Parents Page

Information for parents
 

All the above information can be found down this page.

 
 

 Providing parents with information on governessing

 
What information would you like on this page? 

 

Do you have a question that you can't find the answer to?
 
Could you provide an answer for any of these questions?

 

Email it in and I will research the answers....

This will be anonymous.

INTERVIEW questions and advice updated 12 November

In Home Care updated

 

This page is still being created. Some answers will be coming soon.

All suggestions welcome

 
 

 

"Uniting Govo's Outback" 

govaust@governessaustralia.com

Copyright © Governess Australia All rights reserved.
Revised: Friday March 28, 2008.

What is a Governess?

 

A governess is a person employed by a station or travelling family to supervise children doing school through Distance Education Schools around Australia.  Their most important responsibility is children's education but as they are living within the family they may have other duties, as you would in any home in which you live within.  Although the responsibilities of each governess vary, depending on the employer, most of the responsibility lies within the classroom.

Some of these being;

  • Supervising the children’s daily work and creating a schoolroom like atmosphere

  •  Keeping the classroom neat and tidy

  • Packing up Set or Unit (1 to 2 weeks of schoolwork) to go out on the mail

  • Making the children attend and participate in assembly and other lessons

  • Reading through set work and preparing learning environment

  •  Organizing a timetable to keep the children on track

Each employer has different expectations and these can be negotiated at the commencement of employment.

 A governess is often referred to as a Employed or Paid Supervisor or Home Tutor. Other nicknames are govo, govie and govy.

 It’s a great lifestyle and an excellent experience.

Try it out and have as much fun as we do.  

Quote from SA govo, 2002:  Our 'other' roles as I am sure I am not the only govo who acts as co - conspirator with the kids, big sister, second mum at times, or an adult who can be told about something and help, knowing that mum doesn't have to find out!  I am stuck for examples right now, but for people who are thinking about taking up a job as a govo and there is so much more than just the teaching sides of things.  Also girls shouldn’t get the idea that they are going to be socially isolated.

 

 
Advice and Tips

  •  In Home Carers are employed to care for the children.  This means if they need to get the children a meal, clean up after them around they house or other task which is to do with the children's care.  BUT be reasonable.  They are not the child's mother, they are just a carer who is responsible for those children within that time. You are paying for that responsibility, you are not employing a housekeeper.

  • Create a Job Description or Contact based on the Interview Questions and Job Contracts on this page.

  • A parent's story of her life...Kylie Fisher

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In Home Care

 

The Family and Community Services Website has the following information: "In-home care is a form of child care where children can be cared for in their own homes, by an approved carer. It is a flexible form of child care that is particularly useful for families who don't have access to a child care service, or whose child care needs are not being met by an existing service."

 

 

Employers should contact theIr local Family Daycare Childcare facility to access this care. This is a media release with a list of In Home Care Centres that received extra places in 2007.  There are other places that have place but I haven't found a list as yet

 

2007 Media Release 1200 New In- Home Care Places

 

Below are the names of some In Home Care Schemes which I have worked under or have emailed their details to me. 

  • Longreach Family Day Care and In Home Care Centre - Longreach, QLD  - child@longreach.qld.gov.au

  • Far West Family Day Care and In Home Care Service - Cobar, NSW -  cobfdc@bigpond.net.au      Phone: 02 6836 1156

  • Nanny SA   www.nannysa.com.au

  • Frontier Services In Home Care has places in the Kimberley, Northern Territory and northern Queensland.  Anyone wanting more information can contact me and I will put them in touch with the regional coordinator for their area. inhomecareperth@bigpond.com

     

     

     

     

Let Me Know Your Service EMAIL: govaust@governessaustralia.com

 

Following general information is from the Far West Family Day Care and In Home Care Service Carer Booklet and Registration Forms..................

Who Can Use It? 

In Home care enables parents to access child care when other child care services are unable to meet their needs.

¯          Parents who work outside business hours such as shift workers and roster workers.

¯          Families with a parent or child with a disability or illness may be eligible to access this type of care.

¯          Families who live in rural and remote areas where distance / isolation prevent them accessing child care services.

¯          Families with multiple birth children (more than 2)

¯          Families referred by other approved services (eg. DOCS, Area Health, & GP)

¯          Families who require using more than two child care services to meet their child care needs or where established child care services in the locality are unable to provide hours of care required.

Carers

In Home Care providers are very professional and dedicated childcare workers.

Far West FDC & IHCS Carers are self employed.  They have a contract with the client family to provide child care in the child’s own home.

Carers are recruited using specific criteria.

