Relief Staff

All BCE staff, including relief staff, must have:       

• Eligibility to work in Australia
• Relevant qualifications
• For Teachers, an Active registration with Queensland College of Teachers (QCT)
• For School Support Staff, a valid Blue Card (Paid) 

All BCE staff must have a commitment to and understanding of the ethos and traditions of Catholic Education. Our teachers who teach Religious Education are required to be Catholic and attain accreditation to teach Religion in a Catholic school. If this role does not require you to teach Religious Education, you do not need to be Catholic.

ClassCover is the system BCE schools use to book relief staff for relief work.        

Establishing a profile on ClassCover, provides information to enable BCE to ensure the appropriate background checks (including verification of accreditation and safeguarding), interviews and reference checks are completed.         

Once your profile is verified you will be identified as available for work at BCE schools.     

ClassCover is a website and free smartphone app for relief staff and schools.  Relief staff register their details with ClassCover and schools can search through ClassCover to find relief staff who are available for and suitable for relief opportunities in their school. 

Firstly, you'll need a mobile phone (preferably a smartphone, although all mobile phones capable of receiving SMS/text messages will work with the system).           

1. Register with ClassCover. It is recommended to use the desktop version of ClassCover to set up your profile
2. Download the "ClassCover" app to your phone available from:
   • iTunes App Store (Phone) or
   • Google Play App Store (Android)
3. Set up a profile for yourself and answer the mandatory questions relating your background, accreditation and safeguarding
4. Mark the days you are available and unavailable for relief teaching
5. Search for the schools you wish to work at (over 3,500 schools use ClassCover including all BCE schools)
6. Turn push notifications on. This allows schools and BCE to contact you directly and notify you of booking requests.    

Visit ClassCover Support for further information on how to complete and manage your profile      

Please note that once you are verified by BCE, you will become available to schools to add to their pool of relief teachers, however schools are under no obligation to employ you once you have a profile.         

No. You are required to have active registration status with QCT (for teachers) or a valid Blue Card (for school support) for the duration of any engagement in our schools       

Upon starting your first engagement with BCE you will be assigned a unique employee identification number via our payroll system. (You'll keep this number wherever you go as a BCE employee).      

There is no other BCE-specific registration required.   

Relief staff may be engaged for a minimum of three hours per day and a maximum of 11 days in respect of any one engagement.      

Relief/casual employees must work at least one day every three months to maintain their employment. If an employee does not work for BCE within three months or more, a break in service occurs.      

If you have not worked for BCE for a period of three months or more (excluding being on leave), you will be deactivated in the payroll system – this means that your employment with BCE is terminated, and you'll lose access to email and our IT systems.      

You are most welcome to take up work with BCE again, but will need to provide up-to-date information, ensure your ClassCover profile is active, and BCE may need to complete the onboarding process in ClassCover again.       

• You will be asked to provide the following information:      

  • Qualifications
  • QCT Registration/Blue Card
  • Previous service - Statements of Service
    
  • Tax File Declaration
    
  • Superannuation fund
  • Proof of eligibility to work in Australia
  • Bank details.

If you are new to BCE, you will be set up in our payroll system from your first engagement with one of our schools. You'll need to provide your tax, direct debit and superannuation fund details to our payroll team.      

To calculate the appropriate rate of pay, you must provide Statements of Service including Leave Without Pay (LWOP). Read more about requirements for Statements of Service.      

While this information is pending, you will be paid at a rate equivalent to the Graduate level in the salary scale for teachers 

Once the required information is received and verified, any back payment owing will be paid, and the rate adjusted to the correct proficiency level.      

After starting with BCE, you will have access to submit online timesheets for payment for hours worked.

Prior to starting you will need to complete mandatory training which is critical for the safety and wellbeing of our communities, for compliance with the law, and for BCE to deliver its current and future priorities.        

You will be given access to complete the mandatory training modules through our online learning management system. Some mandatory training such as Local Fire, Evacuation and Emergency procedures and Local WHS Induction and Refresher is provided face to face at the school.              

We understand that sometimes in emergent situations it may not be possible to complete your mandatory training before you commence in the classroom. You must however complete your training as soon as you gain access.

Every registered teacher in a Catholic school in Queensland requires Accreditation to Teach in a Catholic school. Every registered teacher of religion in a Catholic school in Queensland requires Accreditation to teach Religion in a Catholic school.           

All relief and part-time teachers are required to hold and maintain an Accreditation to Teach in a Catholic (AT) or Accreditation to teach Religion in a Catholic school (AR) or the equivalent in ecumenical schools.           

Having accreditation to teach Religion is useful if you are relief teacher or part-time. It may lead to a short-term contract or access to more days of relief teaching as a primary school teacher or secondary teacher of Religion.       

As a relief or part-time teacher your requirements for accreditation to teach Religion or teach in a Catholic school are dependent on how many service hours you have worked in a calendar year.           

All new relief teachers will have an initial status Accreditation to Teach in a Catholic or Ecumenical School (AT) and be required to hold and maintain this status. If you teach Religion and do not have full accreditation to teach Religion, you will be awarded an Interim status to teach Religion in a BCE school on employment. 

BCE recognises relevant experience in other education systems such as Department of Education, RI schools, other dioceses and other states. Please provide all statements of service as soon as possible so that we can calculate the correct rate of pay.      

Absolutely. We appreciate the benefits that relief work offers, especially flexibility. Many relief staff work in more than one BCE school and/or the state school system as well. Once BCE has verified your profile, you will be available to be booked by all 146 BCE schools across Queensland.         

Yes! We are always looking for great staff for fixed term contracts and continuing opportunities.

You can search for current opportunities on our careers page and apply directly to any role that interests you.     

If you are keen to experience something different and just want to dip your toe in the water (or dust!) our rural schools offer great work experiences plus the opportunity to immerse yourself in a new community and lifestyle. We offer additional financial benefits and incentives, too!       

Perhaps you're looking to slow down but would like to pick up some relief work while you caravan around the Burnett and Wide Bay region or you're starting your career and looking to deepen your experience quickly? There's something for everyone at BCE and our rural and regional schools have lots to offer!