Z Staffing operates within the relevant award instruments in regards to breaks. For more information, read below!
We ensure that the expectations we have for educators align with the Children Services Award and the Educational Services (Teachers) Award.
As Z Staffing is the employer of all educators on our platform, we follow the rules regarding breaks and overtime as per the award.
We provide educators with information on their break expectations through our shift information screens.
Below are the break expectations based on the award.
Children Services Award:
| Hours worked | Paid breaks | Unpaid breaks |
| less than 4 | 0 mins | 0 mins |
| 4 to 5 | 1x 10 mins | 0 mins |
| 5 to 7 | 1x 10 mins | 1x 30 mins |
| more than 7 | 2x 10 mins | 2x 30 mins |
*In extenuating circumstances, educators can forego a break if they don’t continuously work more than 6 hours.
**If an educator is required to remain on premises - breaks can be counted as paid/counted as time worked.
Both cases above require written confirmation from both the centre and the educator. Please send the confirmation through support chat or to admin@zstaffing.com.au
These policies are based on the Children Services Award clause 22.
Educational Services (Teachers) Award:
ECTs rostered for 5 hrs or more will have a meal break:
- ECTs will receive a paid break of 20 and 30 consecutive minutes to an employee who is engaged or rostered to work for more than 5 hours on a day.
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Meal break will start no later than 5 hours after the employee commenced work on that day.
- An important thing to note is that all breaks are paid breaks for ECTs.
*By agreement with the centre, an ECT may leave the premises or elect not to be on call during the meal break. In that case, the meal time will not count as time worked, and payment will not be made for that time.
**Where an ECT is called back to perform any duties within the centre or the break is interrupted for any reason, the employee will be paid 150% of the minimum hourly rate for a minimum of 15 minutes and thereafter to the nearest quarter hour until an uninterrupted break, or the balance of the break is taken.
Both cases above require written confirmation from both the centre and the educator. Please send the confirmation through support chat or to admin@zstaffing.com.au
These break policies for ECTs are based on the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 - Schedule A.3
Pro tip!
We only track educators' unpaid breaks on their timesheets, as this will impact your final invoices. Please confirm the break expectations with educators when they arrive at the centre.
Overtime on breaks
If a 30-minute break is not taken in the first 5 hours, then any 15mins increment after that has an overtime rate applied until the break is taken.
For full information on overtime calculations, see the Overtime article >