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Recruitment, Selection and Appointment of Teaching Staff Procedures

procedure

These procedures must be read in conjunction with the Recruitment Selection and Appointment Policy.

2. Scope

These procedures apply to principals and their nominees.

3. Procedures

3.1 Identify and register a vacancy

Principals must: 

  • identify a vacancy and whether it is fixed-term or permanent (if the vacancy is fixed term, identify its tenure);
  • only make fixed-term appointments where they comply with the relevant industrial instruments; and
  • prior to any action being taken (including extending current appointments), register vacancies using the Recruitment Advertising and Management System (RAMS) except for fixed-term teaching vacancies of up to and including 0.2 full-time equivalent (FTE).

3.2 Clear a vacancy

Principals must:

  • consider and assess internal employees requiring placement;
  • select and appoint the most suitable employee; and
  • where placement is made, complete RAMS actions and an electronic movement request in the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) (staff only).

For non-Independent Public Schools, where no employees requiring placement are suitable and the vacancy is permanent, principals must assess teachers referred to the school from the transfer pool.

Guidance

Staff Recruitment and Employment Services provides support in filling vacancies.

See Ikon (staff only) for information including Understand the five step staffing process (staff only), Use the five step staffing process (staff only) and Conduct a staff selection process (staff only). 

User Guides  in the  RAMS file library (staff only) are available for assistance with lodging a vacancy and for assessing employees requiring placement, transfer applicants, external registered and registrable employees.

Teachers wishing to be considered for transfer should submit electronically their resume and any required documentation to the Teacher Transfer Pool. (staff only)  They may also apply for vacancies advertised by schools.

3.3 Use of consultants

Principals must:

  • use the Department of Finance ‘Common Use Agreement’ Human Resource (HR) and Investigation Services;
  • be responsible for any costs when engaging external human resource consultants to assist with a process;
  • not engage consultants to chair selection panels; and
  • retain responsibility and authority for recruitment processes and employment decisions

3.4 Recruitment and selection

Principals and line managers must:

Principals must:

  • incur the cost of any additional advertising;
  • inform all persons involved in the selection process to disclose and manage any conflicts of interest;
  • conduct an assessment of merit (individual or competitive) to fill any cleared vacancy;
  • inform all persons involved in the selection process that confidentiality must be maintained;
  • use the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers as selection criteria, including:
     
    • Professional Knowledge
    • Professional Practice
    • Professional Engagement;
       
  • use RAMS (staff only), including generating a selection report and accessing template letters available for communicating promptly with applicants at all stages of the process;
  • where a selection panel is used, confirm each panel member manually or electronically endorses the selection report;
  • issue letters to all applicants advising them of the selection process outcome;
  • for a notifiable employment decision, include in the letter:
     
    • a breach period of a minimum of four full working days (to midnight); and
    • information about the Breach of Standard claim process; and
       
  • provide feedback, where sought, within the breach period.  It must relate to the selection criteria and be in sufficient detail to explain the basis for the selection decision, demonstrating that the process is fair and transparent.

Guidance

When advertising a vacancy, principals may request skills and experiences that relate to the school’s needs and context.

Whilst merit remains the primary factor in the selection process, principals may encourage people from specific diversity groups to apply to increase diversity in the school’s workforce profile. 

When advertising for an appointment pool, principals should specify this intent, including the duration of the pool (see Appendix A – Appointment Pools).

The selection panel should comprise a minimum of two, preferably three members with:

  • a gender balance;
  • at least one independent panel member;
  • at least one member familiar with the vacant position, its duties, its context and the skills, knowledge and experience needed to do the job, including expert or technical aspects; and
  • at least one member trained in recruitment and selection.

Where possible, panels should include people from equal opportunity groups for positions where cultural or disability awareness is required.

The essence of the role of an independent panel member is to bring an impartial perspective to the process and reduce any perception of bias or nepotism.

Referee checks usually constitute part of the information used in deliberating selection decisions.  It should be noted that:

  • referees not listed by the applicant may be contacted to further assess an applicant’s suitability.  The applicant should be informed of this intent before contact is made with the referee.  An applicant should be given the opportunity to respond to adverse reports from referees not nominated by them;
  • applicants may request extracts of the selection report that pertain to them, including referee comments; and
  • referee reports are subject to the requirements of confidentiality, procedural fairness and transparency.