Carers:

þ          Must be 18 years of age

þ          Enjoy and value working with children.

þ          Have current first aid qualifications. Senior First Aid

þ          Provide stimulating activities for children.

þ          Undergo referee checks.

þ          Willing to obtain public liability insurance.

þ          Willing to obtain an Australian Business Number (ABN)

þ          Are responsible for their own taxation payments and any superannuation they want.

þ          Complete a Prohibited Persons Check.

þ          Working with Children Check.

þ          Statutory Declaration.

þ          Are expected to provide a high standard of childcare and to adhere to the policies and procedures of the service.

 

Part of the Carers’s role is to provide the children with a variety of age appropriate activities that encourage the development of life skills.

In Home Care Carers are NOT expected to perform household duties other than those associated with the care of the children.

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Working with Children Check  (Blue Card)
 

The WORKING WITH CHILDREN Check is a national check which is carried out by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian.  People approved by this check can then be approved to work with children.  In Queensland they actually issue you a card and the common name for this card is the BLUECARD.  

The following website has a full explanation on the difference between police checks and working with children checks.  Well worth checking out to help understand the checks, also provides links to state sites......... http://www.homebuddies.com.au/background_checks

Queensland : www.bluecard.qld.gov.au

New south Wales : http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/director/check.cfm

Western Australia : http://www.checkwwc.wa.gov.au/default.htm

 Victoria : http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/workingwithchildren

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What is VISE and REVISE

 

VISE volunteers provide educational assistance to families and students in rural Australia.

We also provide domestic and personal support in the case of emergencies or when respite is necessary.

 

REVISE in South Australia.

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What is Frontier Services

http://www.frontierservices.org/ Remote Family Care Service (RFCS)


 

WHAT IS REMOTE FAMILY CARE SERVICE (RFCS)?

RFCS was established in 1997 to offer families in rural and remote locations, without access to mainstream childcare, quality in-home childcare for up to three weeks per year.  RFCS delivers this service within the boundaries of the five Remote Area Families Service (RAFS) teams.  An area spanning over one million square kilometers of Queensland and the Barkley Tablelands of the Northern Territory.  RFCS is available to approximately 1200 families and their 2500 children.

 

RFCS AIMS TO:

  • Provide a quality in-home childcare service that meets the unique needs of rural and remote families.
  • Meet the work related care needs of parents living in the service area who have no access to existing childcare programs.
  • Assist families in crisis and provide respite.

 

HOW CAN RFCS HELP?

RFCS can provide families with a carer for up to three weeks in any calendar year for childcare. Care does not encompass household responsibilities such as being a domestic, station-hand and the like. To be eligible, your family will need to have at least one child aged six or under and be located within our set boundaries as well as being a designated distance from a traditional childcare service. Your family must be responsible for the safe pick-up and return of the carer as well as providing an acceptable standard of board and accommodation for the duration of the placement. All carers are supplied with appropriate early childhood resources contained in an

extensive range of ‘kit boxes’ developed by the Coordination Unit, along with suitable craft materials. This allows carers to provide a range of age and stage appropriate activities at each placement. The rate of payment for care is based on the level of Family Assistance available to your family through Centrelink.

 

For more information please contact Leanne Bennet, Coordinator on (07) 3870 9820.

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Salary

This is an old answer... I am currently researching more information on wages from my local In Home Care office....By Lee-Anne Bright

I current consider fair wage offers to be GROSS $450 and above.....I stress this is gross not NET and is looking at 1 to 2 children

When considering wages please think about what has to come out of the wage or In Home Care contract.

  • Tax
  • Insurance: Public Liability, Workers Comp or Income protection
  • Board? Phone?

An In home Care Worker has to pay these out of the money she gets where as it is taken out of a wage previous to employer getting their money.

What money should I be looking for ... ?

This is an age old question which I have been asked many times.  There is no right answer. It depends on the number of children your teaching, your experience, what extras will they pay for, and a whole lot of other variables.  One important thing to remember is that often you have no board and keep costs so you are getting phone, water and other basic services for nothing.  Talk to your boss, negotiate with them.  Personally I don't take less than $250 for 1 child, over the last couple of years I have stated 1st term on $300 and had a wage increase after 3 months.  I have not been charged board and keep so I take that into account considering if the money is reasonable   

Am I entitled to be paid for the school holiday break?  If so is this normal practice?  What rate of pay for the holidays?

As governessing jobs are paid in two different ways (In Home Care - Sole Trader or WAGE) and are negotiated on an individual basis it can vary.  Most employers supply board for free and often give other incentives which more than make up for not receiving holiday pay.  I would say two thirds of my jobs in the past have paid holidays.
 
