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Daniel van Bergen and Michelle Lam Presentation 25 October, 2023

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Daniel van Bergen and Michelle Lam Presentation 25 October, 2023

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Remember that there's a really broad range of experiences available.

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Remember that there's a really broad range of experiences available.

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Consider teaching in the country.
Consider teaching overseas.
Go with what feels comfortable and "right for you".
Be patient and wait for the opportunity that feels right for you and that the next thing you walk into will be good for you.

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Sometimes you might be on the right bus but in the wrong seat.

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Sometimes you might be on the right bus but in the wrong seat.

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You need to wait for and seek the right position.
When you move out of comfort zone you can sometimes find that "right seat" on the bus.

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Let people know you're available to teach

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Let people know you're available to teach

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In local schools as an instrumental teacher or CRT.
In your community as a studio instrumental teacher.

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"Fit the oxygen mask to yourself" first.
Look for the collegial relationships.
Look for the like-minded colleagues.
All experience is good experience.
one the one hand: any job will help you get experience and will help you find the next job;
one the other hand: hold out for a position that you want and makes you happy
Consider taking a part-time position and working up to full-time if you can.
Leave your desk tidy and complete jobs before you go home IF YOU CAN!!!
Be open to being surprised and learning from your students!

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The school's a community, and members of the community behave.
"Always look for the ally in the child".
Never, ever get into a power struggle with a student! Stay calm and defer the conversation until a cooler time!

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If you have small jobs, try to get it done straight away.
Have a list and cross them off as they are completed.

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Importance of positive relationships with students

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Importance of positive relationships with students

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The importance of calling the roll - audibly - to ensure all names are called.
Yard duty is a great opportunity to connect with students.
Take the duty of care seriously.

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This may be tricky in the first year.
At school, schedule mini-breaks - take a walk or not eat lunch in the main staffroom to be quiet.

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Be open to teaching outside your learning/subject area, eg Drama teaching - great experience, great for teaching, great for career trajectory.
Great to learn about other approaches to teaching and managing the classroom.

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Everything will be grounded in what you've learnt about education and students.

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Start by thinking about the type of position that you're after.

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Start by thinking about the type of position that you're after.

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1. Make a list of all the skills, experience, knowledge, personal qualities and so on that you have to offer a school and/or teaching position. Include items such as ability to play a range of instruments/accompany; experience leading teams; calm/unflustered; happy/positive; other experience/interests such as outdoor ed, sport and so on.
2. Make a list of the type/s of position you'd like to work in, for instance teaching classroom, instrumental or a combination; government, independent or catholic school; metro, regional or rural; co-ed or single-sex; leading stage bands or choirs; age range/year levels and so on.

*** Number two will help narrow your focus and only apply for positions that are most likely to be a good fit; Number one is a list of all the items that you need to communicate to a potential employer through your application letter and interview.

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1. Sign up to MusicMail, a free email stream hosted by aMuse (Association of Music Educators Victoria). Visit the website via the links above, click on the light green box on the LH side called "MusicMail" and register. many jobs across all sectors and settings are shared here.
2. Seek.com
3. Various social media platforms linked to your instrumental focus, eg AUSTA.

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AMusE is presenting 17 events during Term Four as 'Spring Professional Learning'. These will be free events, and can be accessed via the links below.

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Grad Teachers Professional Opportunities & Networking Resources for Music Educators 2022

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Become an ASME member.                                   

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Become an ASME member.                                   

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ASME is a national organisation with chapters in each state and territory. By becoming an ASME member you will belong to the national body and be supported locally by the ASME Vic Chapter. You may wish to read our latest quarterly bulletin that will give you a sense of what our organisation does and its place as a peak body in Music Education: ASME Vic Sept Bulletin.

Our offer of free 12-month membership is available until 31 December 2021. To register, please visit the ASME website and click on the Membership tab and be ready to use the code/coupon:

asme-free-student-membership

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ASME | Australian Society for Music Education

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ASME (Australian Society for Music Education) exists to encourage & advance music education at all levels as an integral part of education & community life.

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Home

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Attend events, morning teas, and eat meals in the main lunch room. You need to build friendships with non-music staff for those times when you need to take students out of class for music or need help with a performance.

