To obtain teaching registration in Western Australia as an overseas qualified teacher, you must apply for Provisional Registration (also referred to as Returning Teacher) through the Teaching Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA). The application can take up to 10 weeks to process, costs $473, and you can apply to the TRBWA prior to arriving in Australia. Here is some helpful information on what to expect as an international applicant. 

 

Qualification Documents 

The TRBWA requires that you hold a minimum of four years of higher education study, including at least one year of study dedicated to professional teacher education content, and at least 45 days of supervised teaching practice. You will need to provide certificates/diplomas and transcripts of ALL university courses. 

If your transcripts do not state the number of placement days completed throughout your teacher training qualification, you will need to request a letter from your university that confirms the number of placement days and that they were supervised. 

The following qualifications meet the TRBWA’s requirements:   

  • Four-year Bachelor of Education (Educators from Ireland)   
  • Any undergraduate with PGCE/PGDE, except for some school-based programs* (Educators from the UK)   
  • Any undergraduate with a Master of Education (Educators from the UK and Ireland)   

   

*If your PGCE was completed via a third-party provider such as a SCITT/Teach First or Schools Direct, please see our Teaching Credentials blog. 

 

Identity Documents 

This is the list of available identity documents to use as an international applicant: 

  • Commencement Document: Australian Work Visa – i.e. 417 Working Holiday or a Skills Visa 
  • Primary Document: passport linked to visa 
  • Secondary Documents (must provide two): driver’s license, bank or credit card, or trusted referee form, etc. 

 

The TRBWA will also require consent to conduct a National Criminal History check. As part of this process, your identity documents will need to be verified – this can be completed by a Notary Public from any country. Please see the TRBWA’s National Criminal History info for more detail or further identity documents for Australian passport holders. 

 

International Police Check 

You are required to provide a police certificate for any country you have lived in for a cumulative 12+ months within the 10 years prior to your application. For example, if you lived in France for 6 months 5 years ago and lived in France again for another 6 months 2 years ago, you will have acquired a cumulative 12 months and will need a police check for France, as well as the police check for your home country. 

When starting your TRBWA portal, you will be redirected to the AIS International application portal to apply for a police check. This is the required provider of the TRBWA – police certificates from other providers may be taken into account but will not fulfill the criminal history requirement. 

 

Working with Children Check 

You will be required to apply for a WWCC upon arrival in WA. This is similar to a DBS or Vetting, and is necessary for anyone working with children in any capacity. To find out more about how to apply, please see the WA Government website and watch their tutorial. 

 

English Language Proficiency 

If you completed your teaching qualification in an English-speaking country (UK, Ireland, Canada, etc.), you will not need to complete an English assessment. 

If English is not your primary language and you did not complete your teaching qualification in the UK, Ireland, Canada, USA, Australia, or New Zealand, you will be required to complete an IELTS exam. This test must be completed within two years of your TRBWA submission, and you must achieve a 7.5 average grade across the four sections. 

 

Not sure you meet the requirements? 

If you are uncertain as to whether your qualifications meet the requirements for teaching registration in WA, you can request qualification advice through the TRBWA. This is separate from the main registration and costs $330.  

 

If you have questions about the application, please feel free to reach out to our Global team, but you can also call or email the TRB directly at info@trb.education.wa.edu.au