Career Start

Policy

This policy supports implementation of the Career Start program in Victorian government schools.

Summary

Career Start supports first-year graduate teachers to successfully transition into the classroom. Program supports include:

• a reduction in face-to-face teaching
• time with a dedicated mentor to accelerate the development of their teaching practice
• opportunities to network and learn with other graduates via a local learning alliance
• professional learning designed to develop their professional identity, wellbeing and practice via termly workshops.

Career Start mentor teachers are supported via:

• time release from face-to-face teaching to engage in extended practice-focused mentoring with their graduates – schools can refer to the guidance chapter on Time release for graduate and mentor teachers for further details
• one-on-one support from Learning Alliance Leaders to build their mentoring skills.

Details

Career Start is a structured program for graduate teachers which aims to improve their experience as they are inducted into the profession. Career Start provides time release, mentoring, professional development opportunities and a range of additional supports to graduate teachers and their mentors to accelerate the development of graduate teachers’ professional practice and support their wellbeing.

Following a successful 3-year pilot in primary and specialist schools in 3 areas, Career Start expanded in 2024 to support eligible graduate teachers in every Victorian government school (including secondary schools) in Inner Gippsland, North Eastern Melbourne, Outer Eastern Melbourne, Southern Melbourne, and Western Melbourne.

In 2025, Career Start has expanded to an additional 8 areas:

• Hume Merri-bek
• Brimbank Melton
• Goulburn
• Ovens-Murray
• Mallee
• Outer Gippsland
• Barwon
• Central Highlands.

Career Start is not currently available outside of the 13 listed areas.

Eligibility

Automatic eligibility – no nomination required

Graduate teachers will automatically participate in the Career Start program in 2025 if they:

• commenced their first year of classroom teaching as a provisionally registered teacher within the Victorian government school system on or after 7 June 2024
• are employed at the classification of Classroom Teacher Range 1-1 (CT1-1)
• are employed in a Victorian government school within the participating areas.

The department will use a combination of eduPay data and advice from school leaders to identify graduate teachers who meet the criteria of automatic eligibility. A welcome email will be sent to principals at the beginning of the year to identify eligible graduates and share further information about the program.

If a teacher is not registered in eduPay, please contact your Career Start regional manager by email as soon as possible so that amendments to our data can be made.

Additional eligibility – nomination required

Principals may nominate graduate teachers to participate in the 2025 Career Start program if they:

• commenced their first year of classroom teaching as a provisionally registered teacher within the Victorian government school system on or after 7 June 2024
• are within CT1-2 to CT1-4 classification
• are not an internationally or nationally experienced teacher
• are employed in a Victorian government school within the participating areas.

Principals must confirm that the graduate teacher is expected to benefit from the Career Start supports, and that they and their mentor will be supported to engage in all elements of the Career Start program.

To nominate a graduate teacher for additional eligibility, please contact your Career Start regional manager (details below).

Pre-service teachers with Permission to Teach (General)

Principals may nominate pre-service teachers with Permission to Teach (General) to participate in the Career Start program from the beginning of the year if they:

• are due to graduate before 6 June 2025
• have passed their Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE)
• will continue their employment in a Victorian government school after graduating.

Please note that:

• Pre-service teachers with Permission to Teach (General) who participate in Career Start in 2025 will not be eligible for participation in the program in 2026.
• Applicable schools are expected to assign a mentor to the pre-service teacher with Permission to Teach (General) for the year and facilitate the additional time release for them and their mentor, as well as attendance at workshops and learning alliance meetings.
• If the pre-service teacher working with Permission to Teach (General) and their mentor are not fully participating in the Career Start program, their funding may be reviewed and withdrawn prior to the 6 June 2025 cut-off.

To nominate a pre-service teacher working with Permission to Teach (General) for eligibility, please contact your Career Start regional manager (details below).

Related policies

• Attendance and Working Hours – Teaching Service
• Student Resource Package – Targeted Initiatives
• Workforce Support and Initiatives for Schools

Contact

For further information on the Career Start program please contact the Career Start Unit at Career.Start@education.vic.gov.au

To nominate a graduate teacher for additional eligibility or to discuss eligibility further, please contact your Career Start regional manager:

• North East Victoria Region: Robyn Woolley, Robyn.Woolley@education.vic.gov.au
• North West Victoria Region: Helen Schilling, Helen.Schilling@education.vic.gov.au
• South East Victoria Region: Ben Plant, Ben.Plant@education.vic.gov.au
• South West Victoria Region: Nadia Tkaczuk, Nadia.Tkaczuk@education.vic.gov.au