A guide, letter generator, and probation tracker in one place. Built for Approved Providers and Service Managers to run probation the way it should run: structured check-ins, early conversations, and documentation that holds up.
A probationary period is the early stage of employment where both you and the educator are working out whether the role and the service are the right fit. You might hear it called a qualifying period. It is the same thing.
For most services, probation is six months. If your service has fewer than 15 employees, the Fair Work qualifying period is 12 months, which gives you longer to assess performance before unfair dismissal protections start.
Your internal probationary period should match the Fair Work qualifying period that applies to your service. Put it clearly in the employment contract. If it is not in writing, it does not apply.
Sit down with the new educator in their first week, go through the position description, confirm role expectations, and outline the KPIs that apply to the role. Be explicit about the non-negotiable behaviours in your team.
Use onboarding to set three layers: the service philosophy and values, the role expectations and competencies, and two or three measurable early goals for the first 90 days. Goal setting should happen in onboarding, not three months in when things start going wrong.
Assign an experienced educator as a buddy for the first month. This helps with cultural integration, practical questions, and gives you a second perspective on how the new educator is tracking.
Make sure the educator has read and signed off on your key policies and procedures (Child Safe, Code of Conduct, Medication, Supervision, WHS) by the end of the first week, and that any outstanding onboarding documentation is complete.
Go through the position description, confirm role expectations, KPIs, and the non-negotiable behaviours. Explain how probation will be managed and what feedback they should expect.
A more structured conversation. Review how they are tracking, what is going well, and be clear on improvement areas that need action. If there are significant issues, name them and give a timeline: "if we are still not seeing improvement in this area by Month 4, we may need to make a decision about your ongoing employment."
For services with 15 or more employees, this is the confirmation meeting. Talk about where they are tracking, confirm they have passed the qualifying period, and set expectations for the normal performance rhythm moving forward. If they are a high performer, take this time to give detailed positive feedback.
As soon as you identify an issue, address it early and clearly. Do not wait. Most leaders notice issues in week two or three, stay quiet, and then panic at Month 5. By then it is messy, because no one has had the conversations and nothing is documented.
When you raise a concern, outline what the concern is, what the expectation is, and when you need to see improvement. Setting a timeline is where most people get it wrong. Without one, the feedback floats.
You do not have to wait until Month 5 and 29 days to decide. If it is not working in Month 2 and you have already had the right conversations, call it then. Addressing it early also buys space, so a sick day or a sudden absence later does not push you up against the probation deadline.
Send an email that invites the educator to a meeting to discuss their ongoing employment. Let them know they can bring a support person. Do not decline a support person if they bring one.
Walk through the previous probation conversations, where expectations have not been met, and that based on those conversations and the continued performance concerns, you have made the decision not to continue their employment past probation. Give them their notice in the meeting.
The National Employment Standards minimum in a qualifying period is one week. For the Educational Services (Teachers) Award, a four-week notice period applies. Always check the contract and the applicable modern award before confirming the notice period.
After the meeting, send the termination in probation letter confirming the decision, the last day of employment, the notice details, and any final pay and entitlements. The Letter Generator tab drafts this for you.
During the qualifying period, a terminated educator cannot lodge an unfair dismissal claim with Fair Work.
They can still lodge a general protections claim if they feel the termination was related to a workplace right they exercised (a pay enquiry, a complaint, taking leave) or a protected attribute (pregnancy, race, disability, age).
The whole point of running probation properly is to make it clear that the decision is about role fit and performance. Documented conversations, specific improvement areas, support provided, and early action all make it harder for a general protections claim to stick.
We use these details across the letter. Fields marked with * are required.
Select one. You can go back and change this at any time.
Educator has passed probation and continues on ongoing employment. Note any continued development areas in a positive, forward-looking way.
More time is needed to assess fit. Extension reason, specific improvement areas, support being offered, and a new end date.
Decision not to continue past probation. Factual, respectful, outlines notice, final pay, and the support provided.
Fill in the letter-specific details. Keep it factual and specific.
Drafting your letter. This usually takes about 15 seconds.
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