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You are the teacher in the classroom, and you are in charge. Be strong and fair - you are the boss!

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Plan lessons as soon as possible after you finish your last class. If you can, do this immediately after your lesson while it is fresh in your mind. Write down what you will do next class to reduce your stress. You have to do it anyway. Planning lessons the night before or the day of causes stress and panic, and you will find it hard to remember what happened in the previous class.

Keep your desk tidy
Do not leave a messy desk at the end of the day! Take 5 minutes to put things in order so you can come in the following day to a clean and fresh environment.

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Having affiliations such as ASME on your resume look good!

- ASME is free for students
- $80 a year for non-students and is tax deductible.

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There are some excellent teaching opportunities in the country. Country teaching will start a career fantastically. There is often a shortage of teachers in the so they are always looking for people!

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If there is an area or school you are interested in, write to the principal and express your interest.

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Don't panic if you don't have a job by the end of the Christmas holidays. 

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Don't panic if you don't have a job by the end of the Christmas holidays. 

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Don't just apply for every available job if you don't have a job by the end of the holidays. More jobs will come up, even into late January. You want to find a job you want!

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Know the values, traditions, and ethos of the school you are applying for. 

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Know the values, traditions, and ethos of the school you are applying for. 

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This will be available on the schools website. Target your application and interview to what is valued by the school.

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Address your application to the principal 

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Address your application to the principal 

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Schools post the name of the principal on their website to use in your application. Make sure you spell their name correctly!

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Feedback protocols for the audience members in the classroom keep them engaged throughout their peers performances and be active participants in the performance.

After the performance, ask students to raise their hands if they have feedback. Their sentences must start with one of the following:

1. I liked.....
2. I wonder......

This ensures positive language in their feedback.

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Friends with staff also means you get volunteers at production time!

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Friends with staff also means you get volunteers at production time!

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Stay connected with professional music education associations who provide important professional learning and networking opportunities as you move through your career.
The list above is a starting point for finding, following and joining supportive associations - look out for those currently offering FREE membership to students and join them while you can!

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Professional Opportunities & Networking Resources for Music Educators 2021

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The goal of the written application is to stand out and be invited to an interview. The goal of the interview is to show your suitability for the position, and also to decide if the position is right for you!

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The goal of the written application is to stand out and be invited to an interview. The goal of the interview is to show your suitability for the position, and also to decide if the position is right for you!

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* There is lots of information available online about how to write a strong cover letter, as well as advice on the DET site (link above) about addressing key selection criteria.
* Proof read your application very carefully. Read it out loud, have a friend read it.
* When you go for an interview, take a list (from the self-audit?) of all the things you want the panel to know about you and be sure to either work them into your responses to questions, or add them at the end when the panel asks "Is there anything else you'd like to ask or let us know?".
* For many positions, you'll be given the list of interview questions before you go into the room and will have about 10 minutes to prepare. Be sure to take a pen so you can write down your ideas/responses to the questions on the paper as prompts.
* Feel welcome to take props - a folio of certificates, photos of relevant experiences you've had, written references and so on.
* The whole process is about demonstrating your suitability for THAT PARTICULAR position.

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All vacancies must be filled in accordance with the Department's selection procedures set out in this Guide and comply with the relevant Ministerial Orders. Selection to advertised positions is determined solely on the basis of merit assessed in relation to the selection criteria of the position to be filled.

Employees with priority or redeployment status must be interviewed for any position for which they are an applicant and considered on merit against all applicants.

The following principles should be applied in the selection process:

selection criteria are relevant to the work to be performed, free from bias, documented and made available to all applicants and consistent with any core elements for the relevant classification set out in Part 9 of Ministerial Order 1038

the applicant's skills, knowledge and abilities, relevant to the work to be performed, are fairly assessed

selection methods are relevant to the work to be performed

decisions and processes provide procedural fairness

decisions are documented and capable of review

appropriate confidentiality is maintained

all applicants receive fair and equitable treatment without regard to age, breastfeeding, carer status, disability, employment activity, gender identity, industrial activity, lawful sexual activity, marital status, parental status, physical features, political belief or activity, pregnancy, race (including colour, nationality, ethnicity and ethnic origin), religious belief or activity, sex, sexual orientation, an expunged homosexual conviction or personal association (whether as a relative or otherwise) with a person who is identified by reference to any of the above attributes

When assessing applicants, selection panel members must ensure that they do not directly or indirectly discriminate. Panel members should be aware of individual bias, assumptions and stereotyping which may impede the selection of the best applicant for the position. Panel members should be aware of the diverse pathways of experience and approaches which male and female candidates may bring to the interview and to the workplace, including people of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and people with a disability. This diversity should be viewed as an attribute and should in no way diminish the assessment of the applicant's suitability for the position.

