All teachers with the NSW Department of Education are required to gain approval to teach. Beginning this process early in your final year of studies means that you will be able to commence teaching on a casual basis, which is a great way to make connections with schools, gain invaluable experience and pave the way for future opportunities. Read on for your guide to applying for approval to teach with the NSW Department of Education.

Step 1 - Get ready to apply
The first step is to obtain your paid NSW Working with Children Check and gain accreditation through the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).

Step 2 - Start your application
To start your application, visit the Teach NSW section of the Education website. Here you can also find a step-by-step guide to completing the process, tailored to when you commenced your studies and in which state you completed them.

Step 3 - Upload your mandatory documentation
In this step, you will be required to upload your mandatory documentation including your professional experience reports and academic transcript. If you are applying during the final year of your studies, you may not have your final documents yet. In this case, ensure to upload the most up-to-date documents that you have.

Step 4 - Indicate your employment preferences
In this step, you will have the opportunity to select the areas or schools that you would like to teach in following graduation. The greater number of locations that you select in this step, the greater your chances of being matched to a permanent position will be. However, it is important to consider your preferences carefully at this stage to ensure that you are only paired with schools that are viable for you and your lifestyle. This is also where you can indicate your interest in working in an incentivised rural or remote NSW public school.

Step 5 - Apply for interim approval to teach
Once your mandatory documentation has been uploaded and you have indicated your employment preferences, you can request your interim approval to teach. Gaining your interim approval to teach means that you will be able to teach on a casual basis in NSW public schools before completing your studies. The ClassCover app is the best way to find casual work in NSW public schools and manage your bookings.

Step 6 - Complete the Teacher Suitability Assessments
At this stage, you will receive an email notifying you that it is time to complete your online Teacher Suitability Assessments and online interview. You will have five calendar days to complete the assessments, which measure cognitive skills and emotional intelligence. Our FAQs page contains great information about the Teacher Suitability Assessments and provides answers to the questions often asked about what the assessments involve.

Step 7 - Upload your final transcripts and gain full approval to teach
The final step in the approval to teach process is uploading your final professional experience report and academic transcript once it has been released from the university. You will be notified via email of the outcome of your application. While you wait to hear back from our Teacher Approvals team, you can prepare to apply for positions by subscribing to JobFeed to view the latest temporary and permanent positions available in NSW public schools.

Do you have questions about the process?
If you can’t find the answer you are looking for on the approval to teach webpage or within the frequently asked questions, about your specific circumstances, our Teacher Approvals team can be contacted via email at TeacherApprovals@det.nsw.edu.au. Please ensure you include your full name and application number (if you have one) in your query.