How do I know which subjects I am qualified to teach?

Your teacher regulator decides. Each of QCT, NESA, VIT, TRBWA, TRB SA, the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania, ACT TQI and TRB NT assesses your prior study against its own minimum requirements for each teaching method area, so the answer can differ between states.

Can I switch to teaching from another career?

Yes — a two-year Master of Teaching (Secondary) is the standard graduate-entry route, using your existing degree to supply the teaching subject. Some states also run employment-based pathways that let you teach on conditional registration while you study.

Do I need a working with children check as well as registration?

It depends on the state. Victoria and Queensland treat teacher registration as covering school teaching duties, with a separate card or clearance needed for other child-related work. NSW, the ACT, Tasmania and the NT require you to hold both registration or accreditation and a clearance.

Is registration recognised interstate?

Through mutual recognition you can apply to the new state's regulator, but it is a fresh application with its own evidence and fees, and your approved teaching areas are reassessed. Do not assume you can start teaching before it is granted.

Which subjects are in shortage?

Mathematics, physics, chemistry, information technology and design and technology are consistently reported as hardest to staff, particularly in regional, rural and remote schools. Some states offer incentives specific to these areas.

Does the modern award set my pay?

The Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 (MA000077) is the reference instrument for many independent schools. Government school teachers and most Catholic systemic teachers are covered by state or diocesan enterprise agreements that sit above the award.

What is the difference between provisional and full registration?

Provisional registration lets you teach as a graduate; full registration follows once you demonstrate practice at the proficient career stage over a required period of teaching. The threshold differs — for example roughly 100 days in Tasmania, 200 days in the ACT and about a year in the NT.

Secondary School Teaching jobs in Australia

Secondary school teachers teach one or more specialist subjects to students from about year seven to year twelve, including senior certificate courses that determine university entry. Every secondary teacher must hold an accredited initial teacher education qualification with recognised teaching method areas and be registered or accredited with the teacher regulator in their own state or territory.

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Vacancies

Current vacancies

No secondary school teaching roles are listed on Valont right now. Licensing and local context below still apply — this page updates when a matching role is published.

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Locations

Where we cover secondary school teaching

AdelaideSA AlbanyWA Albury-WodongaNSW/VIC Alice SpringsNT ArmidaleNSW BairnsdaleVIC BallaratVIC Batemans BayNSW BathurstNSW BendigoVIC Blue MountainsNSW BrisbaneQLD Broken HillNSW BroomeWA BunburyWA BundabergQLD BurnieTAS BusseltonWA CairnsQLD CanberraACT Central CoastNSW Charters TowersQLD Coffs HarbourNSW DarwinNT DevonportTAS DubboNSW EchucaVIC EmeraldQLD GeelongVIC GeraldtonWA GladstoneQLD Gold CoastQLD GoulburnNSW GriffithNSW GympieQLD Hervey BayQLD HobartTAS HorshamVIC IpswichQLD KalgoorlieWA KarrathaWA LauncestonTAS LismoreNSW LoganQLD MackayQLD MandurahWA MaryboroughQLD MelbourneVIC MeltonVIC MilduraVIC Mount GambierSA Mount IsaQLD Murray BridgeSA NewcastleNSW NowraNSW OrangeNSW PerthWA Port HedlandWA Port LincolnSA Port MacquarieNSW QueanbeyanNSW RedlandsQLD RockhamptonQLD RomaQLD SaleVIC SheppartonVIC Sunshine CoastQLD SydneyNSW TamworthNSW TareeNSW ToowoombaQLD TownsvilleQLD TraralgonVIC Wagga WaggaNSW WangarattaVIC WarrnamboolVIC WarwickQLD WhyallaSA WollongongNSW

Licensing

Licensing by state

Registration is granted by a state or territory regulator, not nationally, and the differences are real: eight bodies, eight sets of legislation, different fees, registration cycles, professional experience thresholds for moving from provisional to full status and different continuing professional development requirements. NSW uses accreditation rather than registration. Your recognised teaching method areas are assessed by the regulator, so approval to teach a subject in one state does not automatically carry across. Moving interstate is an application under mutual recognition, not an automatic transfer. Child-related clearance also varies, and in some jurisdictions teacher registration removes the need for a separate clearance for school teaching duties only.

