Here’s how a flurry of phone calls from 400 desperate relief teachers lead to the launch of our professional development community.
The year is 2014. India made it to Mars, the XX Commonwealth Games took place in Glasgow, a large flat white set you back $3.50 in Sydney, and ClassCover Learn—formerly known as the Relief Teacher Association, was launched into the world. As we gear up to celebrate our 10th birthday, take a look at how we realised casual teachers were crying out for this community and why it’s needed today.
The “$600 Problem” that Sparked the Idea for ClassCover Learn
10 years ago, before the launch of ClassCover Learn, professional development options for relief teachers were limited, and almost always designed with full-time classroom teachers in mind. Because PD was overwhelmingly run in-person and over a full day, casuals looking to meet their learning requirements were faced with the “$600 problem”—waving goodbye to a full day’s work which would cost them $400, with the added blow of paying out of pocket for the cost of the PD itself.
Here’s where the idea for ClassCover Learn came from, as told by our Co-Founder and CEO, Ben.
“The idea for ClassCover Learn came to us when at the end of the school year in 2013, a large cohort of casual teachers were informed via SMS, that if they didn’t complete an anaphylaxis training certification that they would be unable to teach the following year.
What ensued was over 400 phone calls to our support team about where and how to get access to this course.
It was at this moment that we realised that ClassCover was not just booking software, but a network and relied upon source of truth for casual teachers, who were otherwise, unsupported. In 2014, we launched ClassCover Learn and our first PD events, plus a supportive learning community for casual teachers around the country.”
10 Years Later: A Community of Thousands of Educators
Like most new things, launching ClassCover Learn was a bit of a gamble and we were unsure how it would be received by the casual teachers of Australia. As Ben tells it, it was at our first in-person PD conference that he realised how beneficial this could be for teachers.
“When I looked around at our first ever Relief Teacher conference which was at capacity (410 participants) and heard the huge numbers of teacher saying, ‘I thought I was the only one going through this’, I knew we were meeting a great need.”
In the 10 years since launching, we have been through a lot together, and this community has grown beyond our wildest dreams. We’ve facilitated over 450,000 course enrolments and logged a mind-boggling number of NESA hours. And over that time, we’ve received some incredible feedback from our community of teachers (our average rating is 4.8 stars). Here is what some of our teachers have to say:
- Being a casual teacher, you don’t always feel like you belong anywhere. Joining ClassCover Learn gives you a sense that you are part of something, and the opportunities for PD that it provides is fabulous. — Toni B
- The PD courses on ClassCover Learn are relevant and engaging. It offers a streamlined way to choose and complete my PD requirements. I love having it all at my fingertips. — Andrea F
- Great PD courses on every topic you can think of. Very reasonable fees for so many hours of self-paced PD. Highly recommend. — Kathryn L
Into the Future
What started as an in-person conference circuit bringing relief teachers together all around Australia has changed a lot over the years. The challenges of COVID meant that ClassCover Learn moved exclusively online and in doing so, morphed into an even better way for casual teachers to do their PD. Here’s a look at where our learning community is at today:
- 130+ hours of online PD courses available, with two new courses launching every month
- 50+ hours of NESA-accredited courses for NSW teachers
- 30+ hours of TQI-accredited courses for ACT teachers
- Live PD webinars: Our first season in term 4 last year was a hit with our community, so we will be bringing you more opportunities to do your PD live and engage with presenters soon
- A supportive community of over 2,000 Australian educators
In the future we are working hard to bring you more professional development on the topics you’re interested in. Here’s a note from Ben on the direction we’re moving in:
“We are doubling down on being an exclusive and high quality digital professional network for educators across Australia and potentially, the world. New offerings will include greater support in the way of connecting mentors and mentees, CV checking, interview prep and the ability to share content and collaborate with fellow educators. We are super excited for what lies ahead!”
Here’s Why You Should Give us a Try
So, why are we telling you this? We know to some extent casual teachers still face the “$600 problem”—just adjust that for inflation in your neck of the woods. To help overcome that, we think it’s time you gave ClassCover Learn a try. To celebrate our 10th birthday, we’re offering a 30% discount on annual memberships—just $69.30 instead of the usual $99. It’s our way of saying we’re serious about supporting your professional growth without breaking the bank.
Here’s how to claim access for $69.30 (normally $99)
Use promo code: ‘BDAYBASH’
Sale ends 28th March at midnight