A working day is a complete 24 hour period to midnight excluding Saturday, Sunday or public service holiday throughout the State.  For the purposes of notification, the breach period closing date does not include a portion of a day such as a specific closing time.  Refer to the Interpretation Act 1984 Section 61.

Conduct a staff selection process (staff only) resource is available on Ikon.

Professional learning courses can be located on the Professional Learning Information System web page.

A Conflict of Interest resource for panels is available on the Integrity Coordinating Group’s website.

3.5 Late applications

Where a closing date is specified, principals must not admit for assessment late applications unless it can be shown that the late applications were mishandled by the Department or by an official postal or telecommunication service.

3.6 Appointment

Prior to appointment, or at the conclusion of the breach period (where one is required), principals must personally complete the following:

  • confirm the recommended applicant meets employment eligibility requirements, including:
    • registration with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia; and
      • a four-year Bachelor of Education; or
      • a minimum of a three-year degree in a relevant discipline, followed by a one-year Graduate Diploma in Education or higher qualification such as a Master of Education; or
      • a recognised three-year teaching qualification and previous fixed-term or permanent employment with the Department;
    • Australian (or New Zealand) Citizenship, in the case of a permanent appointment, (or permanent Australian residency);
    • a valid permit to work in Australia if applicants are not Australian citizens or permanent residents;
    • application for or valid (staff only) Working with Children card in accordance with the Department’s Working with Children Checks in Public Schools policy; and
    • a current (staff only) Screening Clearance Number in accordance with the Criminal History Screening for Department of Education Sites Policy and Procedures;
  • verify Suitable to Rehire (staff only) on HRMIS;
  • complete the Offer of Employment via RAMS (staff only), including probation requirements (where appropriate), and forward to the successful applicant; and
  • on receipt of the signed Offer of Employment from the applicant, complete the commencement, variation or movement form in HRMIS.

Guidance

Probation is a requirement for all newly appointed teachers to the Department. See Manage Staff Probation (staff only) and Consider suitability and compatibility of teachers, school administrators and school psychologists (staff only) on Ikon for further information.

Information on the Screening Status Check (staff only) to confirm the currency of a Screening Clearance Number is available on Ikon.

The validity of a Working with Children card can be checked at Department of Communities, Child Protection and Family Support Working with Children Check website.

Information to confirm a teacher is registered with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA) can be checked on the Register of Teachers.

3.7 Record keeping

Principals and line managers must:

  • keep records of the recruitment, selection and appointment process;
  • retain copies of selection reports and letters sent to applicants; and
  • apply secure storage and restricted physical access to confidential records, in accordance with the Records Management Policy.

Guidance

Records of the process may be attached to RAMS.

For information on the retention and disposal of recruitment records see the General Disposal Authority for State Government Information.

3.8 Breach of standard claim

Principals must, for a notifiable employment decision, refer any breach claims received to WorkforcePolicy.breachclaim@education.wa.edu.au.

5. Contact information

Policy manager:

Director, Workforce Policy and Coordination

Policy contact officer:

Manager, Recruitment, Staff Recruitment and Employment Service

T: (08) 9264 5206

6. History of changes

Effective date Last update date Procedure version no.
30 September 2014 1.0
These new procedures support the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Policy that replaces the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment of Teaching Staff; Recruitment, Selection and Appointment of School Administrators; and Recruitment, Selection and Appointment for Public Service Officers, Other Officers and Wages Staff policies. Endorsed by Director General on 21 August 2014.
28 March 2017 28 March 2017 1.1
Update to staffing processes and nomenclature to reflect Public Sector Management (Redeployment and Redundancy) Regulations 2014 endorsed by Director General at Corporate Executive on 28 November 2016.
28 March 2017 31 July 2018 1.2
Updated legislation links D18/0207680.
12 February 2019 2.0
These procedures support the Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Policy and has undergone a major review. Endorsed by Director General at Corporate Executive on 28 November 2018.
12 February 2019 24 February 2021 2.1
Minor changes and broken links. D21/0099208

8. More information

This procedure:

Download procedure PDFRecruitment, Selection and Appointment of Teaching Staff Procedures v2.1

Please ensure you also download the policy supported by this procedure.


Supported policy:

Download Policy PDFRecruitment Selection and Appointment Policy


Procedure review date

25 February 2022

Procedure last updated

24 February 2021