Professional experience

Dulari Gonawala
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Professional experience during your degree

Professional experience is an essential requirement to an education degree. Professional experience is often referred to as ‘placement’ and is at the core of all initial teacher education programs. A variety of professional experiences assists students gain vital experience applying their university learning in schools and/or early childhood education and care centres.

Students studying an education degree will complete several professional experiences in a range of different settings. During these experiences, students will develop skills including:

  • programming and planning for individuals, small and whole groups
  • lesson and learning experience implementation
  • creating learning resources
  • assessing and analysing student and child learning interests and needs
  • guiding positive behaviours and classroom management
  • critical reflection on practice.

Experienced mentor teachers will guide the development of student teachers, who will also be supported by a University Placement Adviser (UPA) to ensure they reach their maximum potential as an education professional.

To ensure professional experience placements are of a high quality, the Faculty of Education works closely with school and early childhood staff and teacher accreditation bodies including the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), the Queensland Collge of Teachers (QCT) and the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). By working closely with such accreditation bodies, SCU teacher education students are ready to gain employment after graduation.

Professional experience at Southern Cross University is accredited as a full-time block in a school or early childhood centre. By teaching full-time under the guidance of an experienced mentor teacher, students can demonstrate sustained teaching that will prepare them for the profession. Full-time professional experience placements mean students may need to consider their work and/or family commitments. Please note, domestic early childhood students ONLY are permitted to undertake a part time placement of no less than three consecutive days a week.

From July 2025, the Australian Government will implement a new Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) for students to help them manage the costs associated with undertaking a mandatory placement (also known as a practicum or professional experience) as part of a higher education course in teaching/education. Visit the Department of Education website to learn more.

Professional experience support staff are based the Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Gold Coast campuses. All professional experience enquiries can be directed to FoEAdmin.placements@scu.edu.au or (02) 6626 9384.

Professional experience student centre

Mandatory placement checks

SONIA

Professional experience handbook

Placement process

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Course specific information

PEx Resources

Sonia Online

  1. SONIA Online is the professional experience website where pre-service teachers can access their placement information and upload their professional experience documentation.
  2. Use your university single sign on username and password.
  3. Navigate the Checks tab and upload your evidence.

Log on to Sonia here

Sonia Mobile App

FAQs

Yes, if you are an early childhood student and you can answer yes to ALL of the below

  1. My centre meets ACECQA Rating of "MEETING" or higher
  2. The Director must be aware that if the student is employed as relief staff on a casual basis, the placement is completed in the one room for the duration of the placement full time.
  3. My centre has a University Qualified Early Childhood Teacher willing to support my placement
  4. My centre is open 5 days a week, 7.5hrs a day
  5. I am not the Owner or a Centre Director of the Centre I am applying to complete my placement at. - Completing a placement at a Centre where I am the Owner or Director is deemed a CONFLICT of Interest

Please see the Professional Experience Student Centre for information on how to apply.

No, pre-service teachers are not permitted to arrange their own placements. This is the responsibility of the Professional Experience Placement Team.

The Professional Experience Calendar is made available in October each year.

 

A conflict of interest can be one of the following, but is not limited to:

    • your place of employment
    • where you have close relatives attending or employed or working at the site (eg. partner, parent, sibling, child)

Pre-service teachers are asked to use their professional discretion when declaring conflicts of interest.

The professional experience team have provided a comprehensive document, outlining the 2024 Professional Experience - Placement Process

No, it is a requirement that pre-service teachers complete placements where there are no conflicts of interest.

Inform the Professional Experience Placement Team immediately by emailing educationplacements@scu.edu.au.

Pre-service teacher loans are available for pre-service teachers about to commence placement for a minimum of two weeks. Click on the link provided for more information 

No, pre-service teachers can only enrol in one professional experience unit per term. Pre-service teachers should seek enrolment, study plan and course progression contact Client Services Team by phone 1800 SC HELP / 1800 72 4357 or email education.enquiry@scu.edu.au.

Pre-service teacher placements are classified as either in-zone or out-of-zone. In-zone placements are undertaken in a placement site that is deemed local to one of the SCU Campuses (the SCU “footprint”). The in-zone geographical area is from Macksville in the South to Upper Coomera (South East Queensland) in the North. All other areas are classified as out-of-zone. 

