Teacher qualifications and registration
Teacher qualifications and registration
To teach in a Western Australian public school you must have a recognised tertiary teaching degree.
All teachers, including relief teachers and teachers moving from overseas, need to have a relevant tertiary teaching degree and be registered with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia.
You also need to meet our employment eligibility requirements1. In addition, if you are a qualified teacher moving to WA from overseas, you will need the correct visa type and working rights. Check out our information for teachers from overseas2.
Recognised teacher qualifications
You need to hold a recognised tertiary teaching degree to teach in a public school. This includes relief and part-time teaching.
Find a full list of Australian accredited initial teacher education (ITE) programs on the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership website3.
We do not recognise the Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) certification as a stand-alone initial teacher education qualification.
Bachelor of Education
We recognise a Bachelor of Education of at least 3 years in duration in one of the following areas:
- early childhood education
- primary education
- secondary education.
Postgraduate studies
We also recognise a 3-year bachelor degree, followed by a completed initial teacher education program such as a Graduate Diploma in Education or a 2-year Master of Teaching.
Any post-graduate initial teacher education course must be delivered at level 8 or above on the Australian Qualifications Framework4.
Early childhood education qualifications
Teachers working in Kindergarten must have an early childhood qualification. It is also recommended for teachers working in Pre-primary to Year 2. Early childhood teachers are qualified to plan and implement education programs for students between 4 and 8 years old (Kindergarten to Year 2).
The pathways to qualifications for early childhood teachers are any of the following:
- Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood from zero to 8 years)
- 3-year degree, followed by a Graduate Diploma of Education (Early Childhood from zero to 8 years) or Master of Teaching (Early Childhood from zero to 8 years)
- Department-recognised primary teaching degree and a diploma level or higher education and care qualification approved by the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)5.
ACECQA approves early childhood teacher qualifications as per the National Quality Framework for educators in:
- children's education and care services that exist outside of school settings
- Kindergarten, within school settings.
An ACECQA determination of your qualifications may not meet our higher qualification requirements to work in our public schools.
Check if your early childhood education qualification is recognised by ACECQA. If you trained overseas, ACECQA needs to approve your qualifications for you to use them in Western Australia.
Teacher registration
Before stepping into the classroom, all teachers must be registered with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA)6.
Register with the TRBWA as soon as you complete your studies and are ready to teach.
If you hold a current teacher registration in New Zealand and want to come to Western Australia, you may be eligible for mutual recognition of registration7.