Irish teachers moving to Australia: qualifications, visas, registration and pay

How Irish teaching qualifications are assessed

Australia assesses your academic qualification, not your registration with the Teaching Council. AITSL and the state regulators want at least four years of full-time higher education including an initial teacher education program, with at least 45 days of supervised, assessed school placement. Irish primary teachers usually qualify through a concurrent Bachelor of Education. Post-primary teachers usually hold a subject degree followed by a Professional Master of Education, which the WA Department of Education lists by name as an acceptable postgraduate teaching qualification.

English: you probably don't need IELTS

AITSL's study option covers four years of study completed in Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, the UK or the USA, including a recognised teaching qualification with every part, placement included, completed there. NESA, VIT, TRBWA and TRB NT use the same six countries for registration. If you did all your study in Ireland, your transcripts are your English evidence. If part of your study was elsewhere (for example a year abroad that counts toward the degree, or an ITE program completed outside Ireland), read our IELTS for teachers guide.

Visa routes for Irish teachers

Irish citizens use the same visas as everyone else, with one helpful extra: Ireland is part of the Working Holiday (417) program, and the age limit for Irish passport holders has been up to 35. Check the current limit and conditions on Home Affairs before you plan around it. A working holiday year doing relief teaching is a common way to test Australia before committing.

• Skilled visas (189, 190, 491): need a suitable AITSL assessment and enough points. NSW lists primary, secondary and other school teacher groups for 190 nomination.
• 482 Skills in Demand: an approved employer sponsors you for a specific job; can lead to a permanent 186.
• Working Holiday (417): no skills assessment; best suited to relief teaching or short contracts.

The WA Department of Education's page for teachers from overseas lists visa options for Irish citizens and invites you to contact its international recruitment team. Compare all the routes in our teacher visa guide. Visa rules change often and depend on your circumstances, so check Home Affairs directly or use a registered migration agent for anything beyond a straightforward case.

Registering to teach

Your Teaching Council registration doesn't transfer automatically, because the mutual recognition schemes only cover Australia and New Zealand. You apply to the regulator in the state where you'll work. Expect provisional registration to start, since full registration usually needs recent teaching in Australian or NZ schools (VIT asks for 80 days in five years, TRB NT for 100 days).

Victoria's VIT requires a pre-assessment of overseas qualifications before you can apply, and only accepts applications from overseas within three months of arrival and with a job offer or visa need. NSW's NESA wants a NSW Working With Children Check with your application. Annual fees range from $95 (WA) to $137 (SA), plus application fees. See registration by state.

How your Irish service counts toward pay

Australian state scales are step-based. Where you start is decided by the employer, from your statements of service. Victoria explicitly counts equivalent international school experience, one step per year up to the top of the classroom scale. The NT places you by completed years of service (one year = CT2). The ACT recognises prior teaching in full years. WA assesses applications for a higher salary case by case, counting only full years of continuous service and excluding casual work. NSW links your starting step to your NESA accreditation: Step 1 at Graduate level, Step 3 at Proficient.

What you'll earn

Classroom pay in government schools: NSW $92,882 to $133,422 from October 2026; NT $96,180 to $136,997 from January 2026; Queensland $90,164 to $119,357 from September 2026, with Senior and Experienced Senior Teacher steps above; WA $88,178 to $127,737; SA $84,971 to $123,236; Tasmania $85,313 (usual start) to $122,393; ACT $91,396 to $129,106. Victoria pays $79,589 to $118,063 now and is due to move to $92,882 to $133,456 with back pay once its new agreement is approved. Employer super of at least 12% is paid on top.

We don't compare Irish and Australian salaries using an exchange rate, because the rate on one day can mislead and you'll be spending dollars. Instead, compare what your likely step pays here against local rents and costs where you'd live. Our best state to teach guide ranks the states, and rural teaching incentives can add $10,000 or more a year in country schools.

Your plan, in order