Graduate Diploma in Education

The Graduate Diploma in Education contains 45 days of professional experience for students who started in 2009  and 2010 and 50 days of profession experience for students who started in 2011 and 2012. These placements are completed in a secondary school setting for the units PREX100, PREX201 and PREX302 for the 2009 and 2010 rules and PREX150, PREX201 and PREX302 for the 2011 and 2012 rules.

All professional experience placements in a school setting must meet the following requirements to be counted for placement. The school must:

  • Assess teacher proficiency against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers;
  • Use NESA approved syllabuses or equivalent Australian syllabuses;

All placements must be in a mainstream classroom unless otherwise specified.

For the secondary components of the course, Teacher Education Students will be required to teach both junior and senior classes.

Before undertaking the final placement, all Teacher Education Students in this degree must complete and pass both components of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students.


Please select a unit from the list below for more in-depth details about placement:

2009 and 2010

PREX100

Specific Information

This is a five day block placement in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will work with small groups and make astute observation about effective teaching practice as an introduction to teaching. Pre-service teachers will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Work as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer).
  • Distance Education settings
  • Special Education settings

PREX302

Specific Requirements

This is a 20 day block placement in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will be responsible for a minimum of 12 hours* of teaching per week in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

PREX302 Specific Requirements


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study.

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Work as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer)
  • Distance Education setting
  • Special Education settings

PREX303

Specific Requirements

This placement must be completed in a 20 day block in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will be responsible for a minimum of 14 hours* of teaching per week in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

PREX303 Specific Requirements


Graduate Level Placements

This is the final placement where the pre-service teacher is assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Level as per BOSTES requirements.


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study.

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Any placement type that varies from a mainstream classroom setting

2011 and 2012

PREX150

Specific Requirements

This is a 10 day block placement in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will work towards being responsible for a minimum of two hours* of teaching in Week One and five hours* of teaching in Week Two** in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

**As this is the first placement, this face-to-face teaching time may vary according to the ability of the pre-service teacher and the supervising teacher's judgement.

PREX150 Specific Requirements


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study

A Placement in a Distance Education setting may be acceptable in PREX150 as long as it meets the requirements of the pre-service teacher's curriculum methods of study. Acceptability will need to be assessed by the Office for Professional Learning.


Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Work as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer)
  • Special Education settings

PREX302

Specific Requirements

This is a 20 day block placement in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will be responsible for a minimum of 12 hours* of teaching per week in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

PREX302 Specific Requirements


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study.

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Work in a tutoring agency
  • Work as an au pair
  • Employment as a governess (or equivalent position)
  • Employment as teacher's aide (or equivalent position such as a Learning Support Officer)
  • Distance Education setting
  • Special Education settings

PREX303

Specific Requirements

This placement must be completed in a 20 day block in a secondary school setting where the pre-service teacher will be assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The pre-service teacher will be responsible for a minimum of 14 hours* of teaching per week in their curriculum area(s) of study.

*Depending upon timetables of the school, the pre-service teacher may have to adjust this to accommodate.

PREX303 Specific Requirements


Graduate Level Placements

This is the final placement where the pre-service teacher is assessed against all of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Graduate Level as per BOSTES requirements.


Placements that can be accepted

  • Mainstream secondary school classrooms in the pre-service teacher's curriculum area(s) of study.

Placements that cannot be accepted

  • Placement in a primary school classroom
  • Placement solely in an area not being studied by the pre-service teacher
  • Any placement type that varies from a mainstream classroom setting