Become a School Chaplain
If you’re interested in how you can become involved in chaplaincy in schools in your local area, Genr8 can give you suggestions on the best way forward for you to become equipped to work with students in your area.
If you'd like to work as a chaplain we advertise all available Genr8 chaplain roles on our website under the chaplain positions vacant section. Please read this Chaplaincy Application information document for more information.
Chaplains come from many backgrounds with widely differing experiences of schools and life. Some are local clergy or have a teaching background. Others come from a youth ministry or social work/welfare background. Some are trained counsellors.
The National School Chaplaincy Program introduced by the Commonwealth Government in 2006 and endorsed by the current government has allowed the creation of over 200 chaplaincies in NSW state schools. All funding allocations have already been awarded for the three years of the funding. Positions are only available if current chaplains resign.
A new chaplaincy funding program was announced by the federal Schools Minister Hon. Peter Garrett on September 7, 2011. There will be a significant number of new positions available for those interested in becoming chaplains. When applications open a potential chaplain needs to apply to Genr8 online for clearance as an eligible candidate to be interviewed for positons that will be advertised and notified for those schools that have nominated Genr8 as their chaplaincy provider. Please keep an eye on our website for further updates and for any existing positions that become vacant.
So who are principals with sponsors and/or local community groups likely to choose?
The successful candidate needs to be able to fulfil the chaplaincy guidelines. In contrast to Scripture teachers who explicitly teach the scriptures of their faith to students whose families choose to associate with that faith, chaplains do not teach religious content in their chaplain’s role. It is not appropriate in their role to proselytise for their own particular religious persuasion. In some schools chaplains may be used by the school to oversee the administration of the SRE program, but they can’t teach SRE in their role as chaplain. Also, some chaplains are SRE teachers on separate days/hours from their chaplaincy day/hours, but the separation of roles must be clear to all concerned.
However, a chaplain who is a committed Christian gets to demonstrate the power of God’s love in Christ in the integrity and concern shown for members of the school community. They can also give explicit Christian advice to anyone asking for specific Christian guidance. Those from another religious persuasion need to be directed to someone from that persuasion who can advise them.
A chaplain can have a significant impact on the overall sense of wellbeing in a school community by being a safety valve for certain situations and issues, as well as representing to the school a sense of its potential for good and coherence in a confusing world. In fact the better a chaplain takes up their role the more likely it is that the school principal will be viewed positively, as they represent the aspirations and potential of the school community. Many people will project onto a chaplain their need for a sense of God’s interest in them and of their intrinsic value. Chaplains also may be called in by the school to help in times of crisis or major symbolic events like Anzac Day commemorations. The exact shape of the role will be determined by the culture and needs of the school, and what the principal requires of the chaplain in response to them.
An aspiring chaplain will need to be willing to work within a professional educational setting. State schools are a vital part of the well-being and cohesion of Australian society, with commitment to a significant educational mission. Society puts huge resources into them. Chaplains take up a unique role within a state school staff under the supervision of the principal and the sponsoring/employer body (like Genr8). It is a professional environment, in which chaplains need to be competent operators, helping students and staff and others in the school community as they engage with life’s big questions and the realities of their lives and relationships.
Christian chaplains need to be prepared to seek support and good will from the local Christian community through regular communication and deputation.
See Positions Vacant. There are also now specific training opportunities for current and prospective chaplains. (See Courses under Professional Development.)
