In this episode, we jump into the shoes of an early career teacher and explore what support is available to help beginning teachers find their feet in the classroom.

Clare, a trained English teacher and beginning teacher mentor extraordinaire, joins us on the couch to answer common questions asked by pre-service and early career teachers, including:

• What’s involved in the accreditation process? 


• How do I build effective strategies for classroom management? 


• What connections should I be making as a beginning teacher?


• What can mentoring look like?

We also talk about personal development planning, goal setting and the skill of being able to reflect on your practice (both the good and the bad).

If it’s practical hands-on tools and resources you’re after, you won’t be disappointed. You’ll learn about the Beginning Teacher Information Hub, various internal department support groups available (specific to early career teachers), induction checklists and much more.

Other themes covered that you don’t want to miss - what self care can look like for a beginning teacher, overcoming imposter syndrome, techniques and ideas for building rapport with your students and the power of observation for professional development.

Phew. Big topic, big episode. But, in the words of Shannon’s beginning teacher mentor, it’s important to remember as an early career teacher that you don’t have to have it all figured out.

We hope you enjoy this episode.

We acknowledge that this episode of the Teach NSW Podcast was recorded on the homelands of the Darug people. We pay respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening to the Teach NSW Podcast today. 

Resources and useful links

Teach NSW - Become a teacher in a NSW public school and find out how a career in teaching can open doors for you.

Beginning teacher support

• Beginning Teacher Information Hub -  visit the hub for support as you commence your teaching career with the NSW Department of Education.


• Beginning Teachers Learning Pathway - designed to assist early career teachers when navigating learning and development opportunities.


• Beginning Teachers Viva Engage Page - join the Beginning Teachers Support Network Viva Engage group.


• Statewide Staffrooms - connect and share advice, resources and learnings with other teachers in NSW public schools.

Teacher accreditation and professional development and planning

• Accreditation for teachers - learn more about achieving and maintaining Proficient Teacher accreditation with NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).


• Q+ platform - access the accreditation and professional planning tool for teachers with an active NESA ID.


• Performance and Development Plan (PDP) - learn more about the PDP, an internal NSW Department of Education resource for current teachers to build on foundation skills and develop a pathway for career growth.


• My PL - manage your professional learning and development.

Connect with us

If you would like to provide feedback or suggestions for future episodes, please contact teachnsw@det.nsw.edu.au to get in touch with the Teach NSW Podcast team. Follow the Teach NSW team on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) and YouTube to be the first to know when new episodes are released.