Teaching in Australia: The process explained

[rikamarie]

Good day all

I've been meaning to make this post for quite some time.

Here is an explanation for teachers from South Africa who want to teach in Australia. There might be information here and there that might be/might not be applicable to your process. Also, teachers who has been through the process, please feel free to add to this post!

Step 1

Apply for unabridged birth and marriage certificates.

Step 2

Complete the Academic IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test through The British council or Language Lab

British Council: http://www.britishcouncil.org.za/ielts

Language Lab: http://www.ihjoburg.co.za/

You have to achieve a score of at least 7.0 for Reading and Writing and a score of at least 8.0 for Speaking and Listening.

Step 3

Complete your skills assessment through AITLS (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership).

AITSL is the designated assessing authority for the following skilled occupations under the Skilled Migration Program on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) effective 1 July 2012.

ANZSCO Code Occupations

241111 Early childhood (pre-primary school) teacher

241213 Primary school teacher (CSOL 1 July 2012)

241311 Middle school teacher (CSOL 1 July 2012)

241411 Secondary school teacher

241511 Special needs teacher

241512 Teacher of the hearing impaired

241513 Teacher of the sight impaired

241599 Special education teachers (not elsewhere classified)

Applying:

Download the application guide and read it thoroughly!!: http://www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/AITSL_Assesssment_Application_Guide_-_January_2013.pdf

Download the application form and fill it in: http://www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/AITSL_Assessment_Application_Form_-_January_2013.docx

Send in your application form with all the supporting documents to AITSL.

Step 4

Once you have completed the IELTS and the Skills assessment you can lodge an EOI (Expression of interest) on skillselect.

http://www.immi.gov.au/skills/skillselect/

Because your skill as a teacher in on the SOL, you should apply for the 189 visa and wait for your invitation.

If you however don't have enough points (60 minimum), you can apply for the state sponsored visa 190.

State sponsonsorships:

Western Australia: http://www.migration.wa.gov.au/skilledmigration/Pages/HowtoapplyforStateSponsorship.aspx

Northern Territory: http://www.migration.nt.gov.au/

South Australia: https://www.migration.sa.gov.au/

Queensland: http://www.workliveplay.qld.gov.au/content0544.html?id=3703

New South Wales: http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/live-and-work-in-nsw/visa-and-migration/skilled-sponsored-migration

Victoria: http://www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/visas-and-immigrating/state-nomination

Tasmania: http://www.migration.tas.gov.au/skilled

Australian Capital Territory: http://www.business.act.gov.au/grants-and-assistance/advice_and_support/skilled_migration

Please check the state's eligibility for sponsorship application.

Step 5

Once you have state sponsorship and an invite from Skillselect, you can start filling in the form for the visa application itself.

Double and triple check all the information on the application form.

Make sure you have supporting documents for all the information on the application!

Submit and pay for the application. You should receive confirmation that the DIAC has received your application and payment.

Step 6

After a few days, your online application page should change, now you can start uploading all your documents onto the DIAC website.

Make sure all documents are certified properly and clearly. Upload colour scans of your documents.

Apply for police clearance certificates.

There will be a link on your application "Organise health assessment". Click the link, fill in all the information honestly and select a med centre near you to book your medicals.

Step 7

Your case officer is assigned. You case officer will email you (sometimes they don't!) to let you know what documents he/she still needs and then you sent the outstanding documents directly to them. Each CO is different though, some don't make contact at all. Some contact you from the beginning and answer quickly, others don't.

If your medicals get referred, then you will have to wait about 3 months for them to clear. If they are cleared and all the documents are submitted to the DIAC, it shouldn't be long before you receive that GOLDEN email one morning, presenting you with your visa grant notice!

Step 8

Once you have your visa, you should register with the Teacher Registration Board in the state that you are planning on moving to.

Western Australia: http://www.trb.wa.gov.au/registration/applicants-with-overseas-qualifications-and-experience/

Northern Territory: http://www.trb.nt.gov.au/registration

South Australia: http://www.trb.sa.edu.au/registration.php

Queensland: http://www.qct.edu.au/registration/overseas.html

New South Wales: http://www.teach.nsw.edu.au/grp/application/a-introduction.htm

Victoria: http://www.vit.vic.edu.au/registration/apply-for-registration/Pages/OverseasQual.aspx

Tasmania: http://www.trb.tas.gov.au/Web%20Pages/Applying%20for%20Teacher%20Registration.aspx

Australian Capital Territory: http://www.tqi.act.edu.au/registration

Once your application is complete you will receive your registration card in the mail.

