID because it will give you detailed insights
into the role to address in your application.
Position: Year 8-12 Physical Education/Science Teacher (Replacement) 1 FTE
Subject(s): Physical Education / Science Yrs 8-12
Commencing: 29 Apr 2013 To 13 Dec 2013
St Joseph’s College is a secondary co-educational school with an enrolment
of 630 students located in Modbury.
Role Description/Criteria: The teacher will:
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Be qualified and/or experienced to teach Years 8 -12 Physical Education/Science
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Demonstrate skills in managing Physical Education resources.
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Apply curriculum knowledge and pedagogies to facilitate successful learning according to the
ACARA/SACE/SACSA Physical Education and/or Science framework requirements.
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Be familiar with emerging technologies and have a strong interest in their incorporation into the
curriculum.

Provide a balanced and challenging program relevant to the needs of the students.

Produce and submit units of work which address individual student learning needs, integrated curriculum
and personalised learning specific to Middle and Senior Schooling.

Assess, record and report learner achievement in accordance with the Assessment and Reporting Policy of
the College.
 Prepare and submit assessment plans according to the ACARA/SACE/SACSA guidelines. Develop and
maintain effective working relationships with the members of the School and wider
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Teaching staff require a current South Australian Teachers Registration and a Catholic Police Check.
Applicants must be prepared to support the Catholic ethos of the College and participate in our Pastoral
Care Programme.
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A Position Information Document in relation to this role may be obtained from
http://www.stjosephs.catholic.edu.au/employment.
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NB: Potential applicants MUST submit with their application, an Applicant Declaration Form, obtained from
http://www.stjosephs.catholic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/ApplicantDecForm.pdf
Other secondary advertisements
 Increasingly, secondary advertisements are very brief, few or no criteria.
 Applicants are directed to the school website for information about the position
and to the PID (several pages long with lots of dot points).
 Research on the school will be critical as the PID is largely all that applicants
have on which to base their application.
 Impossible to address all the dot points within a 3-4 page limit.
 Suggest you group the dot point in the PID under headings which address:
 Catholic identity and ethos of the school
 Teaching and learning, pedagogy, addressing the relevant curriculum frameworks,
integration of curriculum, ICTs, individual student needs age/year level appropriate,
assessment and reporting
 Developing and maintaining good working relationships with staff and the community.
 Developing student’s personal responsibility (how you manage this)
 Collaborative and work well in a team environment
 Commitment to on-going professional learning and willingness to participate in all
aspects of school life
 Other – e.g. WHS etc.
Position: Teacher - Secondary School Teaching (Replacement) - 0.8 FTE
Subject(s): Maths and Science Years 8-10
Commencing: 29 Apr 2013 To 27 Sep 2013
Role Description/Criteria:
The School is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified teacher, who is committed
to Catholic Education, for the above position.
 It is expected that all members of staff will support and live in harmony with the
Catholic ethos of the College.
 Contribute towards the growth of the community and participate in the cocurricular program.
 Support WHS (OHS&W) policies,
 Please download a PID from www.stjosephs.sa.edu.au
It is a requirement that an Applicant Declaration Form be completed. This is available at:
http://online.cesanet.adl.catholic.edu.au/docushare/dsweb/View/Collection-692. This form
needs to be submitted with your application.
Please forward applications, including the Application for Employment (available at
www.stjosephs.sa.edu.au) addressing the above criteria and including the names of three
current referees to the contact below.
CESA Website
www.cesa.catholic.edu.au
 Website:
Contains information about our sector and schools including employment
 Find a School
Find a CESA school by location or keyword to obtain contact information.
 Vacancies
Search for current leadership, teaching and administrative vacancies in
CESA schools.
 News
Find out what's going on at CESA.
Contact Details
Jo Coonan
Senior Education Adviser – Human Resources
jo.coonan@cesa.catholic.edu.au
Catholic Education SA website:
School Directory etc)
(Vacancies,
www.cesa.catholic.edu.au
CESA Online: (Documents, Policies, Guidelines etc for
staff)
http://online.cesanet.adl.catholic.edu.au
QUESTIONS
Any general questions?
THANK YOU
Thank you for your attention
I wish you well in your final year studies
and in your teaching career