School Counsellor - Provisional, KickStart Graduate Employment Program - Wee Waa High School

Temporary job recruited via NSW Department of Education (Sydney NSW, Australia)
Job Reference 0000B6OP
Closing date February 18, 2026 (AEST)
Location 105-107 Mitchell St, Wee Waa 2388 NSW, Australia
Status Temporary
Contact Belinda Poole
0438 963 738

About this job

Position Information
Location - Wee Waa High School
Have you considered a career as a School Counsellor? If so, apply for the KickStart School Counselling Program today.
This graduate program offers eligible teachers, who have completed their fifth year of psychology studies, tailored training and supervision to become registered psychologists and join the NSW Department of Education's School Counselling Service.
As a KickStart participant, you will work collaboratively with a team of dedicated professionals to make a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in NSW public schools.
If you have approval to teach in NSW and are a psychology graduate who has successfully completed a 5-year psychology degree and are ready to start or have started your internship year of your 5+1 psychology registration pathway, then this opportunity is for you.
Working with Australia's largest provider of public education and one of the largest employers of psychologists in NSW, the NSW Department of Education will provide opportunities for you to engage with diverse school and student communities like no other child/adolescent psychologist role can. This is a chance to develop and use your skills to make a real difference in the lives of children and young people when it matters most.
 
What we offer you
As a participant of the KickStart program, you receive:
  • Temporary full-time employment as a School Counsellor with provisional registration.
  • Professional support and supervision to complete your provisional psychologyinternship with the Psychology Board of Australia.
  • A comprehensive onsite tailored training program to equip you with the necessary skills to work full-time within the School Counselling Service within NSW public schools.
  • Upon successful completion of the KickStart program, you will have gained the knowledge, skills and experience to apply for permanent School Counsellor roles within the NSW Department of Education. 
Specific Selection Criteria

.We are looking for eligible teachers with dual qualifications in education and psychology. To be successful in these roles you will have:

  • Full approval to teach or eligibility for approval to teach in NSW Department of Education schools.
  • Completion of the required psychology studies with available transcripts to make you eligible to undertake your 5+1 internship program as a provisional psychologist.
  • Be a provisionally registered psychologist, or eligible for registration with the Psychology Board of Australia ready to start or continue your 5+1 internship program. 
  • Have demonstrated understanding of the mental health needs of children and young people. 
  • Training and/or experience in counselling children and young people using evidence-based interventions. 
  • Training and/or experience in cognitive, emotional and behavioural assessment of children and young people. 
  • Well-developed interpersonal, oral and written communication skills, including report writing. 
  • Ability to work collaboratively and liaise with key stakeholders to enhance outcomes for children and young people. 

  • Knowledge of and commitment to the Department’s Aboriginal Education Policy, Partnership Agreement with the NSW AECG Inc and the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy

Conditions
  • An unconditional full approval to teach is a requirement. If you do not hold full approval to teach with the NSW Department of Education, you are required to commence the application process at the same time as you apply for this opportunity. 
  • Registered or provisionally registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia. 
  • Australian citizenship or permanent residency.  
  • Valid and current Working with Children Check clearance – WWCC must be NSW. 
  • Ability and willingness to travel between work sites. Must have a valid unrestricted provisional or full driver’s licence with the ability to drive oneself
     

Location - Wee Waa High School
Wee Waa High School is a co-educational, comprehensive rural secondary school in North-West NSW that services students from the small towns of Wee Waa, Burren Junction and Pilliga.  We respectfully acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we provide our education, the Gamilaraay nation. The school caters for students in 5 mainstream classes and one multi categorical (MC) class, with approximately 70% of students identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Wee Waa High School is committed to promoting its cultural diversity through a strong educational program for Aboriginal students and an increasing focus on the learning of Aboriginal language. Wee Waa High School sits in an area strongly underpinned by Agriculture and offers a broad curriculum. The school equally prepares students for tertiary education or vocational training, including successful programs in Agriculture, Primary Industries, Manufacturing and Engineering, Retail and Hospitality.  This is supported by a strong and encouraging welfare structure and a variety of extra-curricular activities in sport, the creative arts, agriculture and STEM. The school has developed strong partnerships with businesses both locally, nationally and globally to provide opportunities for students to engage in a variety of activities to become lifelong learners in a fast paced, changing world. Visit the school website Wee Waa High School

Successful applicants will be placed in a base school and may also work in other schools within that area, or neighbouring areas.
Rural and Remote Incentives Rural and remote incentive package are available for eligible school counselling position

Special Notes

Please note that successful applicants are provided with temporary employment only. Should applicants wish to gain permanent employment, they must apply separately for permanent employment after successful completion of their KickStart program.

Successful applicants will be provided with a Departmental induction program, ongoing professional learning and professional supervision.
Visit the Department’s School Counselling Service pages to discover more about working as a school psychologist or school counsellor in NSW public schools.

Documents
Aboriginal Education Policy

As this is a child-related position, you will also be required to obtain a Working with Children Check (WWCC) Clearance number as a condition of employment (if you do not already have this). For more information, please visit the Office of the Children's Guardian  

About the NSW Department of Education
The Department of Education is the largest provider of public education in Australia with responsibility for delivering high-quality public education to two-thirds of the NSW student population. We welcome applications from all ages and genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the LGBTQIA+ community, veterans, refugees, neurodiverse people and people with disability. If we can make some adjustments to our recruitment/interview process to better help you shine, please contact the hiring manager using the contact details provided above. For more information, visit NSW Department of Education Diversity and Inclusion

New merit selection application guidelines for classroom teachers (including School Counsellors), executives and principals have been introduced to provide greater clarity to applicants and selection panels. The guidelines are located here. To ensure that your application complies with the guideline page limits, your attachments must be in PDF format. Applications must be lodged electronically. No paper-based application will be accepted.

Apply now