Step 9

If you go for an LSD trip to Australia, apply for your Working With Children Check card at the post office.

Western Australia: http://www.checkwwc.wa.gov.au/checkwwc

Northern Territory: http://www.workingwithchildren.nt.gov.au/

South Australia: Under the Children's Protection Act (Section 8B) people in SA who work in jobs which require regular contact with children are required to obtain police clearance before they commence employment.

A National Police Certificate application form is available from the South Australian Police Department.

Queensland: http://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/bluecard/index.html

New South Wales: http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/Working-with-children/New-Working-With-Children-Check/apply

Victoria: http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/

Tasmania: Currently there are no legal requirements for people working with children to undertake a police check in Tasmania, however, organisations which require employees and/or volunteers to work with children may have their own policies in this regard.

In 2005 the Commissioner for Children Tasmania released a consultation paper discussing proposals for the Government to introduce screening procedures for Tasmanian organisations who want to employ people to work with children.

Australian Capital Territory: http://www.ors.act.gov.au/community/working_with_vulnerable_people

If you don't go on an LSD trip, then you should apply for this once you land in Australia.

Step 10

Look for a job!

Some schools (mostly private schools) will appoint you without the blue card or working with children check card, but then you sign a contract that you will apply for it asap.

Hope I haven't missed something.

Please feel free to comment and add, and I will edit this post and add it!

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Thanks for the info. Wish I had it a year ago.

[dkm]

Hee hee HEOJJ! I feel the same. Well done, Rikamarie. If I had such a simple explanation, I wouldn't have used an agent. Thanks for sharing this with everyone else about to go through the process!

[Werns]

One thing, I don't think that you need to get the blue card - not in QLD in any-case.

When I applied for my teacher registration in QLD it clearly stated that you don't need it since they do a criminal history check etc. as part of the registration process. Only people that are not registered teachers and want to work with children in some capacity need the blue card.

As I said, this is in QLD and I don't know if that might be different elsewhere.

Great information though.

Another thing, if you want to find work from overseas, you won't be able to do so for state schools (not in QLD in any-case). You have to jump through all sorts of hoops to get into the state system here and you have to be here to do those jumps. However private schools could employ you if they want, and that is how I found a job. I just finished my first week of teaching here. Great school, great kids, great colleagues, but the workload is pretty heavy, since it feels like I'm a first year teacher all over again.

Edited July 19, 2013 by Werns

[rikamarie]

Hi Werns! Thanks for the input! You are quite right about the state schools! In WA it's the same. Only private schools will hire you.

It's interesting that you don't need a blue card! Wonder if you will need it for a state school?

HEOJJ, did your wife apply for this? And has she landed a job yet at a school? Maybe I should add the info about registering at tracker/tracer?! What is it again?

Thanks

[AlBrough]

Thanks for the info, it will certainly help!

Edited July 19, 2013 by AlBrough

[HadEnoughofJuju]

It's interesting that you don't need a blue card! Wonder if you will need it for a state school?

HEOJJ, did your wife apply for this? And has she landed a job yet at a school? Maybe I should add the info about registering at tracker/tracer?! What is it again?

Thanks

There was a country wide change in the law apparently some time before we arrived. Teachers, doctors, nurses, paramedics, fireman no longer have to apply for blue cards. It has now become part of the registration process of those professions and you become part of a database that is recognized in all the states so when you transfer from one state to another the working with children registration goes with.

You will not get a job in a state school from overseas, there are just too many hoops to jump through and too many organizations to register with.

QCT, QLD Department of Education and Tracer and none of them talk to one another or the schools. It's actually all quite laughable really and so much red tape it's easier to just find another job doing something else.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

I forgot to mention that during the Tracer registration they actually tell you that you need to contact the schools in the areas that you are registered for to give them your contact details, cv and employee number so that they know you are available for relief teaching.

Now I ask you, WTH wad the point of paying all that money to QCT to get re-assessed abd registered, registering with QED and then tracer, if you have to drive around to all the schools anyway and introduce yourself and give them all your details yourself? And don't think it helps to phone them, they tell you to come in and bring all the above mentioned stuff with.

Sorry for the rant but this is just pathetic if you ask me. In South Africa you go for an interview at a school and guess what, the school does all that work for you, and they call this the 1st world.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

WTH wad the...

Okay so I have a cold and I'm grumpy.

[Hempies]

Fantastic post! Thanks! Will definitely keep an eye on this one!

[jpokennedy]

I forgot to mention that during the Tracer registration they actually tell you that you need to contact the schools in the areas that you are registered for to give them your contact details, cv and employee number so that they know you are available for relief teaching.