Panel members should be aware that the Department has a positive duty under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 to provide reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate discrimination and a duty to provide reasonable adjustments for people with a disability. Further information is available from the Department's Disability and Reasonable Adjustment - Employees page.

Panel members should also be aware it is unlawful to discriminate against an applicant on the ground of an attribute or ask a discriminatory question, in contravention of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010.

Panel members should focus on abilities, skills, knowledge, potential and qualifications required for the position and not seniority, length of experience or familiarity with the position. This is important as to focus too much on length and continuity of experience may impact negatively on people who take career breaks for family reasons and on those who have not had an opportunity to 'act' in the position.

Principals and panel members are to avoid any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest in the selection process including the selection decision. A conflict may arise where it could be reasonably perceived that a principal or panel member is influenced by the private interest of facilitating employment (for example, the employment of a family member or associate). Where there could be a perception of possible favouritism and bias, to mitigate the risk the principal and, or panel member should remove themselves from the selection process and, or selection decision. A principal or panel member who considers they may have a conflict of interest must declare their conflict of interest and any steps taken to manage the conflict. Further information is available from .

Position description

A position description should be prepared for any vacant position which should include the classification, range where applicable, and tenure of the position, any particular qualification requirements, the role and responsibilities of the position and the selection criteria. For information, refer to Roles and Responsibilities - Teaching Service . All position descriptions are to include the following statement:

'Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. The school's Child Safety Code of Conduct is available on the school's website'.

To assist applicants, it is recommended that principals provide information specific to the school such as the School Strategic Plan and the school's special characteristics, features and programs. All applicants must receive the same information in relation to a particular position. Additional material may be provided at the request of the applicant.

Selection criteria

Selection criteria should specify the relevant skills, personal qualities and abilities required for the efficient performance of a particular position. Selection criteria must be clear, objective and relevant and must not contravene the requirements of any ministerial instructions, regulations or relevant legislation such as the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 and the Public Administration Act 2004. In developing selection criteria:

criteria must be consistent with the work requirements and classification and, where applicable, range of the position

criteria should be set at a level which enables the selection of applicants of the highest quality

for assistant principals, leading teachers, learning specialists and classroom teachers criteria must be consistent with the key areas from the relevant Ministerial Order

for education support class employees, the criteria must be consistent with the role description of the position and the Dimensions of Work for the relevant salary range

criteria should be listed in order of importance

criteria that require previous work experience must not be so narrowly specified that only someone who has actually performed that particular job can satisfy the criteria

Applications

All applications received by the closing date are to be considered by the selection panel. Applications should be lodged electronically through Recruitment Online by the advertised closing date. Applicants who are unable to access or use Recruitment Online may submit a written application (hard copy) which must reach the school no later than the advertised closing date. It is recommended that employees with priority or redeployment status, clearly indicate they hold this status in their application.

Late applications may be accepted during the selection process at the discretion of the principal or, where authorised by the principal, the Chair of the selection panel. Factors that may be considered include the reasons as to why the application is late and the number of applications already received. A late application cannot be accepted after applicants have been advised of the selection decision.

Where a late application is accepted, the principal must keep a record of the reasons for acceptance. When an application is received after the closing date and rejected, the applicant is to be advised in writing that, as the application was received after the closing date, it will not be considered.

Acknowledgement of the receipt of applications will be sent automatically to applicants who apply through Recruitment Online. Where applicants provide hard copy applications only, the principal is responsible for ensuring that a letter acknowledging receipt of the application is sent promptly. The application and accompanying materials become the property of the selection panel and are not returnable to candidates.

Selection panels

The principal is responsible for the selection decision at each school and must ensure that, as part of the selection process, a selection panel of at least 3 persons is established for each advertised vacancy. Where possible the panel should include an employee from the same employment class as the position being advertised.

