Experienced NSW public school teachers
An approval to teach is required for qualified teachers returning to work after 5 years, or for those looking to upgrade from limited approval
If you are a qualified teacher returning to teaching in NSW public schools after an absence of five years or more, or wanting to upgrade your approval from limited (casual) approval to full approval, you will need to re-apply for approval to teach.
Once you have been accredited to teach by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and approved to teach by the NSW Department of Education, you will be able to work as a teacher and apply for advertised temporary and permanent teaching positions in NSW public schools.
You can apply for approval to teach via the online application system. Approval to teach involves a number of important steps outlined below.
Former NSW Department of Education teachers that have separated within the last 12 months, can gain casual approval without needing to complete the re-application process by submitting a casual approval after separation request form. Applicants will require the endorsement of their most recent principal in order to obtain approval.
Qualified teachers seeking approval to teach are required to:
- provide evidence of successful teaching experience
- complete online teacher suitability assessments, measuring cognitive and emotional intelligence*
- undertake an online interview to demonstrate your knowledge, critical experiences, skills and capabilities for teaching in NSW public schools.
*The department’s provider for the online teacher suitability assessments measuring cognitive skills and emotional intelligence is Testgrid.
The results of the teacher suitability assessments and online interview will be considered to determine your suitability for teaching in NSW public schools.
Your pathway to employment
Before you begin your application you will need:
- A valid NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) for paid employment from the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian and
- Accreditation as a teacher in NSW through the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). You will need to apply for accreditation with NESA prior to commencing your approval to teach application.
In the online application you will be asked to provide your personal information, including details of your WWCC and NESA accreditation and select the areas or schools where you would prefer to work.
You can now submit your application. Once your application for approval to teach has been successfully submitted you will be sent an email acknowledging receipt.
You will now proceed to the teacher suitability assessment stage.
It is now time to undertake the online teacher suitability assessments and online interview to demonstrate your capabilities to be a high-quality teacher in NSW public schools.
You will be notified via email of the outcome of your application for approval to teach.
It is a great idea to subscribe to JobFeed to receive a weekly list of available permanent and temporary jobs to start your teaching career in NSW public schools.
Experienced teacher salary determination
For the purposes of establishing commencing salary rate at the time of employment, experienced teachers with: (a) relevant teaching experience or (b) pre-service caring for a child, may submit an application for salary matching or salary determination.
You may submit your application and supporting documentation for salary determination via email to: salarydetermination@det.nsw.edu.au.
For additional information and related documentation, visit the salary and awards page on the NSW Department of Education website.
Read the FAQs
Get answers to your questions about the approval to teach process.