Some employers do pay holiday pay for the 5 to 6 weeks of holidays you have within the school year.  Others will pay the 4 weeks at the end of the year.  If you work for an employer for 12 months then they should be paying you holiday pay, but as most governesses fall short of the year mark its often not an issue.  Some employers pay a higher term wage to compensate for not paying holiday wages.  I am currently employed through the in home care scheme which you can claim up to 30 days per year of the children being absent.  Last year I had employer who paid half wages.  One year I had an employer who would fill my car with fuel at the beginning of my holidays.  It is all about negotiation and asking questions at the start of your job.

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Contracts & Job Descriptions

Contracts & Job Description Examples

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Distance Education Schools Around Australia

NSW      QLD      SA      NT     WA

 

New South Wales

Broken Hill School Of The Air

www.schoolair-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

 Phone 08 80873565 

paul.p.clark@det.nsw.edu.au  or schoolair-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

HAY School of the Air   

www.hayp-d.schools.nsw.edu.au

Phone (02) 69 931 882     Fax (02) 69 933 069 

patricia.jarratt@det.nsw.edu.au  or  hay-d.school@det.nsw.edu.au 

NSW Map of  Hay School of the Air Location

Dubbo School Of Distance Education 

www.dubbo.dec.education.nsw.gov.au

Phone 02 68130100

 

 
 

Bourke / Walgett Distance Education Centre

ronald.hughes@det.nsw.edu.au


 

 

Tibooburra Outback School Of The Air

Dana.Fox@det.nsw.edu.au

 

Queensland
Mount Isa School Of Distance Education  

www.mtisasde.qld.edu.au

 
 

Longreach School Of Distance Education     www.longreacsde.qld.edu.au
 

Charters Towers School Of Distance Education     www.chartowesde.qld.edu.au
 

Cairns School Of Distance Education            www.cairnssde.qld.edu.au
 

Charleville School Of Distance Education           www.charlevisde.qld.edu.au
 

Capricornia School Of Distance Education      

www.capremersde.qld.edu.au
 

Brisbane School Of Distance Education       www.brisbanesde.qld.edu.au

South Australia

 
 

Port Augusta School Of The Air     www.sota.sa.edu.au

 
  Open Access College                     www.oac.schools.sa.edu.au

Northern Territory

 

Alice Springs School Of The Air            

www.assoa.nt.edu.au

 
 

Katherine School Of The Air                 

 www.ksa.nt.edu.au

 

Western Australia

Kalgoorlie School Of The Air    

http://www.emerge.net.au/%7ekalsota/index.htm

 

 

Port Headland School Of the Air
 
   
   

 
Interviews... Questions, Tips and Advice

Hello to Parents

Below is advice and questions we encourage governesses to ask before jobs.  It is also a guide for those parents who want to put together a written JOB DESCRIPTION before the interview process to email to interested parties.

Thanks to Stacey, Allira and Claire for their answer which I have mixed in with mine.

When I was accepted at the end of last year ready for this year my employer gave me an email address of another governess that was staying on for another year at another station. This was a great idea! I would recommend that first time governesses ask for an email address of another governess at an interview; because you get a different view on what you are getting yourself into.

Governessing to me is a passion which I take seriously so my priority questions are quite simply schoolroom and kids and what the parents expect from my schoolroom. Often I will take a job based on whether or not the parents have and instil in the children the same value for their education that I have.

Basically I recommend having your own personal list of questions set out as each case is very unique and personel to each individual. Get the employers to create a duty statement of what THEY expect before they find out what you are willing to do as sometimes you might get there and it is different to what you first thought. This does however go for the Governesses also - be HONEST with what you are willing and capable of doing, it can be along time out there if either one of you have any misconceptions of your roles...

Names of children, grades and their interests.

  • This allows me when short listing to go with the family that I think I have the most common with the children which in turn allows me to build a great rapport with.

Location of property

  • In relation to town, other school families and governesses, social events, places of interest e.g. waterhole for swimming or camping

  • Whilst this is not important to me and I have my own vehicle to get away it is nice to know sometimes so that you know you can get away occassionally, also if there are other Govies in the area...

Schoolroom situation.

  • Even now in my 8th year of Governessing I find that I get extremely nervous with people looking over constantly, and whilst I encourage the parents to come and see what we do I do find that other people that are a novelty ( and even the parents sometimes if they dont come often are a novelty )  distract the children also.

