How to Get a Teaching Job in Australia

Teachers in Australia work with students at the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels.

If you excel in a particular subject, want to make a difference in the lives of children and adolescents and believe that learning can make a difference in a young person's life, a teaching career could be right for you. Teachers in Australia can work in public schools or private schools. If you are a teacher with qualifications from outside Australia, the shortage of qualified teachers may allow you to find a job easily as long as your qualifications are recognized by the state or territory in which you want to teach.

Things You'll Need

• Teaching qualification

Instructions

1. Decide what subjects and ages you want to teach. If you have a natural aptitude in a subject, you may wish to teach that subject to others. Your passion about it will help your teaching career.

2. Obtain the required teaching qualifications. Most teaching jobs will require a four-year Bachelor of Education degree along with a specialization in the particular area in which you want to teach. Alternatively, you may have a three-year degree in a subject relevant to what you are studying and a one-year Graduate Diploma in Education for your chosen specialty.

3. Choose a location where you want to teach. Find out which specific geographic areas of Australia need teachers by contacting the education department of your chosen state or territory. Each state and territory sets its own standards for teachers and you will need to check with the relevant department to learn the requirements.

4. Register with the teachers' board in the state or territory in which you want to teach. These are Teach New South Wales, Teacher Registration Board in the Northern Territory, the Queensland Board of Teacher Registration, the Teachers Registration Board in South Australia, the Teachers Registration Board in Tasmania, Victoria Institute of Teaching and the Western Australian College of Teaching.

5. Search for openings on job boards and register with education recruitment agencies. Apply for jobs that match your interests and qualifications and attend the requisite interviews. If you are offered a job, you will become a teacher once you accept the offer.

Tips & Warnings

• Teachers applying from overseas need to have their skills assessed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. You also must be eligible for an Australian visa, which is applied for with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

References

• Department of Education Western Australia: How to become a teacher
• Teach New South Wales: The Next Step For School Leavers
• Jobaroo: Teaching in Australia -- online jobs and education recruitment agencies

Resources

• Australia Teachers: Resource Centre
• Australian Visa Bureau: Teaching Jobs: AITSL