School Counsellor Sponsorship Programs

Psychology Sponsorship Program

Approved teachers who have not completed an accredited psychology qualification but have completed a minimum of two years of an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accredited undergraduate program or Graduate Diploma in psychology, within the previous five years with a Grade Point Average of no less than 5.5 in core level 2 and 3 subjects (introductory psychology subjects do not form part of the GPA calculation) can apply for the Psychology Sponsorship Program.

Once you have finished your third year of psychology studies and you have maintained the required minimum GPA, you will be eligible to apply to Charles Sturt University to complete the fourth and fifth year of studies required to become a school counsellor.

Once you have successfully gained entry into Charles Sturt University’s Master of Psychological Practice you will also transition into the School Counsellor in Training program.

School Counsellor in Training Program

Approved teachers who have completed an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accredited undergraduate program or Graduate Diploma program, within the previous five years, with a Grade Point Average of no less than 5.5 in core level 2 and 3 psychology subjects (introductory psychology subjects do not form part of the GPA calculation), can apply for the School Counsellor in Training program.

If you have completed a three year sequence of APAC accredited psychology studies, you will be sponsored for two years to complete your Masters of Psychological Practice.

If you have completed a four year sequence of APAC accredited psychology studies, you will be sponsored for one year to complete your Masters of Professional Psychology.

An accredited sequence of psychology is an academic program consisting of a psychology major and accredited with the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC).

APAC accredited courses for the three year sequence of psychology are:

• accredited undergraduate programs (Bachelor degree) with a psychology major, or
• an accredited Graduate Diploma program for people who have already successfully completed a bachelor degree (or higher).

The department doesn’t endorse any individual program of study and accepts any program of study which is approved by APAC.

Visit the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) website for a list of approved sequences of study. You will also find a list of approved sequences of study (including information on years of psychology study) on the Psychology Board of Australia website.

No, you are only eligible to apply for the School Counsellor in Training program if you will have completed your three or four year sequence of APAC accredited psychology studies by the end of Semester 2, 2023 or have no more than two trimester 3, 2023 subjects to complete.

You are eligible to apply for the Psychology Sponsorship program if you have completed your first two years of APAC accredited psychology studies by the end of Semester 2, 2023, and only have third year, or four remaining subjects of undergraduate psychology studies remaining to be completed by the end of 2024.

Psychology Sponsorship recipients upon the successful completion of the three year APAC accredited psychology course transition into the School Counsellor in Training Program, provided they are accepted into the Master of Psychological Practice (School Psychology) at Charles Sturt University.

For the Psychology Sponsorship program, you must have completed two years of a three-year sequence of psychology studies within the previous five years and received no less than a GPA of 5.5 in core level psychology studies (four subjects) by the end of Semester 2, 2023. If you are completing your second year of accredited psychology subjects in Semester 2, 2023, you must provide your academic results to date and evidence of enrolment for Semester 2, 2023. Any offer will be conditional on a review of your GPA following receipt of your Semester 2, 2023 results being received.

For the School Counsellor in Training program, yes you can, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria and will complete your three or four year sequence of psychology studies prior to the end of the 2023 calendar year or have no more than two trimester 3, 2023 subjects to complete.

For admission into the Master of Psychological Practice, Charles Sturt University requires no less than a Grade Point Average of 5.5 in core level 2 and 3 psychology subjects as per their calculation method. First year psychology subjects are not considered for this calculation. If you are unsure if you have obtained a 5.5 GPA for your psychology studies you may wish to refer to CSU’s GPA calculator page.

Once you enter the Master of Psychological Practice (School Psychology) you will be required to maintain a Weighted Average Mark (WAM) of 75% in the fourth year to progress into the fifth year of the program.

For admission into the Master of Professional Psychology, Charles Sturt University requires completion of an Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) accredited four year degree within the previous ten years with a Weighted Average Mark of no less than 75 for the fourth year of psychological studies.

You must have completed your initial three-year sequence of psychology studies within the previous five years.

If the date of conferral on your academic transcript is more than five years ago, you will most likely be required to complete further studies.

You should refer your enquiry to either Charles Sturt University or the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) to identify if you are required to complete further studies to support your initial three years of psychology studies.