Pre-service teachers will normally undertake each placement in a different site unless there is a special program or requirement.

Ideally pre-service teachers should contact their placement site during the same week that placements have been made available in SONIA Online. Pre-service teachers are required to contact their placement site prior to commencing their placement. Pre-service teachers should ensure they read the "Notification of Placement" email for information on what is required.

The Professional Experience Placement Team do their best to place pre-service teachers close to home but this is not always possible. 

All pre-service teachers are required to have a working with children check from their State or Territory. Please refer to the ‘Mandatory Placement Checks for further information.

Yes, students living close to the NSW/QLD border are required to have both the NSW WWCC and the QLD Blue Card. (eg. if you live in the NSW postcodes 2484 - 2490 or the QLD postcodes 4217 - 4230, you are required to have both a valid NSW WWCC AND a QLD Blue Card). Please refer to the Mandatory Placement Checks for further information.

Yes. Pre-service teachers need to complete and submit forms in SONIA Online in order to be eligible for professional experience. Refer to the Mandatory Placement Checks for further information on mandatory placement criteria.

A PSTPA is mandatory placement criteria document required submitted prior to each placement. It is an electronic form on the ‘Forms’ tab within SONIA Online. PSTPAs are made available to students by the Placement Team once students have enrolled in a professional experience unit. The PSTPA contains important placement information (e.g. confirmation of address, conflicts of interest) and also contains the School of Education Code of Conduct. Students must submit a PSTPA in order to eligible to undertake each placement.

Refer to the Mandatory Placement Checks section for further information on how to apply for a blue card.

Refer to the mandatory placement checks to find out about anaphylaxis training.

Refer to the mandatory placement checks for more information on child protection training.

Yes, professional experience placements need to be undertaken during the allocated dates.

No. Unless this is a requirement of the professional experience unit pre-service teachers need to attend five days per week as they should demonstrate sustained teaching as required by a qualified teacher. Undertaking placement on a full-time basis is an accreditation requirement.

No, this does not align to the professional experience requirements. Pre-service teachers need to plan holidays, so they commence well after the completion of professional experience and not within teaching or professional experience times.

At this time there are set requirements for professional experience as a result of accreditation guidelines. Pre-service teachers wishing to undertake an overseas placement should email their request to educationplacements@scu.edu.au. Once satisfied that an overseas placement will enable them to graduate with the desired accreditation requirements, the pre-service teacher should complete an "application for overseas placement" (selected from the drop-down box in the forms tab of SONIA). Current accreditation rules note that a final professional experience cannot be completed overseas.

All advice regarding study load, unit availability and course progression needs to be directed to student services on education.enquiry@scu.edu.au.

The URL for SONIA Online is as follows: https://sonia.scu.edu.au/SoniaOnline/Default.aspx. The directions for SONIA Online are also noted on the Professional Experience Student Centre.

Once pre-service teachers have completed and uploaded all the documents required for professional experience and the staff have placed pre-service teachers into schools or centres, the placement can be viewed on SONIA Online.

If a pre-service teacher is unable to undertake a placement in the approved scheduled time and they cannot withdraw from the unit, then he/she must apply, via a Placement Adjustment Application, for approval to complete the placement during the scheduled deferred placement period. Students should also contact their placement coordinators to advise them of their circumstances/changed study plans ASAP. Placement Adjustment Applications will be considered by the Professional Experience Committee. Grounds for placement adjustment are:

    • health (including impacts of religious fasting)
    • compassionate circumstances
    • religious observances or celebrations
    • serious unforeseen personal events
    • selection in State, National or International sporting or cultural events
    • rendering genuine and unforseen emergency service in a professional or voluntary capacity
    • rendering any service (including undertaking training) in the Defense Reserves

Placement adjustment process can be found via the blackboard site.

Yes, in order to best support you with your placement, it is helpful to the Professional Experience Placement Team to be aware of your special requirements as registered with Equity and Inclusion.  Provide details of your special requirements to the Placement Team via educationplacements@scu.edu.au.

Yes, to ensure your safety and wellbeing during placement, pre-service teachers who are pregnant may be required to provide medical clearance to educationplacements@scu.edu.au to validate their fitness to process to their placement. Please contact your Placement Coordinator if you are considering falling pregnant or are pregnant during placement.

