Overseas qualified teachers

If you are a teacher with your own working rights, you can apply for vacancies in public schools. 

Overseas teachers living in Australia with working rights can also apply for our fixed-term opportunities pool or graduate teacher pool. These pools offer fixed-term and permanent opportunities to teach throughout our state, all in one application.

If you are a teacher from New Zealand, interested in teaching in a regional public school, you can find out about eligibility and salaries, and apply to our New Zealand Teacher Pool. We offer a generous relocation support package for positions of one year or more in duration.

Teachers with 2 or more years of qualified teaching experience (gained in the past 5 years) from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada or South Africa who are seeking visa sponsorship and relocation support can either:

• apply to the international teacher pool
• submit an expression of interest to find out more about opportunities in regional Western Australia.

Teachers in Western Australian public schools must hold a completed initial teacher education qualification. As a minimum, this is either:

• an undergraduate Bachelor of Education or equivalent
• an undergraduate degree with a postgraduate teaching qualification such as a university-awarded Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) or Professional Master of Education.

The Department of Education does not recognise the Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) certification as a stand-alone initial teacher education qualification.

Before starting, all teachers in public schools must:

• hold appropriate registration with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia
• have a satisfactory criminal history check, through our screening process
• hold a Working with Children Check.

To be eligible to teach in WA public schools, teachers must hold appropriate working rights. This is typically citizenship, permanent residency, or a temporary visa with working rights. Find out more about working rights from the Department of Home Affairs.

Temporary working rights

If you are an early childhood, primary, specialist or secondary teacher and you have working rights, you can work in casual and temporary (contract) positions in WA public schools.  These working rights may be:

• attached to your spouse or partner’s employment
• a bridging visa while you apply for independent permanent residency
• working holiday visas, such as the working holiday visa (subclass 417) and work and holiday visa (subclass 462).

Check the conditions attached to your visa, as there may be restrictions on the number of hours you work, or how long you are able to be employed. For example, working holiday visa holders can work for public schools for a total period of 6 months. To check visa conditions, visit the Department of Home Affairs.

Visa sponsorship

There are visa sponsorship opportunities for teachers with 2 or more years of qualified teaching experience (gained in the past 5 years), who are from the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Canada and South Africa, when appointed to one of our schools. These are temporary visas of up to 4 years, which can lead to permanent sponsorship. 

To be considered for sponsorship, teachers can apply to the international teacher pool. 

Visas for graduate teachers

International early childhood, or secondary school teacher graduates who completed their qualification outside of Australia and who hold a temporary graduate visa (subclass 485 – graduate work stream) are eligible to work in public schools.  This visa is suitable if you have completed the qualification within 6 months immediately before applying.

International early childhood, or secondary school teacher graduates who completed their qualification at an Australian university while on a student visa, who hold a temporary graduate visa (subclass 485 – post-study work stream), are eligible to teach in public schools. 

Teacher salaries in WA are among the highest in Australia. They range from $78,397 (AUD) for a graduate teacher to $117,854 for senior teachers. Our outstanding classroom practitioners receive a starting salary of $122,308 as level 3 classroom teachers.

You will also have access to 12 weeks of paid leave per year (school holidays). As well as your salary, you may receive locality and additional allowances as high as $35,000 per year in some regional locations in 2024.

Many regional locations offer free subsided housing and you may also be eligible for generous allowances to:

• reimburse initial utility connection fees
• cover wear and tear on furniture
• subsidise air conditioning, gas and hot water
• subsidise vacation travel
• rent essential furniture through our housing program.

Additional benefits and allowances depend on your location. To find out which allowances and benefits apply to your location and school, use our benefits calculator.