Should further studies be required you will not be eligible to apply for the School Counsellor in Training program however, may be eligible to apply for the Psychology Sponsorship program.

Applications must be submitted using the writable PDF form. During the application period, an 'Apply now' button will be available on the School Counsellor Sponsorship Programs webpage. Outside the application period, you will be able to sign up to receive an email notifying you when applications open.

A writable pdf is a pdf document that includes certain fields that are editable without PDF-editor software. Any writable pdf that opens in modern pdf viewers (Acrobat, Preview, Chrome, Bluebeam) will be usable in the Forms tool.

If you have not signed a form using an electronic signature before, the department’s intranet has information regarding setting up an electronic signature. Please view the how-to guide for more information.

Please ensure that your Adobe is up to date. All latest software is available through the staff portal. For additional support please contact EDConnect on 1300 32 32 32.

Hand written, photocopied or scanned applications will not be accepted.

We encourage applicants to commence and submit their application as early as possible during the application period.

No, incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.

Once you submit your application, a receipt email will automatically be sent from Student Wellbeing Recruitment - Autoreply.

You will receive an application confirmation email within two weeks of submission to the email address you provided in your application. Please keep a copy of all emails for your records.

If you did not receive a confirmation email within two weeks of submitting your application and have checked your junk folder, please email the department's Student Wellbeing Recruitment team via swr@det.nsw.edu.au.

Yes. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Principal's supporting statement from your current principal along with one other supporting statement from a supervisor or colleague.

Your principal may request a delegate to complete your Principal’s Supporting Statement, however both your delegate and principal must co-sign the form.

If your principal has completed the Principal’s Supporting Statement, a delegate isn’t required to counter sign.

If you have not been working in a school you may like to submit the principal statement using your most recent workplace supervisor.

In addition to the Principal Supporting Statement, you will be required to provide a Referee Supporting Statement. For the Referee Supporting Statement, you should ask a supervisor or colleague who can comment on your capabilities as a teacher and future school counsellor. You are encouraged to ask a current school counsellor to support your application.

Your Principal Supporting Statement delegate cannot be used as your referee.

The selection process involves a review of your application including your supporting statement, your academic record to date, principal and referee statements and the school education areas that you have nominated. Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to attend an online interview.

Invitations to attend an interview will be sent via email from a third party provider and not a department email address.

The application process is a merit selection process. Meeting the eligibility criteria is the first step of the selection process.

Priority will be given to candidates who are prepared to work in high priority areas of workforce need or a number of priority areas of workforce need, given the limited number of scholarships available.

Once you have submitted your application for the School Counsellor in Training program you will be invited to also apply for the Master of Psychological Practice (School Psychology) through Charles Sturt University.

Submitting an application to CSU isn’t confirmation that you will be offered a scholarship. You will only be offered a place in the Master of Psychological Practice (School Psychology) if you are successful in being offered a scholarship and meet CSU’s entry requirements.

The application process to CSU is additional to your application under the scholarship program. Applicants for the Master of Psychological Practice must meet the following Admission Requirements: The CSU personal suitability to undertake professional practice as a psychologist, assessed through interview and referees' reports and a review of your APAC accredited psychology studies.

Yes. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants are notified of the outcome via email once the selection process is completed. If you change your contact details after the closing date, please email your updated contact details to the Student Wellbeing Recruitment Team via swr@det.nsw.edu.au.

Sponsorships will be offered to successful applicants in October 2023, for entry into the program from the start of Term 1, 2024.

If you would like feedback on your application, contact the Student Wellbeing Recruitment Team via swr@det.nsw.edu.au. Provision of feedback may not be readily available immediately after the selection process due to deadlines following recruitment. The Student Wellbeing Recruitment Team will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.

Successful applicants are required to sign a Scholarship Agreement with the department, committing them to:

• successfully complete the required studies and training
• accept appointment as a permanent full-time school counsellor to a NSW public school in one of the locations in line with their Scholarship Agreement upon completion of the required studies and training
• remain in the permanent full-time school counsellor position they are appointed to on completion of the required studies and training for a minimum period of two years
• agree to complete and maintain General Registration with the Psychology Board of Australia.

