You can apply for approval to teach in NSW public schools when you are in the final two semesters of your teacher education studies provided that you:

• are an Australian citizen or permanent resident*
• are currently completing the last 18 months of an NESA accredited undergraduate initial teacher education program, or have completed the first six months of a NESA accredited postgraduate/Master of Teaching degree

*International students can apply for casual and temporary teaching approval in accordance with the work rights granted under their visa.

Students that commenced their studies during or after 2019 must demonstrate a minimum credit average (or equivalent) by the conclusion of their program of study to be eligible for approval to teach.

If you are an experienced teacher that has worked in an overseas, interstate or intrastate education system, but have not worked with the NSW Department of Education before, you are eligible to apply for approval to teach provided you have:

• Australian citizenship or permanent residency*
• received accreditation through the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).

*International teachers can apply for limited approval to teach in accordance with the work rights granted under their visa.

As a pre-service teacher in your final two semesters of study, you are eligible to seek employment as a teacher in schools with significant Aboriginal student enrolments under the GRP Aboriginal Initiative provided you can answer 'yes' to at least one of the following questions:

1. Have you completed any course(s) and/or unit(s) of study in which you learned about Aboriginal people, Aboriginal culture or Aboriginal education? This may include study:

• as part of an initial teacher education degree
• through a TAFE course
• through a private training provider.

2. Have you undertaken any professional experience in schools with significant Aboriginal student enrolments?

3. Have you worked with Aboriginal communities or Aboriginal students as a community worker, teacher or an education support worker either in paid employment or as a volunteer?

If you would like to be considered for the GRP Aboriginal Initiative, you will need to complete the GRP Aboriginal Initiative supporting statement (PDF 356KB). This statement will need to be forwarded via email to interviews@det.nsw.edu.au.

Yes, you can apply for casual and temporary teaching approval provided you hold a valid visa for employment in Australia. You will not be eligible for full approval to teach or permanent employment if you do not hold Australian citizenship or permanent residency.

Graduates who have completed their teaching qualification in a country other than the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, United States of America, New Zealand or Canada, may be required to undertake an assessment of their English language proficiency. NESA will advise you on your letter of accreditation if you need to undertake an English language assessment.

The NSW Department of Education does not sponsor teaching visas.

NESA will assess your qualifications and issue you with a letter of accreditation advising you of the subjects you are accredited to teach in NSW.

You must register with NESA and apply for a letter of accreditation before you can submit your application for approval to teach.

All teachers need to have demonstrated proficiency in all aspects of English, i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening in order to meet accreditation requirements.

Teachers who have completed their qualifications in a country other than the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, United States of America, New Zealand or Canada may be required by NESA to sit an English proficiency test as part of their accreditation assessment.

All students completing initial teacher education training will need to have passed a national literacy and numeracy test administered by the Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) before they complete their course in order to be eligible for Provisional Accreditation from NESA.

You do not need to have undertaken the test before you apply for approval to teach, but you will need to have passed the test in order to be eligible for full approval to teach in NSW public schools. New graduates issued with a limited approval will not have this approval extended if they do not pass the literacy and numeracy test.

Contact NESA for further information on gaining Conditional or Provisional Accreditation.

Having a criminal record may not necessarily preclude you from becoming a teacher. You should contact the Teacher Approvals team for advice on your individual circumstances.

Please ensure that you provide accurate and honest information in your application. The NSW Department of Education undertakes employment screening checks including a criminal record check on all applicants, with any criminal matters revealed by this check considered on a case by case basis.

Under provisions for mutual recognition between teacher regulatory authorities, if you have already registered and paid your registration fee in a different state or territory, you can advise NESA when you apply for accreditation and you will not be required to meet the $100 cost to register in NSW. If you register with NESA and pay the $100 fee before you apply to or pay the teacher regulatory authority in your state or territory, you won’t be required to pay the second fee.

Master of Teaching graduates who achieve an overall 'pass' in their program are deemed to have met the credit average requirement to be eligible to apply for approval to teach in NSW public schools.

This decision recognises that a Master of Teaching is a higher level qualification on the Australian Qualifications Framework.

