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Placement Dates

Placement hours

Students are expected to attend all compulsory Professional Experience days from 8.15am—4.30pm (or as required by your site), including blocks which require a continuous, full-time, on-going commitment. Preservice teachers may also be required to attend additional events or activities as requested by sites and schools.

Placement experience is important and requires a full-time commitment from you (there are no part-time placement options available). You are expected to keep your university schedule clear for placement dates, and to make adequate space with your personal/work schedule so that you can fully commit to your placement. Our school partners need preservice teachers who have the time and energy to commit fully to placement and deserve this commitment from you.

Placement days

Undergraduate PSTs commit to undertake an experience spread over four placements (please note: early childhood PSTs will undertake an additional 20 days in a birth to 3 setting, bringing their total days of placement to 105).

Postgraduate PSTs commit to undertake 60 days of professional experience spread across two placements (please note: early childhood PSTs will undertake an additional 20 days in a birth to 3 setting, bringing their total days of placement to 80).

In the lead up to each Professional Experience Placement there are a number of prerequisites and requirements that you need to satisfy before a placement site will be allocated to you. These requirements are detailed in the requirement section. It is your responsibility to ensure you meet the prerequisite requirements by the deadline dates, as advised by the PEO team.

2024 Professional Experience Dates

2025 Professional Experience Dates

ECE Placement Dates

Primary Placement Dates

Secondary Placement Dates

Commitments by course

  • Honours Program, Bachelor of Education (MBET), Early Childhood (ECE), Primary, Secondary Programs minus-thick plus-thick

    Code:  EDUC 1081
    Course name: Professional Experience 1, (ProfEx1)
    Focus: Introduction to Educators Practices, only Primary R-6
    Days in sites: 10 days 
    Placement start day: 6 consecutive Thursdays 01/05/2025 – 05/06/2025, followed by a 4-day block held from 10/06/2025 - 13/06/2025
    Placement end date: 13/06/2025
    School Term: 2

    Code: EDUC 1044
    Course name: Professional Experience: Intro to Educators’ Practices (B-3),(Early Childhood only), (ProfEx1 B-3)
    Focus: Birth to three years, only infant and toddler
    Days in sites: 20 days 
    Placement start date: 5 consecutive Thursdays 08/05/2025 - 05/06/2025, followed by a 15-day block held from 16/06/2025 - 04/07/2025
    Placement end date: 04/07/2025
    School Term: 2

    Code: EDUC 2062
    Course name: Professional Experience 2 (ProfEx 2), Note: ProfEx 2 may be a paired placements
    Focus: Learning by design, All of Primary (R-6) and Secondary
    Days in sites: 20 days
    Negotiated lead in days: 2 negotiated lead in days held between 22/09/2025 - 17/10/2025
    Placement start date: 18 day block starting 20/10/2025
    Placement end date: 12/11/2025
    School Term: 4

    Code: EDUC 2092
    Course name: Professional Experience 2 ECE (ProfEx 2 ECE)
    Focus: Learning by design, Junior Primary R-2
    Days in sites: 20 days
    Placement start date: 5 consecutive Wednesdays 03/09/2025 - 15/10/2025
    Placement block start date: 20/10/2025
    Placement end date: 07/11/2025
    School Term: 4

    Code:EDUC 3086
    Course name: Professional Experience 3 (ProfEx 3)
    Focus: Informed planning,, Primary R-6, Secondary
    Days in sites: 30 days
    Negotiated lead in days: 2 negotiated lead in days held between 28/04/2025 - 09/05/2025
    Placement start date: 12/05/2025
    Placement end date: 19/06/2025
    School Term: 2

    Code: EDUC 3081 
    Course name: Professional Experience 3 (Pre-school) (Early Childhood only)
    Focus: Informed planning
    Days in sites: 30 days
    Lead in days: 6 lead in days held every Monday and Thursday from 24/03/2025 – 10/04/2025
    Placement start date: 28/04/2025
    Placement end date: 29/05/2025
    School Term: 2

    Code: EDUC 4206
    Course name: Professional Experience 4 MBET (ProfEx 4)
    Focus: Teacher as Inquirer, Preschool, Primary R-6, Secondary 
    Days in sites: 25 days
    Negotiated lead in days: 2 lead in days 28/07/2025 - 15/08/2025
    Placement start date: 18/08/2025
    Placement end date: 17/09/2025
    School Term: 3

    Code: EDUC 4245
    Course name: Professional Experience 4 Honours (ProfEx 4), 
    Focus: Teacher as Inquirer, Primary R-6, Secondary
    Days in sites: 40 days
    Negotiated lead in days: 5 negotiated lead in days held between 23/06/2025 - 25/07/2025
    Placement start date: 04/08/2025
    Placement end date: 19/09/2025
    School Term: 3

  • Master of Teaching (MMET) Early Childhood minus-thick plus-thick

    Code: EDUC 5287
    Course name: Early Childhood Professional Experience and Reflection 1 (Junior Primary), (ECP JP)
    Focus: Early Childhood Educators Practices in Junior Primary
    Days in sites: 35 days Junior Primary
    Negotiated lead in days: 10 negotiated lead in days held every Monday and Tuesday from 25/08/2025 - 23/09/2025
    Placement start date: 13/10/2025
    Placement end date: 14/11/2025
    School Term: 4

    Code: EDUC 5186
    Course name: Early Childhood Professional Experience and Reflection 2 (Infants and Toddlers), (ECP INFTODD)
    Focus: Early Childhood Educators Practices in Childcare
    Days in sites: 20 days Childcare
    Negotiated lead in days:  consecutive Wednesdays held between 26/03/2025 - 09/04/2025 and 30/04/2025 - 07/05/2025
    Placement start date: 12/05/2025
    Placement end date: 30/05/2025
    School Term: 1/2

    Code: EDUC 5293
    Course name: Early Childhood Professional Experience and Reflection 3 (Preschool), (ECP PRESCHOOL)
    Focus: Early Childhood Educators Practices in Preschool
    Days in sites: 30 days Preschool
    Lead in days: 6 lead in days held every Monday and Thursday from 21/07/2025 - 07/08/2025
    Placement start date: 18/08/2025
    Placement end date: 18/09/2025
    School Term: 3

  • Master of Teaching (MMET) Primary, Secondary minus-thick plus-thick

    Code: EDUC 5271
    Course name: Reflexive Practice and Professional Experience 1 (RP1), Note: RP1 can take paired placements
    Focus: Introduction to Educators Practices, Primary and Secondary
    Days in sites: 27 days
    Negotiated lead in days: 2 negotiated lead in days held between 30/06/2025 - 25/07/2025
    Placement start date: 28/07/2025
    Placement end date: 29/08/2025
    School Term: 3

    Code: EDUC 5294
    Course name: Reflective Practice & Professional Experience 2 (RP2 SP2)
    Focus: Secondary
    Days in sites: 33 days
    Negotiated lead in days: 3 negotiated lead in days held between 03/03/2025 - 04/04/2025
    Placement start date: 28/04/2025
    Placement end date: 06/06/2025
    School Term: 2

    Code: EDUC 5294
    Course name: Reflective Practice & Professional Experience 2 (RP2 SP4)
    Focus: Primary and Secondary
    Days in sites: 33 days
    Negotiated lead in days: 3 negotiated lead in days held between 23/06/2025 - 25/07/2025
    Placement start date: 11/08/2025
    Placement end date: 19/09/2025
    School Term: 3

Contact us

Australian students

Phone: +61 8 8302 2376
Enquiry: unisa.edu.au/enquiry

International students

Phone: +61 8 9627 4854
Enquiry: unisa.edu.au/enquiry

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