Overseas-trained teacher registration in every Australian state (2026)

Registration vs the AITSL assessment

People mix these up all the time. The AITSL skills assessment is for your visa. Registration (called accreditation in NSW) is your licence to teach, granted by the regulator in the state where you work. Even with a suitable AITSL outcome, the regulator does its own check, and the rules aren't identical. For example, WA wants an average IELTS score of 7.5, which AITSL doesn't ask for.

Each regulator also manages your ongoing registration: annual fees, professional learning hours and the move from provisional to full (or Proficient) status. If you're new to Australia you'll usually start as provisional, because full registration normally needs recent teaching in an Australian or New Zealand school. For the national picture, see teacher registration in Australia.

The eight regulators side by side

English language rules by regulator

Most regulators exempt you from testing if your teaching qualification was completed in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, Canada or the Republic of Ireland. The NT specifies English-speaking Canada and studies completed in English. If you trained anywhere else, including India, South Africa and much of Europe, plan on a test. The scores are demanding, especially Speaking and Listening.

NSW: NESA accreditation

NESA calls the licence 'accreditation'. Overseas applicants apply through eTAMS. NESA checks your qualifications against Australian teaching degrees using the Commonwealth's Country Education Profiles, and it looks at academic qualifications only. It says it cannot consider teaching experience, professional development or induction programs. Expect to provide your final transcript, your testamur showing the conferral date, NAATI translations where needed, three identity documents plus a photo of you holding one, a valid NSW Working With Children Check, and an international police check if you lived outside Australia for 12 months or more in the last 5 years.

Victoria: VIT pre-assessment, then registration

The VIT won't take your registration application until it has pre-assessed your overseas qualification. It checks five principles: the qualification is recognised for teaching in your home country; it includes at least one year full-time of teacher education; it includes at least 45 days of supervised practicum; it prepares you to teach the primary or secondary curriculum; and you completed at least four years of higher education. Your university must confirm the practicum days, setting, age range and supervision.

• You can only apply from overseas within 3 months of arrival, and only with a Victorian job offer, an agency offer or proof your visa needs registration. Earlier applications are closed.
• Immediate full registration needs 80+ days of teaching in Australia or NZ in the past 5 years and full registration there in that time. Otherwise you start provisional.
• An overseas police check is needed for each country you lived in for 12 months continuously as an adult in the last 10 years. If you apply from overseas, it must be dated within 7 days of submission.
• VIT registration exempts you from a separate Working with Children Check in Victoria.

Western Australia: TRBWA

TRBWA generally recognises an overseas qualification as equivalent if it includes Bachelor-level teacher education or higher, totals 4 years of study, includes a year of professional teacher education and has 45 days of satisfactory practicum. If it doesn't, the Board may consider a mix of qualifications and experience, but it says experience alone isn't enough. It offers paid qualification advice ($330) before you apply, which is worth it if your qualification is borderline. Most applications are finalised within 10 weeks. An employer can also apply for Limited Registration for a specific position ($235, paid by the employer).

The WA Department of Education adds its own rule for public schools: you need a completed initial teacher education qualification, either a Bachelor of Education or a degree plus a postgraduate teaching qualification such as a PGCE or Professional Master of Education. It says QTS alone is not accepted. Starting pay is $88,178 (Level 2.1) from December 2025. See WA teacher pay.

The NT, Tasmania, ACT, Queensland and South Australia

TRB NT wants a 4-year teaching degree or four years of study including at least a year of teacher education, with 45 days of practicum. Full registration needs at least 100 days of teaching in Australia or NZ in the last five years; otherwise you start provisional. You also need an Ochre Card (the NT working with children clearance). TRB Tasmania runs an International Qualifications Assessment; its annual fee is $121.32 for 2026-27 plus a $65.09 application fee. ACT's TQI charges $115 a year in 2026, and you also need Working with Vulnerable People registration through Access Canberra.

We couldn't read the overseas pages for the QCT (Queensland) or TRB SA this session, so we won't repeat second-hand qualification rules. Use their official websites. What we could confirm for SA: the application fee is $218 and the annual fee $137 (1 Feb 2026 to 31 Jan 2027), registration runs for 5 years, moving from provisional to full needs 200 days of teaching, and SA doesn't accept interstate working with children checks, so budget for a local one. For each state's own process, see the registration pages, for example Queensland registration or SA registration.

Documents to gather before you start

New Zealand teachers and mutual recognition

If you hold current, practising registration in New Zealand, you can apply for equivalent registration under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997. Teaching is exempt from Automatic Deemed Registration, so you must still apply and pay in the state you move to. NESA says complete applications from Australian-qualified teachers get a response within 10 business days, but it also has to verify your status with the Teaching Council, which sets its own timeframe. VIT grants full registrants immediate full registration through this route. A local working with children check is still needed. Our NZ teachers guide has the details.