You need to provide your current academic transcripts and enrolment to commence the approval to teach process. On successful completion of your studies, your final academic transcript* is required for your full approval to teach to be issued.

Offers of permanent employment with the department are conditional upon receiving a final academic transcript confirming completion of your studies prior to entry on duty.

To ensure your final academic transcript is received by the department, complete the Authorisation for the Release of Academic Transcript form (PDF 74KB) and submit this to your university. Your university** will then forward your transcript directly to the department.

If you have already received your final academic transcript, you can send a copy directly to newgradtranscripts@det.nsw.edu.au.

*Final academic transcript is the official university transcript confirming successful completion of your studies.

**The University of Technology Sydney, Australian Catholic University and Western Sydney University have advised that they are unable to provide transcripts directly to the department. Students from these universities will need to provide their own transcripts.

You need to provide your current academic transcripts and enrolment to commence the approval to teach process. On successful completion of your studies, your final academic transcript* is required for your full approval to teach to be issued.

Offers of permanent employment with the department are conditional upon receiving a final academic transcript confirming completion of your studies prior to entry on duty.

To ensure your final academic transcript is received by the department, complete the Authorisation for the Release of Academic Transcript form (PDF 74KB) and submit this to your university. Your university** will then forward your transcript directly to the department.

If you have already received your final academic transcript, you can send a copy directly to newgradtranscripts@det.nsw.edu.au.

*Final academic transcript is the official university transcript confirming successful completion of your studies.

**The University of Technology Sydney, Australian Catholic University and Western Sydney University have advised that they are unable to provide transcripts directly to the department. Students from these universities will need to provide their own transcripts.

Your application must include the following documents:

• completed and signed Child-related work declaration NCCHC (PDF 773.79KB)
• Four approved forms of proof of identity
• evidence of change of name (if applicable)
• evidence of Australian citizenship, permanent residency or visa permitting employment (if applicable)
• academic transcripts of completed degrees or other tertiary qualifications, or results to date for current degrees or other tertiary qualifications (internet extracts can be accepted if certified by the university)
• for university students - copies of all of your professional experience/practicum reports to date including your final professional experience/practicum report (when completed).

All of the above documents need to be uploaded to your online application.

Depending on your circumstances you may be prompted to supply additional documentation.

If you have already applied for approval to teach and it has lapsed or you are upgrading your approval from limited (interim) approval to teach to full approval to teach, you will need to re-upload the documentation listed above.

Certified copies of supporting documents are not required for your application. The department will accept scanned copies or photographs of original documents.

You will need to provide your Confirmation of Aboriginality documentation and a signed statutory declaration, as defined in the Confirmation of Aboriginality Guidelines when submitting your application for approval to teach.

The department’s Aboriginal Employment Team can provide additional advice and assistance to teachers of Aboriginal descent who wish to apply for approval to teach. Contact the team via phone: (02) 7814 3833 or email: aboriginal.employment@det.nsw.edu.au

The availability date on your approval to teach application refers to your availability for permanent employment. The date you select must follow the date you complete your studies.

If you do not intend to commence permanent employment immediately, it is recommended that you continue the application process and enter the date you intend to be available in the future. Alternatively, you can make your application inactive by emailing the Teacher Approvals team. Once you have approval to teach, an inactive application does not preclude you from working as a casual or temporary teacher.

You can make changes to personal information in your online application at any time before completing your interview.

To update your details in the online application system, retrieve your application using your application number and password. This information was emailed to you when you first registered your details. You cannot change your name or date of birth.

To request changes after the completion of your interview, you will need to contact the Teacher Approvals team via email, indicating ‘changes’ in the subject line. Please also include your full name and application number on all correspondence.

How do I update my location preferences in my application for approval to teach prior to my interview?

1. Retrieve your active application for approval to teach and log in using your user ID and password (the credentials that you were provided when you initially created your application)
2. Click on your application number to open your application and select the “location preferences” tab on the left-hand side
3. Make the desired amendments to your location preferences and then click save. These changes will update immediately on your application for approval to teach.

How do I update my location preferences in my application for approval to teach after I have received my interview result?