For the Psychology Sponsorship program, all tuition fees related to completing your third-year psychology studies that form your three-year sequence of psychology are paid for by the department, along with university-based accommodation expenses to attend compulsory university residential sessions and examinations where overnight accommodation is necessary.

There is no provision for salary under the Psychology Sponsorship program. Provision of a salary occurs once the sponsored teacher transitions to the School Counsellor in Training program.

The Scholarship holder will not receive any other allowances as part of this Scholarship Program.

For the School Counsellor in Training program, all tuition fees related to the program are paid for by the department. School counsellors in training also receive a teacher salary.

School Counsellors in Training will be paid their current teacher salary. Teachers in executive positions do not receive executive salary while on sponsorship but revert to the appropriate teacher salary.

For further information on teachers’ salaries and awards please refer to the

Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2020, and the Teachers Handbook.

You should be aware that when the NSW Department of Education provides its employees with benefits there may be a Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) implication.

Where NSW Department of Education incurs FBT for benefits provided to its employees, the Commonwealth requires certain benefits to be disclosed on the individual employee’s payment summary (formerly group certificate). This is known as a Reportable Fringe Benefit Amount (RFBA). RFBA will be applied to Psychology Sponsorship program recipients for the period they are completing their third-year level psychology subjects. It does not apply to the School Counsellor in Training component of the School Counsellor Sponsorship Programs.

You will not have an income tax or FBT liability when you have an RFBA on your payment summary. However, the amount is used to access eligibility for other Commonwealth benefits and obligations, for example the Medicare levy.

You are advised to contact an accountant regarding the FBT implications. For further information, a fact sheet, which will provide details on likely impacts and thresholds, is available from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website.

Once you have signed your Scholarship Agreement and gained entry into the Masters of Psychological Practice or Master of Professional Psychology, your principal will be able to declare your position vacant.

You will remain a permanent teacher of the department however, you will be placed in a temporary position under the scholarship program while completing your master's qualification.

This will ensure a continuation of service and benefits.

For the School Counsellor in Training program, all tuition fees related to the program are paid for by the department. School counsellors in training also receive a teacher salary.

School counsellors work across all school settings from pre-school to high school. Regardless of your teacher training, you can expect to support children across all settings.

On successful completion of the School Counsellor in Training program and the completion of the required fourth and fifth year of studies, sponsorship recipients will be awarded a Master of Psychological Practice (School Psychology) or Master of Professional Psychology, and be appointed to a full-time permanent school counsellor position in a NSW public school in one of the nominated locations in line with their Scholarship Agreement.

Appointments for School Counsellor positions will commence from Term 4 in your final year of study and you may be advised just prior to the commencement of Term 1 of the year of appointment.

NSW public schools are grouped into geographic locations called 'Principal Networks'. Each principal network has a number of 'areas' for the purpose of staffing schools. Applicants are encouraged to download and view the organisation of public schools by staffing area resource.

As a sponsorship holder, you are considered an employment applicant and therefore when selecting Staffing Areas as part of your sponsorship application, schools to which you are considered for appointment will align with the 'areas' for the purposes of staffing schools.

The priority metropolitan locations include: Bankstown, Blacktown, Campbelltown, Fairfield, Granville, Liverpool, Mount Druitt, Parramatta, Penrith and Windsor.

The priority rural locations include: Albury, Armidale, Batemans Bay, Bathurst, Bourke, Broken Hill, Clarence/Coffs Harbour, Deniliquin, Dubbo, Griffith, Maitland, Moree, Orange, Port Macquarie, Queanbeyan, Shellharbour, Tamworth, Taree and Wagga Wagga.

To view the schools located in each geographic area of workforce need please view the Staffing Areas spreadsheet (354 KB).

Priority will be given to candidates who are prepared to work in high priority areas of workforce need or a number of priority areas of workforce need, given the limited number of scholarships available

Yes. On completion of the School Counsellor in Training program and appointment to a permanent position, sponsorship recipients may be eligible for a wide range of benefits and incentives. The benefits vary from school to school. Use the benefits calculator to find out about the benefits and incentives that are available to teachers at individual schools.