Spouse Leave
Teaching Service
An employee who is required to shift residence interstate or overseas as a consequence of his or her spouse pursuing an occupation is entitled to leave without pay for a minimum period of three months up to a maximum period of twelve months once every three years. In exceptional circumstances spouse leave may be granted for less than three months or longer than 12 months or for more than one period in a three year period.
An application by an employee for leave without pay in these circumstances will be granted subject to the employee submitting a letter from the spouse's employer indicating that the spouse is required to shift as a result of employment. The principal/Regional Director may grant further leave without pay within a three year period or may grant leave without pay for periods other than those specified above provided that the continuous period of leave does not exceed three years.
An employee may also seek leave without pay to accompany his or her spouse in other circumstances including where the employee’s spouse is:
- travelling interstate or overseas; or
- transferred within Victoria to a location where no suitable vacancy exists for their transfer; or
- also an employee of the Department and is granted long service leave.
The grant of leave without pay in these circumstances is discretionary and applications are considered in accordance with the normal leave without pay requirements.
An employee may elect to use any long service leave entitlement in conjunction with a period of leave without pay to accompany his or her spouse.
Principals have the delegation to approve applications from employees within their school for leave without pay to accompany a spouse. Regional Directors have the delegation to approve applications from principals for leave without pay to accompany a spouse. Leave without pay granted to accompany a spouse does not count as service for any purpose. In general the leave without pay policy applies to spouse leave.
An employee granted leave without pay to accompany his or her spouse is expected to resume duty at the commencement of a school term other than where the leave is for the purposes of accompanying a spouse on long service leave.
Legislation
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