How to become a Senior Teacher

If you are a public school teacher at the top of the teacher salary scale (currently level 2.4) you may be able to apply for Senior Teacher status. 

To be eligible, you need to:

• be employed as a permanent or fixed-term teacher with the Department of Education
• have full registration with the Western Australian College of Teaching
• be working for a minimum of 0.4 FTE (four days a fortnight)
• have completed a minimum of 12 months full-time equivalent service at Level 2.4
• have completed professional learning approved by the Department.

Approved Professional Learning

Before you become a Senior Teacher, you are required to complete relevant professional learning. To be relevant, it needs to enhance your ability to fulfil your duties as a Senior Teacher and relate to the teaching competencies in Phase 2 of the Competency Framework for Teachers. This professional learning needs to be approved by the Department’s Professional Learning Institute (PLI).

Your professional learning also needs to be recent – completed within four years of your application to become a Senior Teacher being finalised.

There are two options available for completing professional learning approved by the PLI. You need to complete one of the following options.

Option one: Recent and relevant studies at university, TAFE or Registered Training Organisation (RTO)

You may participate in university, TAFE or RTO studies that are relevant to Senior Teacher duties and Phase 2 teaching competencies. These may include any of the following:

• one unit of university study at post-graduate level
• a short course of university study
• an accepted research proposal at Masters or PhD level
• one unit of a TAFE diploma or advance diploma
• a Workplace and Training Assessor’s Certificate 4.

Option two: Senior Teacher Program

The Senior Teacher Professional Learning Program is offered through the PLI. The program is designed to help you develop skills to be an effective Senior Teacher. It has four modules you must complete in sequence:
 

• Module One: Building Professional Learning Communities (12 hours) 
• Module Two: Elective module or individually tailored program (12 hours)
• Module Three: Elective module or individually tailored program (12 hours)
• Module Four: Sharing Professional Practice (6 hours).

For modules two and three, you can either choose elective modules or construct an individually tailored program. These enable you to focus on areas of particular interest and value to you as a teacher.

The elective modules develop your understandings about system initiatives and priorities. They run at various times during term.

An individually tailored program is an initiative you have either undertaken or are currently undertaking in your teaching role, which advances your teaching practice, contributes to school leadership and/or supports the professional growth of your colleagues. You need to be able to demonstrate how you have applied your learning to your teaching practice or enhanced your professional knowledge, or those of your colleagues or school community.

Examples:

• A teacher who is a member of a  professional association could submit the outline of, and any associated resources, for a workshop they have developed and presented at one of the association's forums. 
• A teacher with extensive professional learning in ABC of Two-way Literacy and Learning and experience in teaching Aboriginal students might present a workshop at a state conference. They may later develop a plan to support colleagues in the recognition of Aboriginal English and to teach in culturally appropriate ways.

You can also participate in three of the Teachers have Class! classes to cover modules 2 and 3.  Ask the Senior Teacher Coordinator about this option.

You need to complete the program within two years. It is expected that you will complete one module per semester. An extension may be granted in exceptional circumstances, in which case you would need to submit a written request to the PLI.

The PLI also run Vacation School courses during term breaks. These courses can be counted towards your professional learning for Senior Teacher.

For more information about the professional learning options, contact the Professional Learning Institute:

T: 9242 6945
E: seniorteacherprogram@det.wa.edu.au
W: det.wa.edu.au/pli