Principals should ensure that members of the selection panel comprise people who between them possess the following qualities:

detailed knowledge of the position requirements

an understanding of the position and its relationship with other organisational functions within the school

selection skills and an understanding of the selection process

In determining the composition of selection panels, principals must ensure that:

at least 1 member of the panel is a person trained by the Merit Protection Boards in the principles of merit and equity

provision is made for gender representation

The purpose of the selection panel is to recommend to the principal the best applicant on the basis of the evidence available. The role of the selection panel is to objectively assess each applicant's skills, knowledge and capacity against the selection criteria. The selection panel may use other appropriate selection tools determined by the panel provided that they are applied consistently to all applicants.

Selection panel members should:

ensure familiarity with any relevant Ministerial Order

observe procedures required to be followed by the panel

complete the required selection documentation

Short listing

Short listing may be used to identify those applicants who, on the basis of the information available, best meet the selection criteria and show evidence that their qualifications and experience are competitive with other suitable applicants.

Employees with priority or redeployment status must be short listed for interview.

Any experience and available evidence relevant to the selection criteria should be taken into account by the panel. Account may also be taken of an applicant's potential to acquire new skills. Specific job knowledge necessary to carry out the duties of a position can be less important where this knowledge can be acquired in a reasonable time.

Only nominated referees may be contacted at the short listing stage of the selection process.

A panel may decide that an applicant does not meet one or more of the selection criteria and not shortlist that person.

A record should be made of the qualifications (where relevant) and the reasons, in relation to the selection criteria, for not short listing applicants for interview.

Interview

The selection panel should develop a set of questions based on the selection criteria and assess, at interview, each short listed applicant's ability to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours that best matches the competencies necessary to perform the role. The panel may develop a consistent and fair scoring mechanism to focus attention on the selection criteria and differentiate between applicants' responses.

The interview complements the written application and detailed referee checks. The interview assists the panel in the assessment of the relative merits of each short listed applicant. The performance of an applicant in an interview should be integrated with information provided by the application, referee reports and any other assessment tools used in the selection process.

Short listed applicants should be given adequate notice of interview time and location. Nothing precludes a teacher or paraprofessional agreeing to be interviewed through an alternative medium (such as video conference). If such arrangements are not possible, the panel should judge the applicant on the best available information.

A teacher or paraprofessional is entitled to reasonable release with full pay to attend an interview for an advertised position in a government school. The principal of the school that has the vacancy and the teacher or paraprofessional will take all reasonable steps to ensure the timing of any release occurs at a time that avoids or minimises the need to provide a replacement teacher during the period of release. Selection panels should, wherever possible, schedule interviews at times that take into account the short listed applicant's teaching commitments.

To ensure that all applicants are fairly considered, interviews should have a similar structure with each applicant being given the opportunity to respond to similar areas of questioning. Questions are to relate specifically to the selection criteria in the context of the role to be performed and should not be ambiguous or unnecessarily complicated. Before closing the interview, the selection panel is advised to provide an opportunity for the applicant to seek or give any relevant additional information that may not have been covered.

Referee reports

Referee reports are a critical part of the assessment of the relative merits of short listed applicants who are in high contention for the position. Such reports allow for a rigorous checking of claims made by those applicants and the gathering of evidence on work performance.

Referees are nominated by the applicants to clarify, verify and add information to what is learned in the interview and from other parts of the selection process. The main purpose of using referees is to elicit information from past employers, employees about the applicant's ability to perform the essential functions of the role and to verify an applicant's claims.

Referees should be invited to comment on the applicant in relation to all of the selection criteria. The selection panel or a nominated member of the selection panel may seek referee reports either verbally (by telephone or teleconferencing) in person or in written form. The selection panel should accurately record both written and verbal referee comments. Where referee comments are provided verbally, the comments should be noted and read back to the referee to confirm the comments.

Where an applicant nominates a panel member as a referee, any referee comments made by that panel member should be documented in the same way as other referee comments.