You can request changes to your location preferences by emailing Teacher Approvals at TeacherApprovals@det.nsw.edu.au.

How do I update my location preferences in my application for approval to teach after I’ve received my final teaching approval?

If you wish to make changes to your location preferences after receiving your final approval you are now able to update your location preferences in Employee Self Services (ESS) by navigating to ‘my details’ and then ‘my preferences’. A quick help guide has also been created to assist you through this process.

The department’s assessment of eligibility for approval to teach is now based on the key knowledge areas, critical experiences, skills, capabilities, motivations and attributes of a teacher aligned to the Teacher Success Profile.

Our new multi-staged assessment and selection process to identify high-quality teachers includes:

• for students that commenced their studies during or after 2019, academic attainment at a minimum credit average (or equivalent) by the conclusion of your program of study to be eligible for approval to teach
• assessment of professional experience/practicum reports to identify readiness for success in the classroom (for graduates)
• online teacher suitability assessments measuring cognitive skills and emotional intelligence
• a video-based interview which will be completed remotely, meaning candidates do not need to attend an interview at Parramatta State Office or regional centres.

You will be required to complete three teacher suitability assessments measuring cognitive skills and emotional intelligence as a component of determining your eligibility for approval to teach in NSW public schools. These assessments are objective tests used to measure a range of mental attributes, and measure an individuals’ suitability for employment. The assessments that all teachers seeking approval to teach are required to complete are:

• Verbal Reasoning assessment (ACER Advanced Test AL): This test measures the ability to use and understand language (information written in English). Questions cover areas such as vocabulary, similarities, and analogies. It takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
• Abstract Reasoning assessment (ACER APTS Abstract Reasoning Organisational): This test measures the ability to solve new problems and learn new things. You will be asked to identify logical rules/sequences in a series of pictures, patterns or shapes. It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.
• Emotional Intelligence assessment (Genos Emotional Intelligence (EI) Inventory): This test measures how often an individual displays emotionally intelligent behaviour at work. You will be asked about your workplace attitudes and preferences, including how you tend to respond to emotions and interact with others. It takes approximately. 15 minutes to complete.

Once your application has been submitted and you are invited to undertake these assessments, you will be able to access practice tests for the verbal reasoning and abstract reasoning assessments to gain an understanding of the types of questions you will be required to answer.

The cognitive assessments will require you to answer questions to assess your literacy, numeracy and problem-solving capabilities.

The emotional intelligence assessment will require you to answer questions related to resilience, conscientiousness and proactivity to help identify how you engage, relate and communicate with others.

Your online interview will take an hour to complete (including preview time for you to read and prepare responses to each question). 

The questions have been designed to give you an opportunity to respond to key themes for teaching in NSW public schools including your:

• knowledge (including pedagogy and syllabus content)
• critical experiences (demonstration of actions that have contributed to student progress and wellbeing, professional practices and support for the school community)
• skills and capabilities (capacity to deliver curriculum and manage critical teaching activities such as classroom management and assessment).

To help you prepare, watch the online interview tips and tricks video.

Remember to present yourself professionally at your interview. This is your opportunity to demonstrate your skills and capabilities as a teacher.

Graduates and experienced teachers will be able to undertake the online assessments in an environment where they feel most comfortable.

Your application will progress through streamlined assessment stages enabling your approval to teach to be issued as soon as you undertake your assessments and demonstrate your capabilities to be a high-quality teacher in NSW public schools.

When you have submitted your application for approval to teach, it will be assigned to an officer for processing. Once all mandatory supporting documents have been provided, you will receive an email confirming that your application has progressed.

When your probity checks have been cleared, you will receive an email advising that you are now ready to proceed to the teacher suitability assessment stage. Within 48 hours of that advice, you will receive a separate email invitation outlining how to undertake your online teacher suitability assessment measuring cognitive and emotional intelligence and your online interview. The email will contain a personalised link to your assessment tasks and all the necessary information to ensure you can complete these tasks successfully. Please also check your junk and trash folders if the invitation does not appear in your inbox within 48 hours.

