Pathway to teaching for education support staff
Our FED E BITE program helps education support staff become secondary teachers while they continue to work.
Our Undergraduate Employment-Based Initial Teacher Education (FED E BITE) program helps education support staff become qualified secondary teachers. This work‑based, flexible study model means you can continue working while you study part time.
About the program
To be eligible for this program, you must:
- be a domestic student (Australian or New Zealand citizen, or Australian permanent resident)
- be employed in an education support role in a Victorian government secondary or specialist school (can be primary if it's a specialist school)
- be able to travel to Mt Helen Campus
- have support from your principal.
The program allows eligible participants to become qualified secondary teachers in 4.5 years while they continue to work in education support.
If you're accepted, you will:
- remain employed in your education support role
- get one paid study‑release day per week to attend classes at Mt Helen Campus
- study the Bachelor of Education Studies (part time) then the Bachelor of Secondary Education or the Bachelor of Secondary Education (Inclusive and Special Education)
- choose a discipline option for your course:
- either English, Maths, Science, Humaities Business Studies, IT or Psychology within the Bachelor of Secondary Education
- either English or Maths within the Bachelor of Secondary Education (Inclusive and Special Education
In your fourth year, you'll be able to teach at your school under Permission to Teach (PTT) arrangements while you finish your studies. This means you'll be counted as a paraprofessional and qualify for a salary increase.
Over the first three years of the program, you'll receive $30,000 through fortnightly instalments (on top of your normal salary) to cover education expenses.
You'll also have access to all of our free support services if you need help with academic skills, health and wellbeing or career planning.
Employment‑based study helps schools:
- address workforce and staffing needs
- grow new teachers internally
- provide on‑the‑job, context‑rich training
- build long‑term teaching capacity.
Is this program for you?
If you already have an undergraduate degree and want to become a teacher, you should do a Master of Teaching.
If you already have a trade and want to become a teacher, you should do a Master of Teaching or a Bachelor of Secondary Education (Applied Teaching).
If you're eligible for FED E BITE but you want to become a primary teacher, you should do a Bachelor of Education (Primary) or a Master of Teaching (Primary).