Now I ask you, WTH wad the point of paying all that money to QCT to get re-assessed abd registered, registering with QED and then tracer, if you have to drive around to all the schools anyway and introduce yourself and give them all your details yourself? And don't think it helps to phone them, they tell you to come in and bring all the above mentioned stuff with.

Sorry for the rant but this is just pathetic if you ask me. In South Africa you go for an interview at a school and guess what, the school does all that work for you, and they call this the 1st world.

You actually don’t have to go to each school to provide them with your relevant information.

When registered with Tracer, you select the schools in your area at which you would like to teach online.

State Schools can’t request a certain individual when notifying Tracer that a relieve teacher is required. Everything is automated.(Tracer only relates to State Schools, if you want to do relief teaching at Catholic Schools you need to be registered with CEO.Private Schools + Independant Schools you will have to contact them and provide a cv etc and make them are that you're interested in relief teaching) . This is the case in QLD, don’t

know about the rest.

My wife did not go to 1 State School to provide her details and she gets called by Tracer nearly every single day.

Edited July 24, 2013 by jpokennedy

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Well here on the Sunshine Coast there are only 2 schools that use tracer. My wife has had to go to the other state schools and introduced herself and supply them with all her different registration details.

Apparently most of the state schools here have a pool of relief teachers they draw from and it's not easy to get in because teaching jobs here are very scarce and highly sought after.

[Asker]

Thanks for this post!!!

What a help

[rikamarie]

Hi guys. For some odd reason, I can't edit the above post?!

Anyway.. I found these 2 great documents on the jobs.wa.gov.au website that gives you an excellent guideline on writing your own cv and cover letter according to the Australian department of education's way.

It really helped me!

Applicant information when applying for a teaching position applicant resource JobsWA.pdf

How to write a cv and cover letter How to write a cv and covering letter.pdf

[Robyn3]

Thank you for the huge amount of info Rika-Marie! What a huge help

[rikamarie]

Here are the newest AITSL application guide: http://www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/AITSL_Assessment_Application_Guide_-_August_2013.pdf

and application form: http://www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/AITSL_Assessment_Application_Form_-_August_2013.docx

Their address also changed to AITSL Assessment for Migration, PO Box 347, Curtin ACT, 2065, Australia

[Crossedover]

Hi everyone,

I am still at the beginning of this process. I wonder if you guys can help me....? I want to know if I have 10 years teaching experience do I still need a letter from the varsity re my teaching practice.... I did it many many years ago!!! And secondly, do you have to have proof that you were SACE registered? Cos I can't remember if I was... Probably was though. I have been out of teaching for 7 years now - I have been running my own playgroup from home for that time. Thanks for any help you can give.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

So glad we are done with this. You rock Riks

[seabassvg]

Hi rikamarie

What would be the best avenue for my wife who only has a Montessori teaching qualification. Should she do another diploma in SA first? She will be on my visa application so it is really just a question of her getting a job in the future.

[rikamarie]

Hi Seabassvg, I think completing a diploma through a an online Australian university would be best! There are a lot of Montessori school. Google Montessori schools australia / teaching in Montessori schools australia. There should be something about teaching in a Montessori school.

Because she is not the main applicant she doesn't have to go through all this steps above.

[debbieschutte]

Wow Rika-Marie - not a teacher myself but I can just imagine how much help this is going to be for any prospective teachers out there.

Great post --- really!

[rikamarie]

Dankie Debbie!!

[zya]

wow, thanx 4 this helpful info!!!!

[rikamarie]

Hi everyone.

I am currently in the process of applying for a supervisor certificate (some teaching positions require this). I thought I'd share the link with anyone who would also be interested in applying.

http://acecqa.gov.au/supervisor-certificate-approvals

Sending my application off tomorrow!

[rikamarie]

Some teacher recruitment agencies:

1. Smart teacher

2. Randstad

3. Hays

4. Anzuk

5. Resource Ed Australia

Job seeking sites:

1. Seek

2. Indeed

3. Teacher.on.net

4. Australia teachers

5. My career

6. Gumtree

7. Childcare jobs

8. Jobseeker

9. Simply hired

Independent schools websites also helps with job search:

1. WA

2. VIC

3. NSW

4. QLD

5. ACT

6. SA

7. Tasmania

8. NT

Advice when seeking a teacher job from RSA:

- your cover letter much convince the school that you are a better candidate than any Australian applying for the same position.

- study the professional standards for teachers very well and write in your cover letter about it and prove in your cover letter and cv that you have/can apply these standards.