The Teachers Registration Board of South Australia (the Board) is committed to ensuring that the teaching profession is comprised of competent educators and fit and proper persons to have the care of children.
Pursuant to Part 4, Section 20(1) of the Teachers Registration and Standards Act 2004 (the Act), a person must not undertake employment as a teacher, principal or director at a school or prescribed service unless the person is a registered teacher.
Pursuant to Part 6, Section 30(1) of the Act, the Board may, on application by a person who is not a registered teacher, in its discretion, grant the applicant a Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach (Special Authority). This restricts the applicant to teaching specific subjects and year levels at a specific school or prescribed service for a defined period of time. The Board will not generally grant Special Authorities for leadership positions in schools or prescribed services.
In some exceptional cases, schools and prescribed services are unable to secure the services of a registered teacher. This generally arises in geographically remote areas or subject areas where there is a shortage of registered teachers.
In these cases, and only after every effort has been made to fill a teaching position with a registered teacher (including advertising the position externally), the Board may, as an emergency measure, grant a Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach.
If granted, a Special Authority will restrict the holder to teaching as per the subjects and fraction of time advertised. The Special Authority will generally restrict the holder to teaching at a single site, however the Board may consider granting a Special Authority holder permission to teach at multiple sites, but only at those sites nominated by the employer and only after each site had externally advertised the position.
Special Authorities are an emergency measure and pre-schools and schools should not rely on Special Authorities being granted. All applications are considered by the Board on an individual basis.
To apply for a Special Authority (Advertised), your employer must complete and lodge an Application for a Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach (Advertised) form with the Board.
The Board's policy enables applicants who have completed a Bachelor of Teaching (Anangu Education) from the University of South Australia, to teach in Anangu schools in South Australia. Anangu schools are located on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the northwest of South Australia.
This Special Authority does not enable the applicant to teach in any other school in South Australia.
Anangu education teachers can lodge an Application for a Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach Anangu Education form with the Board with the appropriate fees .
Exchange Teachers are generally employed through agreements between educational authorities in South Australia and educational authorities overseas and interstate.
Teachers appointed through an exchange program are placed in a specific school for up to one school year.
Exchange Teacher applicants can lodge an Application for a Special Authority to Teach as an Exchange Teacher form with the Board. There are sections of this application form which the employer is also required to complete.
Approval of an application results in the granting of a Special Authority to the Exchange Teacher applicant. This restricts the Exchange Teacher applicant to teaching at a specific school or pre-school, for a defined period of time not exceeding one school year.
Exchange Teachers may apply for teacher registration if they wish to seek employment as a teacher in South Australia for a further period of time.
The Board's policy enables instrumental music instructors, who do not hold teacher registration, to teach in a school or pre-school in the specialised subject area of a specified musical instrument, (e.g. piano, violin, guitar, vocal teaching, saxophone, recorder, flute, etc.) or category of musical instruments (e.g. keyboard instruments, stringed instruments, woodwind instruments, percussion instruments etc.).
Minimum qualification requirements
Successful completion of the Graduate Certificate in Music Teaching from the Elder Conservatorium/the University of Adelaide; or successful completion of the Bachelor of Music (including HM4027) from TABOR; or
- A major study in the instrument to be taught as part of an approved music degree, diploma or equivalent qualification awarded on satisfactory completion of a tertiary course of study that is of at least three years full-time duration or part-time equivalent and;
- Evidence of approved studies in music education/teaching/pedagogy.
Evidence of approved studies in music education/teaching/pedagogy would consist of at least 135 hours of study (approximately one-quarter of a full-year) at workshops, seminars, summer schools or tertiary courses. These are offered by universities, TAFE colleges and professional music organisations like the AMEB, MTA, Orff, Yamaha, Suzuki, AUSTA, ASME, etc.
This Special Authority does not enable the applicant to teach any other subject.
Instrumental music instructors can lodge an Application for a Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach as an Instrumental Music Instructor form with the Board with payment of the appropriate fees.
