Teaching jobs in Australia for Indian teachers: B.Ed recognition, IELTS, visas and pay

Will your Indian qualifications be accepted?

AITSL (for the visa) and the state regulators (for registration) apply the same core test to every overseas teacher: at least four years of full-time higher education, including an initial teacher education program of at least a year, with at least 45 days of supervised teaching practice in a school, formally assessed and confirmed by the university. NESA in NSW compares your qualifications with Australian degrees using the Commonwealth's Country Education Profiles and looks at academic qualifications only.

IELTS: the step to plan first

India isn't one of the six countries whose study meets AITSL's English requirement (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK and the USA), even if your degree was taught in English. So you'll need IELTS Academic, taken at a test centre (paper or computer), with at least 7.0 Reading, 7.0 Writing, 8.0 Speaking and 8.0 Listening on one Test Report Form, within 24 months of applying to AITSL. One Skill Retake is accepted. PTE, TOEFL and IELTS Online are not.

Visa routes

Most Indian teachers come on a skilled visa (189, 190 or 491) or an employer-sponsored 482 Skills in Demand visa, which can lead to a permanent 186. All normally need a suitable AITSL assessment first. For state nomination, NSW lists primary, secondary and other school teacher groups on its 190 skills list (checked October 2026). Points reward higher English scores and skilled experience: AITSL's Skilled Employment Statement ($265) documents your teaching jobs if you've worked at least 20 hours a week in registered schools after qualifying.

We couldn't confirm a working holiday option for Indian teachers, so don't plan around one without checking Home Affairs. Our teacher visa guide compares the routes. Visa rules change often and points depend on your age, English and experience. Use a registered migration agent (check them on the MARA register) rather than an unregistered consultant.

Registration and documents

After AITSL, you apply to the teacher regulator in your chosen state. Most overseas teachers start with provisional registration. In Victoria, the VIT pre-assesses your qualification first, and only accepts applications from overseas within three months of arrival with a job offer or visa need. In NSW, NESA wants a NSW Working With Children Check with your application and an international police check if you lived outside Australia for 12 months or more in the last 5 years. See registration by state.

AITSL only accepts a practicum statement from the university that awarded your teaching qualification. If your B.Ed was through an affiliated college, ask the university to issue or countersign the letter. Statements from colleges, schools or training providers are not accepted.

How Australian schools hire

Australian government schools recruit through formal online applications, usually with a short statement addressing selection criteria (called focus capabilities in NSW and key selection criteria in Victoria), followed by an interview. Strong applications give specific classroom examples linked to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Many overseas teachers start with casual relief teaching to build Australian referees. Read our guides to selection criteria, teacher interviews and getting casual teaching work.

How your experience counts toward pay

Your employer sets your starting step from your experience letters. Victoria credits equivalent international school experience one step per year. The NT places you by completed years of service. The ACT recognises prior experience in full years. WA assesses higher-salary requests case by case and only counts full years of continuous service, not casual work. NSW ties your starting step to your NESA accreditation level (Step 1 at Graduate, Step 3 at Proficient). Being 5-year trained, as many teachers with a 3-year degree plus a 2-year B.Ed are, can lift your starting point in WA and Tasmania.

What teaching jobs pay

Government school classroom teachers, as at 16 October 2026: NT $96,180 to $136,997; NSW $92,882 to $133,422; ACT $91,396 to $129,106; Queensland $90,164 to $119,357, then Senior Teacher $124,601; WA $88,178 to $127,737; SA $84,971 to $123,236; Tasmania $85,313 to $122,393; Victoria $79,589 to $118,063 now, rising to $92,882 to $133,456 once its new agreement is approved. Super of at least 12% is paid on top. Relief teaching pays daily: for example $480.43 for a NSW casual teacher at the first level.

We don't convert rupees to dollars here, because rates change and you'll be paying Australian rents and prices. Compare your likely step with living costs in the city or town you're considering. Rural and remote schools often have the most vacancies and add incentives of $10,000 or more a year. Compare states in the best state to teach guide.