the Australian Capital Territory: Registration with the ACT Teacher Quality Institute (TQI), with around 200 days of teaching required for full registration on a five-year cycle, plus Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration from Access Canberra.
New South Wales: Accreditation with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), which also determines your approved teaching subject areas. A separate Working With Children Check clearance from the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian is required and must be verified online by the employer.
the Northern Territory: Registration with the Teacher Registration Board of the Northern Territory (TRB NT), which requires around one year of teaching for full registration and offers a three or five-year term. A Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card) through SAFE NT is also required.
Queensland: Registration with the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT), provisional then full. QCT registration means no blue card is needed to teach in a Queensland school; an exemption card from Blue Card Services is required for other regulated child-related work such as private tutoring or coaching a junior sports team.
South Australia: Registration with the Teachers Registration Board of South Australia (TRB SA), which requires a working with children screening as part of registration. A Working with Children Check from the DHS Screening Unit applies to child-related work outside teaching.
Tasmania: Registration with the Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania — around 100 days of teaching is required to move from provisional to full registration, on a five-year cycle. Teachers also hold Registration to Work with Vulnerable People through CBOS.
Victoria: Registration with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT), including assessment of your teaching method areas. VIT registration exempts you from a separate Working with Children Clearance for teaching duties; a clearance from Working with Children Check Victoria applies to other child-related work.
Western Australia: Registration with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA), which assesses qualifications and suitability. A Working with Children (WWC) Check from the Department of Communities is needed for child-related work outside registered teaching.

Role

What the job involves

Plan and teach lessons in one or more specialist subject areas across junior and senior secondary years
Prepare students for senior secondary certificate assessment and external examinations
Assess, mark and moderate student work against syllabus standards
Differentiate for a wide ability range within a single class
Manage classroom behaviour and build positive relationships with adolescents
Act as a home group or pastoral care teacher and monitor student wellbeing
Communicate with parents and carers through interviews, reports and ongoing contact
Contribute to faculty planning, curriculum review and co-curricular programs

Training

Qualifications and training

An accredited initial teacher education qualification — typically a four-year Bachelor of Education (Secondary) or a combined degree such as a Bachelor of Science / Bachelor of Education
A two-year Master of Teaching (Secondary) as the graduate-entry pathway, with your prior degree supplying the teaching subject areas
Your prior study must include sufficient depth in each subject you intend to teach — regulators set minimum unit requirements for each teaching method area
The programme must be accredited against the national standards administered by AITSL and approved by your state teacher regulator
Graduates must pass the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE)

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Deep subject knowledge in one or more teaching areas · Senior secondary assessment design and marking to syllabus standards · Adolescent behaviour management and relationship building · Differentiation across a wide ability range · Data literacy and using assessment to adjust teaching · Pastoral care and recognising wellbeing and mental health concerns · Faculty collaboration and curriculum planning · Child protection awareness and mandatory reporting

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about secondary school teaching work in Australia.

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Sources

Secondary School Teaching — occupation data · verified 2026-08-04. ABS ANZSCO 2022, Unit Group 2414 Secondary School Teachers (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/anzsco-australian-and-new-zealand-standard-classification-occupations/2022/browse-classification/2/24/241/2414); AITSL initial teacher education accreditation (https://www.aitsl.edu.au); Fair Work Ombudsman (https://awards.fairwork.gov.au/MA000077.html); Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections May 2024 – May 2034 (https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/employment-projections); Queensland College of Teachers (https://www.qct.edu.au/registration/blue-card); NSW Education Standards Authority (https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa); Victorian Institute of Teaching (https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/maintain/wwc); Teacher Registration Board of WA (https://www.trb.wa.gov.au); Teachers Registration Board of SA (https://www.trb.sa.edu.au); Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania (https://trb.tas.gov.au/recognition-of-interstate-and-nz-registration/); ACT Teacher Quality Institute (https://www.tqi.act.edu.au); Teacher Registration Board NT (https://www.trb.nt.gov.au/registration/eligibility-registration); NSW Office of the Children's Guardian (https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/working-children-check); Working with Children Check Victoria (https://www.vic.gov.au/working-with-children-check); WA Department of Communities (https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-communities/working-children-check); SA DHS Screening Unit (https://dhs.sa.gov.au/how-we-help/screening-and-background-checks); Tasmania CBOS (https://www.cbos.tas.gov.au/topics/licensing-and-registration/work-with-vulnerable-people); ACT Access Canberra WWVP (https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/business-and-work/working-with-vulnerable-people); SAFE NT (https://pfes.nt.gov.au/police/community-safety/safe-nt)

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