The Board's policy enables religious or spiritual educators, who do not hold teacher registration, to teach in the specialised subject area of the religion of a school or pre-school. Such leaders may be ordained priests or ministers, members of a religious order, or lay people recognised within the relevant religious/spiritual community.
This Special Authority does not enable the applicant to teach any other subject.
A Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach as a Religious or Spiritual Educator in Schools or Pre-Schools is required when:
- Teaching in the area of the religion of a school or pre-school. This means teaching a course of instruction (e.g. studies in sacred text) as a part of the religious/spiritual education program of the school or pre-school.
- Teaching a language which is an integral part of the study of a religion. It is distinct from teaching a language other than English.
A Special Authority is not required when providing pastoral and/or spiritual support to the school community.
Minimum qualifications requirements
- Either a tertiary qualification from a recognised university (or approved equivalent) that is of at least three years' full-time duration (or part-time equivalent), in a field related to the study of religion (e.g. Bachelor of Theology or Bachelor of Divinity etc.), or an approved equivalent degree or diploma.
- Or recognition and endorsement from the relevant religious or spiritual community.
Religious or Spiritual educators can lodge an Application for a Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach (Religious or Spiritual Educator) form with the Board with payment of the appropriate fees.
All early childhood teachers working in an approved education and care service in South Australia need to be registered with the Teachers Registration Board of South Australia (the Board) or have authorisation from the Board to practice as a teacher.
An approved education and care service comprises –
- pre-schools, kindergartens, early learning centres or
- the provision of centre-based long daycare services that consist of pre-school education to children birth to six, who have not yet commenced school.
You must have teacher registration in South Australia if you:
- are employed as an early childhood teacher in an approved early childhood education and care service.
Registration recognises the professional standing of early childhood teachers in the community.
On 1 January 2012, the Education and Care Services National Law 2010 (the National Law) and Regulations 2010 came into effect, which describes the regulatory requirements for education and care services for children in Australia.
The National Law contains a transitional provision for a person working as an early childhood teacher. This provision applies on and after 1 January 2014.
Are you eligible to be recognised as equivalent to an early childhood teacher?
You are eligible if you:
- are actively working towards an accredited early childhood teaching qualification and can provide documentary evidence that you are at least 50% through a four-year course or,
- hold an approved Diploma and are enrolled in an accredited early childhood teacher education program.
You can check the updated list of approved early childhood teaching qualifications on the ACECQA website.
Please note, not all of these programs will be accepted for teacher registration in South Australia. If you are unsure about your qualifications meeting requirements, please contact us for further clarification.
To apply for a special authority to teach as the early childhood teacher applicants must complete the Application for Teacher Registration form and provide supporting documentation detailed in the Guideline for Application for Teacher Registration.
Applications must also include a formal letter of offer of employment as the early childhood teacher, including proposed commencement date and payment including three years of annual fees.
The Special Authority for unregistered persons to teach, Temporary Relief Teacher (TRT) policy has been created upon request from the three Education sectors in response to a workforce shortage in South Australian schools and preschools.
Authority holders are expected to progress towards completion of their initial teacher education (ITE) studies and teacher registration.
The policy is limited to those pre-service ITE students enrolled in their final year of study, either in an accredited South Australian program, or an online equivalent interstate program and who reside in South Australia.
The policy does not include students enrolled in a Teach for Australia program or its equivalent.
An authorisation holder can be authorised to teach at several sites concurrently as a Temporary Relief Teacher (TRT) under this authority.
This Policy has no application for Principal, Director or other leadership positions.
Applicants must be in their final 12 months of an accredited South Australian ITE program or online interstate equivalent. An unofficial academic transcript will be required for the Board to assess the application.
The employer will ensure holders are adequately supervised, provided with mentoring and appropriately inducted in relation to providing for child safety and wellbeing. A primary mentor must be named for each SAT TRT holder, applicants can provide this name up to four weeks after their application has been approved.
