Working as a Teacher

Graduates of Master of Teaching programs at Australian universities can return to practice in Canada after meeting the requirements of their provincial regulatory board. These requirements vary by province. Please check with your province’s regulatory authority for full details.

Some provinces offer a provisional, interim, or conditional license. This allows you to work, usually with some conditions, while you finish requirements or wait for processing for your full certification. Please check with your province’s regulatory authority for full details.

Generally, the process for full certification is the following:

Step #1 – Graduate from an Approved Education Program
Most provinces require a bachelor’s degree or equivalent and a bachelor of education degree or equivalent.

Each province and territory has their own requirement for what is considered an equivalent degree. Most provinces look at four main components:

Academic Foundation
You usually need to have completed a 3- to 4-year undergraduate degree before or during the completion of your education/teaching degree.

Professional Coursework
Most provinces typically require 48 semester hours of teacher-specific training like child development, pedagogy, assessment, and special education.

Supervised Practicum
This is typically the most substantial barrier as provinces have a set number of days required, and this requirement can vary by province (e.g., Ontario requires 80 practicum days while Alberta requires 10 weeks). There can be specific requirements for minimum number of practicum hours, overall duration of program, recency of degree, etc. If you don’t have enough practicum hours, you may be able to supplement these hours by taking on additional practicum, completing a bridging program, or by proving the completion of a certain amount of paid teaching experience.

Authorization to Teach
Your program must have made you eligible to teach in the country in which you gained your education degree.

These requirements and any makeup opportunities vary by province and territory. Please refer to the list below to find your province or territory’s teaching licensing body and confirm requirements.

Step #2 – Credentials Assessment through Pathways to Teach Canada or Other
Most provinces (excluding Alberta, Quebec, Yukon and Ontario) now use a service called Pathways to Teach Canada to assess credentials and language competency. The Ontario College of Teachers will not accept a credentials assessment from Pathways to Teach Canada (PTC) but it will accept the Language Competency Assessment for the Teaching Profession from PTC.

For provinces that do not work with Pathways to Teach Canada, you will need apply to your provincial or territorial regulatory body before they can assess your credentials.

Step #3 – Apply to your Province or Territory’s Regulatory Body
If your province uses Pathways to Teach Canada, PTC will issue a report that you will then use to apply to the teaching authority of your chosen territory or province.

You may need to provide additional documentation, such as proof of language proficiency, proof of moral character, proof of practicum hours, etc.

See links below for more information.

• British Columbia
• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• Manitoba
• Ontario
• Quebec
• Nova Scotia
• New Brunswick
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Yukon
• Northwest Territories
• Nunavut

Depending on where you’ve obtained your teaching degree, you will be qualified to teach within that state; however, you must obtain the appropriate work visa to remain in Australia.

To teach in Australia, you’ll need to register with your state’s teachers registration board. You’ll receive a provisional registration. You’ll then begin teaching in a provisional setting and work towards your full registration after completing a set duration of in-class experience. You have five years to complete these requirements. While working as a provisional teacher you’ll need to build a portfolio of evidence that you meet the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and meet with an evaluator who will review your portfolio and your teaching practice.

Review all of the Australian accredited teaching programs.

• New South Wales
• Western Australia
• Victoria
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Northern Territory
• Tasmania

Credentialing and licensing to be a teacher in the United States is handled at the state level. Each state has its own criteria for acceptable degrees, required exams, and necessary teaching practicum experience.

You should familiarize yourself with the requirements and processes for your preferred state before beginning your teaching degree in Australia.

Generally, the steps to practice as a teacher as follows:

Step #1 – Graduate from an Accredited Australian Teaching Program
Most states require people to have a 4-year degree for teacher certification. If you have an undergraduate degree in a specific subject, like math or history, and a 2-year master of teaching degree, you will typically be viewed as meeting requirements relating to both subject matter and professional preparation.

Required practicum hours vary by state. Some also have mandates about which grades your practicum hours need to be completed in (e.g., New York requires you to have teaching experience in at least two different grade levels).

Step #2 – Complete a Course-by-Course Credentialing
You’ll typically need to go through a course-by-course credentialing service, like the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE), to assess how your Australian teaching courses compare to American equivalents.

The course-by-course assessment is important as it will include a highlight of your practicum hours.

Step #3 – Apply to Your State Department of Education
Once you’ve received your credentialling evaluation, you’ll apply to your state department of education. You may also need to practice a state-specific exam or exams, like the Praxis. You will also need to conduct a criminal background check. You’ll normally receive a provisional practice license.

Step #4 – Find Your Teaching Job
Once you have your provisional license you can look for a job with a school board or private school. With a provisional license you’ll be able to teach for a certain period of time while completing a year of teaching experience and completing any additional required exams. During the one year period you’ll also normally be paired with a mentor teacher.

This is a general overview. The exact process, required exams, hours of practice, and provisional teaching requirements vary by state. For more information, please contact your state’s department of education.