Become a registered teacher

To achieve full registration, evidence of performance is required at the Proficient career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Registration decisions should be based on a recommendation at the school*/workplace level about the teacher** meeting all of the Standards at the Proficient career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

The process for achieving full teacher registration should be flexible to accommodate different contexts and experience.

The recommendation for full registration should be based on multiple sources of evidence against the Standards. A single piece of evidence can address multiple descriptors.

The evidence of a sample of teachers who achieve full registration will undergo a quality assurance process carried out by the teacher regulatory authority.

The maximum period for meeting the requirements for full registration is 5 years, with provision for extension on a case by case basis.

Regulatory authorities will specify a minimum time period (of no less than 80 days of teaching and not exceeding the equivalent of one year full-time teaching) in an Australian or New Zealand school setting in which the teacher demonstrates they have met the standards to the satisfaction of the regulator before an applicant may apply for full registration. These arrangements will provide capacity for flexibility in appropriate circumstances.

Registration is granted and managed by teacher regulatory authorities in each state and territory. It provides a person with a ‘statutory licence’ to perform the duties of a school teacher as defined in the particular jurisdiction.

There are two forms of registration as a teacher - provisional registration and full registration. Usually, a teacher is initially granted provisional registration. This indicates that they meet the Graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Full registration is achieved when a teacher has met the Proficient career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers and all other requirements for teacher registration.

The provisionally registered teacher will be appropriately supported throughout the period of provisional registration. This will include support to help the provisionally registered teacher achieve and demonstrate the knowledge and skills required for meeting the Proficient career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. This support will vary according to the teacher’s context and circumstances.