To be recognised as a Teacher in Australia, most States/Territories require a minimum of 4 years of Tertiary training full time (inclusive of Teacher training) AND a minimum of 45 days of observed Practicum Placement by a University Lecturer or Supervising Teacher. 

Some International Teacher Training settings outside of Australia offer 3 year Teaching degrees and others have a blend of School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) that may or may not be connected with a recognised Post-Secondary Teacher Training setting. 

Generally, those internationally trained Educators with only 3 years of tertiary training in total will not be approved to teach in Australia and will be advised to complete a PGCE, Master’s or similar degree to compliment their qualification by the respective Australian State Teaching Authority before applying. Some SCITT programmes will also not be recognised by the Teaching Authority. 

 

For official information and guidance around what may or may not be accepted, we advise you to contact the State Teaching Authority directly: 

Victoria 

New South Wales 

Queensland 

Western Australia 

South Australia 

 

*Please note that there is a cost associated with Teaching registration applications for each State and that you are not guaranteed of a positive outcome when assessed. 

 

If your PGCE placements were completed through a SCITT, Teach First, Schools Direct, or another third-party placement provider, the Teaching Authorities in Australia may not grant Teaching Registration – they need to see that your teaching practice placements were completed through and observed by the university connected to your PGCE. 

If the university was involved directly in observing your teaching practice placements, you can obtain a letter from your university that confirms the university’s involvement in your training. This may help to bolster your application to the Teaching Authorities by proving your training was overseen and assessed by the university itself.

The letter should ideally include:   

  • The specific number of Supervised Practice Teaching days conducted by you during your placement.  
  • Confirmation that you were observed directly by a mentor/lecturer from the university. 
  • Whether the placement is mandatory in order to complete your PGCE.  
  • Specific requirements for the university’s assessment of your placement. Did you have to submit a portfolio of work, were you monitored by a representative of the university while teaching next to the assigned teacher at the school?  
  • The criteria to be able to pass this subject/placement. 

 

Please note: if you can obtain this letter from your university, it is still not guaranteed that the Teaching Authority will grant teaching registration. If you decide to apply to the Teaching Authority, that is at your discretion. We are unable to support you with your journey unless you have received approval from the Teaching Authority, or you have decided to explore support roles in education.  

 

What can I do should I receive a negative assessment from the Teaching Authority? 

  • Consider enrolling in further study to ‘top-up’ your existing qualifications in alignment with State requirements (or complete further practicum). 
  • Work as a Teaching Assistant across Melbourne or Geelong. 
  • If you are Primary trained, investigate whether you can work in Early Childhood settings and then apply for assessment.