You will have five (5) calendar days to complete your teacher suitability assessments measuring cognitive and emotional intelligence, as well as your online interview, once you have received the email with the personalised link to your assessment tasks. Your email invitation will contain the exact date and time of expiry. It is important you complete all assessments within the allocated time frame.

It is important that you complete the online assessments within the allocated five (5) calendar days. The Teacher Approvals team will email you a reminder to complete the assessments 24-hours prior to the time of expiry.

If you do not complete the online teacher suitability assessments and online interview within the allocated time frame, your application for approval to teach in NSW public schools will be unable to proceed and your interim casual teaching approval may lapse.

If there are circumstances that prevented you from completing your assessments within the allocated time frame, contact the Teacher Approvals team. 

Desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices can be used to undertake the online assessments.

Testgrid is the provider that the department has contracted to administer the online teacher suitability assessments measuring cognitive skills and emotional intelligence. Vieple is the platform you will complete your online interview through.

Desktop and laptop computers will provide the best experience for you to undertake the online teacher suitability assessment measuring cognitive and emotional intelligence and to present professionally for your online interview.

Testgrid support via phone or online chat is available 24/7. They will assist you should you experience technical difficulties whilst completing the online assessments. Testgrid contact details will be clearly visible whilst you are undertaking your assessments.

Once you complete your online teacher suitability assessments measuring cognitive skills and emotional intelligence and your online interview, your application for approval to teach will be finalised.

Following successful completion of your assessments and recommendation of suitability for employment as a teacher in NSW public schools, you will be granted approval to teach with the NSW Department of Education.

The Teacher Approvals team will notify you via email of the outcome of your approval to teach application.

If you apply for approval to teach, you will be eligible to be granted interim approval if you:

• have obtained teacher accreditation with NESA
• hold a valid Working With Children Check clearance for paid employment
• are in your final 18 months of study in an undergraduate program, or have completed the first six months of a Master of Teaching degree, have scheduled your final professional experience/practicum and have provided details (including dates and location) of your final professional experience/practicum placement to the department
• are not aware of any reason why you will not be awarded a recognised teacher education qualification at the completion of your studies.

To apply for interim approval, retrieve your application using your application number and password, select ‘Request Interim Approval’ and follow the prompts.

If you have requested interim approval online and you meet eligibility requirements, including the provision of all documents and a clear employment screening check, your request will be processed and your approval forwarded to you as soon as possible.

Your interim approval will be valid for 12 months from the date of issue. This enables you to work as a casual or temporary teacher.

If you have a visa restricting your employment in Australia, your approval to teach will be limited in line with your visa conditions.

If you are eligible for your interim approval and have a firm offer of employment in a NSW public school, ask your school principal to contact Teacher Approvals via: grp@det.nsw.edu.au to request your approval be fast-tracked.

An interim approval to teach enables you to work as a casual or temporary teacher.

A full approval to teach, in addition to casual and temporary work, enables you to apply for permanent teaching positions in NSW public schools. Your full approval to teach is only valid for five years from the date of issue if you have not been employed as a teacher in a NSW public school during that time.

In your online application for approval to teach you will be asked to provide your personal information, the teaching subjects you are seeking approval to teach and also to nominate specific schools and/or schools in a general location (known as a staffing area) where you are prepared to accept a permanent teaching position. When selecting your preferred locations, it is important to list only those schools and/or staffing areas you are willing and prepared to accept appointment as a permanent teacher. 

High-achieving graduates are identified for appointment to permanent teaching positions, as a result of their academic achievement during university studies, practicum/internship reports, teacher suitability assessments and online interview. If you are identified as a high-achieving graduate you may be matched to a permanent teaching vacancy in a school, and receive an offer of employment.

Offers of appointment to permanent positions are made based on your approved teaching subjects, recognised skills and/or experiences and the schools you nominate as your preferred locations. If you decline an offer of a permanent position in a school/staffing area you have listed, your priority date (date you were approved to teach) will be impacted and future offers of permanent appointment may take some time to arise. 

You can also apply for advertised permanent positions through the JobFeed e-newsletter.

Yes. You would need to meet the recruitment requirements for the relevant position to gain a role. You can explore other opportunities on IworkforNSW.