Advice for future teachers

Before you start your approval to teach application, you will need a NSW Working with Children Check (WWCC) clearance for paid employment from the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian. You will also need to apply for and gain accreditation from the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Once you have your valid WWCC number and your NESA ID you are ready to apply for approval to teach.

Now you are ready to apply for approval to teach in NSW public schools. Your application for approval to teach is an essential step to commencing your teaching career in NSW public schools. You can commence your approval to teach application in the final 18 months of an undergraduate teaching degree, or after the first six months of a Master of Teaching degree.

In the online application you will be asked to provide your personal information, select the areas or schools where you would prefer to work and upload the mandatory documentation required. You may not have all of your professional experience/practicum reports and academic transcripts but will need to upload what you have completed to date.

When completing this step, it is important to select only the locations that you are willing to accept an offer of ongoing employment in. Consider your location preferences carefully to avoid being matched to a school in a location that is not suitable for you.

You can also indicate your interest in teaching in schools with a high proportion of Aboriginal student enrolments as part of the GRP Aboriginal Initiative.

You can now submit your application. Once your application for approval to teach has been successfully submitted you will be sent an email acknowledging receipt.

Your application will be assessed by the department and will progress in line with requirements for graduates seeking approval to teach in NSW public schools to:

• demonstrate academic achievement across your program of study including a required minimum credit average (or equivalent)
• provide evidence of completed and successful professional experience/practicum reports attesting to readiness for success in the classroom
• complete teacher suitability assessments, measuring cognitive skills and emotional intelligence
• undertake an online interview to demonstrate your knowledge, critical experiences, skills and capabilities for teaching in NSW public schools.

This is the step where you provide details of your final professional experience/practicum and request interim approval.

You will receive an email once your application has been assessed and validated. Included are details of the subjects you are accredited in and the next steps you will need to complete.

At this point, you can retrieve your application and have the option to request interim approval to teach. Interim approval has the benefit of enabling you to work as a casual or temporary teacher before completing your studies. If you have requested interim approval and have met the requirements to be a high-quality teacher, you will receive your interim approval to teach. You do not have to wait until your application has been assessed and validated. Interim approvals can be issued prior to the completion of your final practicum.

You will now proceed to the teacher suitability assessment stage. To read more about the teacher suitability assessment process please view the Frequently Asked Questions.

These are the final important actions you need to take in order to gain full approval to teach with the NSW Department of Education.

It is now time to undertake the online teacher suitability assessments and online interview to demonstrate your capabilities to be a high-quality teacher in NSW public schools. All graduates will also be required to provide their final transcript and final professional experience/practicum report prior to gaining full approval to teach. You will be notified via email of the outcome of your application for approval to teach.

One of the most efficient ways of finding casual employment in NSW public schools is by using the app ClassCover. It is free to use, you simply upload your details to gain direct access to over 1,400 public schools across NSW.

To begin using ClassCover, you will first need to create a profile on the ClassCover website and then download the app. From there you can upload your mandatory documentation, share your availability and manage location preferences. One of the great things about this is that once you are booked for a casual day, schools who use the app can see that you’re booked and will only contact you about days you’ve listed yourself as being available.

You will then need to contact your preferred NSW public schools directly to let them know that you are available for casual work and request to be added to their ClassCover network.

It is a great idea to also subscribe to JobFeed to receive a weekly list of available permanent and temporary jobs to start your teaching career in NSW public schools.

When applying for a temporary or permanent teaching position in a NSW public school, you may be required to prepare a written application. Merit selection application guidelines for classroom teachers, executives and principals have been designed to provide clarity to applicants and selection panels.

To assist you in preparing an application aligned with the merit selection guidelines, the NSW Department of Education has developed a number of video guides.