The use of non-nominated referees may assist the process by confirming particular perspectives or providing more balanced information. Selection panels who do contact non-nominated referees to assist in assessing an applicant's ability, capacity and suitability for a position can do so provided that the applicant is advised of these extended inquiries prior to a selection panel taking any action to contact a person(s) not nominated as a referee. In such instances, the applicant is to be informed at or after interview of the name of any person whom the panel intends to contact and provided with an opportunity to comment. The applicant is advised that in such situations information may be disclosed to non-nominated referees relating to the applicant's application.

Members of the selection panel may know or have knowledge of one or more of the applicants. Rather than only disclosing this knowledge as fact in a statement to the panel, members can contribute their perspective in order that the panel develops a richer understanding of a particular applicant's knowledge, skills and behaviours. Prior knowledge statements should be treated on the same basis as referee reports.

Referee reports must remain confidential.

Assessing and ranking short listed applicants

The selection panel must assess all short listed applicants against the selection criteria on the basis of their written application, interview, reports provided by referees and any other selection tool used by the panel. It is important that the selection panel does not make its assessment solely on the basis of interview performance. At the completion of the assessment, the selection panel must rank all suitable applicants in order of merit.

Selection panel documentation

Selection documentation must include the following items.

Position description

The position description will include the classification, range where applicable, and tenure of the position, any particular qualification requirements, the role and responsibilities of the position and the selection criteria that were used as part of the selection process.

Selection panel report

On completion of the selection panel's assessment and ranking of applicants, the panel must prepare a selection panel report to the principal. The selection panel report should include:

details of the position to be filled

details of the selection panel

name and gender of applicants not short listed and reasons for not short listing

name and gender of applicants short listed for interview and reasons why any shortlisted applicant could not be interviewed

a comparative assessment of each short listed applicant

the individual selection report for each short listed applicant that includes the names of persons contacted for referee comment

the name(s) of the preferred applicant(s) ranked in order of merit

the signatures of panel members and the date

Short listed applicants may request a copy of their individual selection report from the principal once the selection decision has been announced.

Retention of selection documentation

All selection documentation, including copies of applications, interview notes, referee comments and selection reports, must be retained by the school for 2 years after confirmation of the selection decision. This material remains the confidential property of the school and may be destroyed 2 years after the confirmation date.

A selection documentation checklist is available and is to be attached to each selection file.

Selection decision

Under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, the power to employ, transfer or promote has been delegated to principals. Principals have a professional responsibility for ensuring that all parts of the selection process have been undertaken correctly. In considering the recommendation of the selection panel, principals should ensure that the applicant who best demonstrates that they meet the selection criteria and is capable of performing the duties of the position is selected.

Where the principal's decision does not concur with the panel's recommendation, reasons for this decision must be recorded.

Notification to applicants

At the completion of the selection process the successful and unsuccessful applicants are to be advised of the outcome of their application.

All applicants for a position may seek feedback on their application and, or interview performance from the principal or principal's nominee on the selection panel. Detailed feedback on the application and, or interview performance should not be provided until the conclusion of the review process.

However, short listed applicants may request a copy of their individual selection report following the notification of the outcome of their application.

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All vacancies must be filled in accordance with the Department's selection procedures set out in this Guide and comply with the relevant Ministerial Orders. Selection to advertised positions is determined solely on the basis of merit assessed in relation to the selection criteria of the position to be filled.

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The standard number of referees is THREE.
1. Be sure to ask your referees if they are willing to be a referee for you in applications. Ask for their preferred contact details (email, phone), and be sure to let them know the positions you are applying for in which you have included them.
2. The referees will be contacted by phone or email after your interview to provide further information about their experience working with you, the evidence they have seen of your ability to plan, ability to engage/manage students, your ability to work collaboratively with other staff and so on. List the referees in order of who can best answer these questions.
3. Being a referee is time-consuming. Most reference checks now involve the school sending a written or online template that the referee is asked to complete and return. Some take place over the phone. It can take around 30 minutes to provide each reference, so remember to share the outcome of your successful applications along with a thank you!

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Make friends with the people in the office and the maintenance person/team.

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Make friends with the people in the office and the maintenance person/team.

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Consider CRT (Casual Relief Teacher) work

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Consider CRT (Casual Relief Teacher) work

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CRT work provides an opportunity to visit and work in many different schools and setting. This can help you decide what sort of position you are looking for. It's also great for honing your teaching skills in a range of settings.