Pre-service teacher Placement Grant program

If you have confirmed your placement school as an eligible school under this program, and are studying with a Victorian ITE provider, contact your Placement Coordinator for the link to access the Program Portal.

If you are studying with a non-Victorian ITE provider, please complete the Expression of Interest short form(opens in a new window). The Department of Education will assess the information supplied in the form and provide you with further advice.

Grants will be paid directly to your nominated bank account via the Program Portal.

If you’re unsure where you will undertake your placement, we encourage you to review the eligible areas above and speak with your Placement Coordinator for further advice.

You can start the process with unconfirmed details and create an account via the Program Portal, save your application as a draft and submit it later.

For more information and to apply for a grant contact your Placement Coordinator to supply you with a link to the Program Portal. The portal will require you to create an account and provide:

• personal information
• proof of identity
• placement details

PSTs studying with a non-Victorian ITE provider must complete the following digital form. The Department of Education will assess the information supplied in the form and provide you with further advice.

All queries relating to PSTs enrolled with a non-Victorian ITE provider, please contact PPGprogram@education.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window).

To be eligible for the grant you must:

• be a domestic student enrolled in a primary or secondary school Initial Teacher Education (ITE) degree accredited by the VIT, or an equivalent regulatory State or Territory authority and recognised by the VIT
• be undertaking a teaching placement in an eligible Victorian government school, as confirmed by the placement officer from your course provider between 1 July 2023 and completing it on or before 31 December 2025;
  
• be:
  
  • an Australian citizen
  • a New Zealand citizen (or dual citizenship holders of either Australia or New Zealand)
  • an Australian permanent resident
  • an Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder; or
  • hold an Australian Government-issued visa which permits you to study in Australia, and be enrolled in a degree accredited by the VIT, or an equivalent regulatory State or Territory authority and recognised by the VIT; and
    
• have a valid Victorian Employee or Volunteer Working with Children Check

• Australian Catholic University
• Deakin University
• Eastern College Australia
• Federation University Australia
• La Trobe University
• Melbourne Polytechnic
• Monash University
• RMIT University
• Swinburne University of Technology
• The University of Melbourne
• Victoria University

The Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) is an independent statutory authority for the teaching profession, whose primary function is to regulate members of the teaching profession.

They accredit initial teacher education (ITE) programs to prepare early career teachers for working in Victoria. This includes monitoring the suitability of registered teachers, supporting beginner teachers entering the profession and developing their practice through professional standards.

More information about the VIT can be found here About VIT | Victorian Institute of Teaching(opens in a new window)

You may be eligible to participate in the PPG program, provided that your course is accredited by the VIT, or an equivalent regulatory State or Territory authority and recognised by the VIT.

For more information on eligible schools, review the map of eligible teaching placement locations and contact your PST placement officer at your course provider to discuss a placement at an eligible school.

Please contact PPGprogram@education.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window) if you are studying with a non-Victorian provider and do not have access to this list.

No.

If you are a PST undertaking an eligible ITE degree under the program you are eligible to apply for the grant.

Yes.

PSTs who are already living in regional or remote areas can still receive the grant if they take up a placement in an eligible school.

• PSTs who are undertaking a teaching placement at a non-government school;
• PSTs who are enrolled in degrees that are not accredited by the VIT or an equivalent regulatory State or Territory authority and recognised by the VIT
• PSTs commencing teaching placements before 1 July 2023 or completing placements after 31 December 2025;
• PSTs enrolled in an employment-based teaching degree are ineligible to receive the grant during the employment phase of their degree;
• PSTs actively employed as a paraprofessionals with a ‘Permission to Teach’ registration required to complete their placements are not eligible to receive the grant while being paid an employee salary; and
• PSTs employed as an Education Support employee are not eligible to receive the grant while being paid an employee salary.

Yes.

PSTs studying with Victorian ITE providers

If you are completing your placement on or after 16 November 2023, you will receive your first grant payment of 50% of; the total grant following the successful submission of your application and approval by your course provider.

Following completion of your placement, the host school (the school you completed your placement at) will need to confirm that the placement occurred. Once the confirmation is submitted, you will then be paid the remaining 50% of the total grant.

PSTs studying with non-Victorian ITE providers

PSTs studying with non-Victorian ITE providers are eligible to apply for PPG for placements completed in 2024 and 2025.

You will be paid the full grant following successful application to the program, completion of your placement and confirmation from your host school that the placement took place.

No. Your placement covers the time from your first day in a school for your teaching placement until your last day in the school. It doesn't include weekends, public holidays or school holidays in this period. Also, regular weekdays where you are not present at or working with your placement school under supervision will not be included in your payments.

The three different grant amounts are designed to remove barriers for PSTs to undertake a teaching placement outside of metropolitan areas, and grow the pipeline of teachers for regional, remote and specialist schools.

If you've received funding from other support programs while undertaking a teaching placement you may still qualify for this grant.

No.

We recommend that you obtain professional advice on how this grant may affect your tax liability or other government benefits you may be receiving, such as Austudy, ABSTUDY, pensions or aged, disability or carer allowances.

PSTs will be able to apply up to 30 days after finishing their placement in an eligible school.

Yes, if you are completing a placement in an eligible school during the intensive study period and have yet to start your employment, you can apply for the grant.

If you undertake multiple placements in eligible schools, you can receive a grant for each placement. You must apply separately through the program portal for each placement. Submitting one application for multiple placements will cause a delay in receiving your grant.

For PSTs studying with VIT accredited ITE providers, if you complete at least 50% of your teaching placement but then vary the duration of your placement you may still claim the second payment.

For PSTs studying with non-Victorian ITE providers, you will receive a grant amount that reflects the actual number of placement days completed.

The Department of Education reserves the right to reject, reclaim or offset (against future applications) the full or partial value of the grant payments to PSTs who do not complete the requirements of their placement.

Yes. As long as you're enrolled in an ITE degree accredited by the VIT, or an equivalent regulatory State or Territory authority and recognised by the VIT and undertaking your placement at an eligible Victorian school, your place of residence does not affect your eligibility for the grant.