Before you can be accredited and employed you’ll need to have appropriate qualifications. You’ll require a degree and an initial teacher education qualification or an education degree. Degree discipline knowledge must be related to the area in which you intend to teach.
In your undergraduate degree you must have selected units of study that meet the Institute’s Subject Content Requirements (abridged). These are also the requirements that will be used to assess your qualifications when you apply for a job as a teacher.
Your initial teacher education qualification (eg Graduate Diploma of Education, Bachelor of Teaching or Master of Teaching etc) must be from a program that has been approved by the Institute or an equivalent qualification from a recognised interstate or overseas institution. See Approved Programs (abridged).
In NSW the university or higher education institution to which you apply to do your initial teacher education qualification is responsible for making the final decision on your admission to a program.
All teacher education programs must include curriculum method studies related to the school subject area/s as well as core education units and 45-80 days of supervised classroom experience.
a) Qualifications required to teach in a Primary school
(Kindergarten to Year 6)
To be eligible for accreditation to teach in a NSW government or non-government primary school you require:
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EITHER
a 4 year undergraduate integrated professional qualification, eg Bachelor of Education (Primary), or an undergraduate combined or double degree covering discipline knowledge and professional studies, eg Bachelor of Science/ Bachelor of Education (Primary).
Prerequisites for admission:
Higher School Certificate English minimum Band 4 (Standard English, English as a Second Language or Advanced English) and Higher School Certificate General Mathematics minimum Band 4 or completion of Mathematics (2 Unit).
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OR an appropriate Bachelor degree AND a graduate entry initial teacher education qualification, eg Graduate Diploma of Education (Primary), Bachelor of Teaching (Primary) or Master of Teaching (Primary).
Prerequisites for admission: undergraduate studies in a relevant undergraduate (and appropriate postgraduate) degree/s must contain: EITHER one full academic year (two semester units) of study in four key learning areas; OR two full academic years (four semester units) of study in one key learning area and one full academic year (two semester units) of study in two other key learning areas.
When seeking admission to a graduate entry initial teacher education program you must meet the NSW Institute of Teachers’ subject content requirements either prior to admission or before graduation.
The University to which you seek admission has responsibility for determining whether you meet the Institute’s subject content requirements in your undergraduate and appropriate postgraduate degree/s.
You may complete a self assessment of relevant areas of academic study that meets subject content requirements. See
Subject Content Requirements (abridged).
Where an applicant does not meet these prerequisites for admission, a tertiary institution may offer concurrent study or appropriate bridging units, and/or require satisfactory performance in approved tests in literacy and numeracy before graduation.
b) Qualifications to teach in a Secondary school
(Years 7-12) - all subject areas
To be eligible for accreditation to teach in a NSW government or non-government secondary school you require:
-
EITHER
a 4 year undergraduate integrated professional qualification incorporating discipline knowledge studies in a designated area related to a school subject, eg Bachelor of Education (Secondary), OR an undergraduate combined or double degree providing relevant discipline knowledge in a designated area related to a school subject, and professional studies, eg Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education (Secondary).
Prerequisites for admission:
Higher School Certificate English minimum Band 4 (Standard English, English as a Second Language or Advanced English).
-
OR
a degree AND a graduate initial teacher education qualification of at least one year, eg Master of Teaching (Secondary), Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary), Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary).
Prerequisites for admission:
undergraduate (and appropriate postgraduate) studies must include study in a designated area related to a school subject, as follows:
- First teaching area requires a minimum of 6 sequential semester-long units of discipline knowledge in a designated area (equivalent to a minimum of three academic years of study in the designated area), and at least 4 of these units at level 2 (year 2) or above;
- Second teaching area, if studied, requires 4 units with 2 units at level 2 or above.
The first teaching area determines the first pedagogy/methodology study to be undertaken in the graduate entry initial teacher education program.
When seeking admission to a graduate entry initial teacher education program you must meet the NSW Institute of Teachers’ subject content requirements either prior to admission or before graduation.
You may complete a self assessment of relevant areas of academic study that meet subject content requirements. See Subject Content Requirements (abridged).
The University to which you seek admission has responsibility for determining whether you meet the Institute’s subject content requirements in your undergraduate and appropriate postgraduate degree/s.
c) Eligibility for accreditation to teach as an Early Childhood educator in NSW
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To be eligible to be a teacher of Kindergarten to Year 2 in a primary school with a qualification in Early Childhood education, it is necessary to have a degree in which units of study include discipline knowledge, pedagogy and professional experience related to teaching 5-8 year olds.
Note:
a teacher who gains employment in pre-schools in New South Wales is not covered by the provisions of the NSW Institute of Teachers Act.
Note
: To be eligible to be a teacher in a prior-to-school setting for 0-5 year olds with an Early Childhood qualification, contact the NSW Department of Community Services regarding information on qualifications for working in children’s services, the assessment process and documentation required. Phone: 02 9716 2102 or http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/DOCS/STANDARD/PC_101136.html.