Skip to main content
Our online chat, online enquiry form and course register interest are temporarily offline due to maintenance and will be available again from Monday.

    Ways you can study

    An Easy Read guide about ways you can study at TAFE NSW.

    About this page

    TAFE NSW logo

    When you see the word we it means TAFE NSW.

    Person holding a paper with the text 'easy read' and smiling.

    We use big text to make it easier to read.

    We wrote some important words in bold.

    This means the letters are thicker and darker.

    We explain what these words mean.

    Summary of this page

    An icon of a summary document.

    This page tells you about

    • ways you can study at TAFE NSW
    • where you can learn
    • how much you can study each week
    • how to get help to choose what suits you.

    Learn in more than one way

    Woman in a black blazer pointing at a colourful chart with question marks.

    You can choose how you learn at TAFE NSW.

    You can choose more than one way to study.

    Study on campus

    Woman with a red backpack holding a teal folder in front of a modern red brick building.

    You study at a TAFE NSW campus.

    You learn face to face.

    Face to face means you learn in the same room as your teacher.

    A teacher points at a whiteboard while students, including one in a wheelchair, face him, some raising hands.

    You may learn in

    • a classroom
    Person woodworking at a bench with tools.
    • a workshop.
    A person stocks fresh food at a TAFE NSW supermarket.

    You may also learn in a special learning space.

    These can include places like

    • a supermarket
    A young woman painting on a canvas at an easel.
    • an art studio.
    A weekly planner chart with days of the week and times of day.

    You follow a weekly timetable.

    A timetable helps you

    • stay organised
    • meet other students
    • learn.

    Online study options

    Ethernet cable in front of a laptop screen.

    You study using the internet.

    You need

    • a computer
    • internet access.

    You can study online in different ways.

    Virtual classroom (Online at set times)

    Woman sitting at a desk on a laptop.

    You can study in a virtual classroom.

    A virtual classroom is an online class.

    A man pointing at his wrist to indicate time.

    You join the class at a set time.

    Everyone learns at the same time.

    A man sits at a desk with a laptop, attending a virtual class with 2 participants raising their hands.

    You can see and hear

    • your teacher
    • other students.
    Woman with a red backpack holding a teal folder in front of a modern red brick building.

    You can join the class:

    • on campus
    Two-story brick house with a garage and a chimney.
    • off campus, such as from home.

    Online study (Set your own pace)

    A circular day and night symbol with 'OPEN' sign.

    You can study online at your own pace.

    You choose when you study.

    You can study

    • 24 hours a day
    • 7 days a week.
    Two spiral-bound notebooks showing days of the week.

    You can study

    • during the day
    • at night
    • any day of the week.

    Your learning materials are available

    • 24 hours a day
    • 7 days a week.

    Learn at a work place

    A woman in a wheelchair having her hair styled by another woman.

    In some courses you learn at a work place.

    This is called work placement.

    Work placement means you learn by doing real work.

    A person sitting at a desk, smiling, and working on a laptop.

    You can do work placement in:

    • a real work place
    A person stocks fresh food at a TAFE NSW supermarket.
    • a practice work place.

    A practice work place is a safe place to practise work skills.

    It looks like a real job.

    You are supported by

    • your employer
    • a workplace training officer.

    Combination study

    You can study in a combination of ways.

    Combination study means using more than one way to study.

    You can learn

    • on campus
    • online
    • at work.

    Combination study helps some students learn better.

    How much you study

    Woman in a black blazer pointing at a colourful chart with question marks.

    You can choose how many hours you study each week.

    An analog clock showing 6 o'clock with a green shaded area from 12 to 6 and an analog clock showing time with highlighted green section from 12 to 2.

    You can study

    • more hours
    • fewer hours.

    Full time study

    A green upward-pointing arrow and blue square with the white number 15.

    You study more than 15 hours each week.

    Woman sitting at a desk on a laptop.

    You might also need to do online activities.

    A person sitting at a desk, smiling, and working on a laptop.

    You might need to spend time at a workplace.

    Part time study

    A red downward-pointing arrow and blue square with the white number 15

    You study fewer than 15 hours each week.

    You may also need to

    • do online activities
    • spend time at a workplace.

    Self paced study

    Person wearing glasses in a red sweater reading a large book.

    You choose

    • when you study
    • how fast you study.

    You manage your own learning.

    Two people engaged in conversation at a table; one holding a mug, the other writing.

    You also learn through assessments.

    An assessment is a task that shows what you have learned.

    Variable study

    Calendars showing Monday to Friday with a clock from 9 to 5.

    Variable means something changes.

    Variable study means your study hours can change.

    Calendar page highlighting Monday.

    You may study

    • full-time for some parts
    • part-time for some parts.

    Choose how you want to study

    Woman in a black blazer pointing at a colourful chart with question marks.

    Follow these steps to choose how you want to study.

    1. Choose where you want to learn.
    2. Decide how many hours you can study.
    3. Contact TAFE NSW for help.

    Get help

    Get help by phone

    Contact us by phone.

    To call TAFE NSW for help follow these steps

    1. Call 131 601
    1. Press 5 for counselling and disability services
    1. Press 2 for student support

    Get help by email

    Laptop screen displaying an envelope with the word 'email' on a blue background.

    You can email the counselling and careers team.
    SI.CareersConnect@tafensw.edu.au

    You can email the disability access and support team.
    DisabilityAndAccessStudentSupport@tafensw.edu.au

    Get help using live chat

    Man on phone with woman in uniform in the background wearing a headset.

    You can chat online with a support worker.
    Live chat support

    Support to contact us

    National Relay Service logo

    You can use the National Relay Service if you

    • are deaf
    • find it hard to hear on the phone
    • find it hard to speak on the phone.

    The National Relay Service is free.

    National Relay Service contact details

    Contact us by phone.

    Speak and Listen
    Call 1300 555 727.

    You can ask them to call TAFE NSW for you.

    Person smiling while talking on a mobile phone, wearing a grey sweater and red scarf.

    The TAFE NSW phone number is 131 601.

    Other help from the National Relay Service

    Laptop with the word 'click' and a cursor on the screen.

    You can find other ways the National Relay Service can help.

    Visit their Help desk page.

    Difficult word list

    This list explains what the words in bold on this page mean.

    Assessment

    A task that shows what you have learned.

    Combination

    Using more than one way to study.

    Face to face

    Learning in the same room as your teacher.

    Timetable

    A plan that shows you when you study.

    Variable

    Something that changes.

    Virtual classroom

    An online class with a teacher and students at the same time.