Job Details and Expectations

  • I include questions about hours expected to work and what work they expect out of the schoolroom - I am generally very flexible in this area as it allows me to spend time with the children in their own territory doing something they can often teach me about!

  • Do the children have any behaviour issues which I could prepare myself to deal with

  • hours of work and role within the house.

Accommodation. 

  • How big?  How many rooms?  Where is it in relation to the schoolroom and the house? What is supplied?

  • Where is laundry, bathroom, kitchen

  • Do I have my own TV / Lounge room?

Wage

  • Weekly wage

  • about extras such as fuel, phone, net (if the wage is not very flash sometimes the family offer extras to compensate).

 

 

OTHER QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER ASKING

Another question I sometimes ask is about other people on the station. Whilst some take this question to mean " any men there?" I always ask as I find some people have different preferences.. Some are real homebodies who might like living with others especially if they are quite shy this could be very daunting, some like to have other people around them especially in their first year so as to provide distractions from home sickness.

Is there a chance to do any work on the actual property i.e water runs etc or is the work only in the schoolroom

If you commit to 2 years or more does the wage go up each year, mine didn't and i didn't have the balls to ask for a pay rise.

What was the previous govo's relationship like with the children?

 

 

 

 

 

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Want to Study or Increase Skills
I do recommend to governesses and teaching mums interesting in gaining confidence and increasing skills to study Certificate 3 in Education.  It is a teachers aide / learning support certificate and a course which you could complete as you are governessing.

I have studied this course and found it beneficial to my governessing.  Some Distance Ed schools (SA and QLD) offer the course through the schools for parents and governesses.  I studied mine through Post Augusta School Of The Air and the Spencer Institute of TAFE and found the course perfectly suited to my situation.

 

Governess Australia advertises these courses on behalf of the various companies we don't guarantee them.  You will need to evaluate each course or booklet for yourself. 

     www.capraryan.com.au

Education Support Certificate III Now Available Online with Capra Ryan!

 

An online education course is an excellent option for a Governess, as they can undertake their study in a flexible manner around work hours and undertake assessment relevant to their work environment. 

  • Certificate III provides a Governess with a formal Education Support qualification which is recognised throughout Australia
  • No need for expensive paper-based distance learning materials - just log on!
  • Personal attention from a qualified & experienced online tutor – flexible hours around work time
  • If employed in Queensland, it may be possible to receive Commonwealth Government funding through Queensland Apprenticeship Services. Ph: 1300 360 955. 

In Qld, you will be eligible if you:

1.       Have no qualifications above Certificate III received within the last 7 years

2.       Employed & work a minimum of 15 hours per week

3.       Are an Australian citizen

(If not in Qld, please contact the relevant organisation in your state for funding information)

  • You can accelerate your training by having your existing skills recognised (Recognition of Prior Learning)
  • Certificate III (30210QLD) is a 2 year (full time) Nationally Accredited course – delivered online.  Consists of 7 core units (below) plus electives totalling 200 hours.

Code

Core Units

PSPLEGN301A

Comply with legislation in the public sector

CUECOR2A

Work with others

CUSGEN02A

Work in a culturally diverse environment

PSPOHS201A

Follow defined occupational health and safety policy and procedures

CUSGENO1A 

Use and adapt to changes in technology

CUECLE1A

Undertake general administration procedures

CHCICAA

Communicate with children

Elective Areas (please visit www.capraryan.com for a complete list of units & hours)

§          General Education

§          Disability

§          Information Technology

§          Language & Literacy

§          Administration

§          Library

§          Indigenous Education

 Please contact Capra Ryan for further information:

Ph: 07 3208 9455     Fax: 07 3208 9855      Email: enquiries@capraryan.com.au

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Telstra Links

www.whitepage.com.au

www.yellowpages.com.au

Telstra Countrywide  This is the place to go to find out about internet issues of your local area.

Bigpond homepage http://www.bigpond.com/

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Isolated Childrens Parents Association (ICPA)

http://www.icpa.com.au/

ICPA (Aust) is a voluntary national parent body dedicated to ensuring that all geographically isolated students have equality with their non-isolated peers, of access to an appropriate education. 

ICPA seeks to have all elements of a total education (cultural experiences, social contacts, participation in sport and other enriching activities) available for all isolated children regardless of the location of their home.

To achieve its goal ICPA pursues objectives in the following areas:

  • Education Allowances              
  • Boarding Schools/School Term Hostels
  • Travel
  • Distance Education
  • Special Education
  • Curriculum
  • Communications
  • Small Rural and Remote Schools
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Tertiary Education
  • Country Areas Program.

 

South Australia ICPA      Queensland ICPA

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