Provide the Professional Experience Placement Team with details of your medical condition via email educationplacements@scu.edu.au.

Pre-service teachers are not permitted to negotiate placements days with their Mentor Teachers, nor to absent themselves from their placements for matters such as holidays, weddings, childcare or work.  Any special requests must be directed to the Placement Team via Placement Adjustment Application and emailed to educationplacements@scu.edu.au.

Please refer to the School of Education website Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE).

Students are normally blocked from seeing their placement details in SONIA Online due to outstanding Mandatory Placement Criteria (eg. PSTPA, Anaphylaxis, Child Protection, WWCC). Refer to the ‘Alert’ announcement on the ‘Placement’ tab of SONIA Online for clarification on what placement criteria is outstanding.  Once the Placement Team have verified you have submitted the outstanding placement criteria document your placement will be cleared to view.

Yes, pre-service teachers are required to attend the placement every day to meet the requirements for teaching. Attending every day demonstrates pre-service teacher teachers can maintain a sustained teaching period.

If a pre-service teacher is absent during their placement for two or less consecutive days, they will be required to complete a Make-Up Day Form. This form must be returned to the Professional Experience Centre along with the Attendance Record on completion of the placement, to verify the missed days have been completed.

A Placement Adjustment Application and supporting documentation/medical certificate, is required for absences of three or more consecutive days. Medical certificates should be attached to the pre-service teacher Attendance Record and returned on completion of the placement.

This depends on the timing of your injury/illness. Students are advised to consult with student services if they think they need to withdraw from a scheduled placement to ensure that they can adhere to their planned course progression. Should a student be advised that a withdrawal would be problematic (and assuming that their issue meets the grounds for application), the student can apply to defer their placement. The deferred placement (if approved) occurs at one set time during the year so a student would need to ensure that they can complete their deferred practicum at this time or they may need to withdraw and re-enrol the following year.  Please complete a Placement Adjustment Application (via the forms tab in SONIA).

A self-withdrawal from a placement will generally mean a grade of Fail.  Pre-service teachers must contact their University Adviser to discuss their circumstances before deciding to self-withdraw from placement.

Yes, pre-service teachers are assigned a University Adviser, who will provide support by phone/email/zoom while you are on placement.  University Advisers will make initial contact with you during your first week of placement.  Your University Adviser name and contact details are available in the Placements section of SONIA Online.  You will also have the support of a mentor teacher and site coordinator.  

If pre-service teachers decide to undertake a placement while completing other units they will have other assignments due. This is deemed to be the pre-service teacher’s choice so they should approach the relevant unit assessor to determine if there are any considerations.

Yes, pre-service teachers can so long as the excursion is within the professional experience placement times. If pre-service teachers are assisting a school/centre outside of the professional experience times, then they will need to be registered as a volunteer with the school/centre. Any attendance at an excursion needs to be registered with your University Adviser and the Professional Experience Centre by completing a “Notification of School Camp/Excursion” Form (which can be found on the "forms" tab in SONIA Online).

Pre-service teachers must report the incident to SCU through the Riskware online management system as well as the incident report normally used by the site in which you are placed.  Further information is available on the Professional Experience Student Centre.  The incident must be reported within 24 hours of the incident.

Pre-service teachers are required to upload a copy of their prac report to the Professional Experience Unit Grade Centre in Blackboard (MySCU).

Finalised professional experience reports are available for pre-service teachers to download from the Professional Experience Unit Grade Centre in Blackboard.

If a pre-service teacher fails a placement they will meet with the Director of Professional Experience or Unit Assessor to review and reflect on the circumstances. Pre-service teachers can apply to undertake the placement again however, a further failure may result in an exclusion.

The Professional Experience Centre will be able to provide you with this letter.  Email educationplacements@scu.edu.au to submit your request.

No, there is a University-wide approval process for submitting grades that must be adhered to by Unit Assessors. Grades will be submitted/released to students by the University gazetted timeframes.

Useful links

International student support
Student Centre
Faculty of Education

Mentor teacher resources

Download the Mentor Teacher invoice template for Early Childhood Centers who have supervised pre-service teachers and wish to claim supervision via invoice. Download and save the form. Complete details and submit.

Get in touch

FoEAdmin.placements@scu.edu.au 0266269384