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.
Anangu Bilingual Education in Schools or Pre-Schools
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 Bilingual Education form with the Board with the appropriate fees .
Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach First Nations Language and Culture
This policy applies to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons who do not hold teacher registration and who are seeking a SAT for the purpose of delivering Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages and culture programs.
The board acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first educators of this country, having sustained complex and sophisticated systems of knowledge transmission, cultural learning, and intergenerational teaching for tens of thousands of years.
The board further acknowledges that the effective delivery of First Nations language and culture programmes requires the involvement of culturally authoritative educators who may not hold teacher registration. These educators bring essential linguistic knowledge, cultural expertise, and community-endorsed authority that cannot be replicated through conventional teacher preparation pathways. Their participation is critical to ensuring that teaching and learning in these contexts is authentic, culturally grounded, and aligned with community expectations.
This policy applies to those who can demonstrate appropriate content knowledge of the subject area/s that they will be teaching. Applicants will meet this policy requirement by providing evidence that they meet one or more of the following:
- Hold a Certificate III in Learning an Australian First Nation Language;
- Hold a Certificate IV in Learning an Australian First Nation Language;
- Currently undertaking an accredited or approved initial teacher education program;
- Have demonstrated experience in delivering First Nations languages and cultures in an education setting for a minimum period of 12 months in the preceding five years; and/or
- Have been employed for a minimum of 12 months within the preceding 5 years as an Aboriginal Education Worker in a government school or preschool.
Have written authorisation confirming that the applicant has both cultural authority and is proficient to teach the relevant First Nations language and culture for one or more if the following First Nations organisations:
- An aboriginal community-controlled language organisation registered by the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations;
- a Recognised Aboriginal Representative Body under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988;
- a Native Title Prescribed Body Corporate recognised by the South Australian Native Title Services or a member of the Council of Aboriginal Elders of South Australia; or
- a school or preschool language programme advisory group with majority Aboriginal membership
Links
Application for A Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach First Nations and Culture, and
Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach, First Nations Educator Policy.
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.
If you require this form please contact the office on 08 8253 9700.
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 or an approved ACECQA qualification that meets the requirements for registration as a teacher in South Australia pursuant to regulation 7 (1) (c) and 7 (1) (d) of the Teachers Registration and Standards Regulations 2021 and can provide documentary evidence that you are at least 50% through your course or,
- hold an approved Diploma and are enrolled in an accredited early childhood teacher education program or an approved ACECQA qualification that meets the requirements for registration as a teacher in South Australia pursuant to regulation 7 (1) (c) and 7 (1) (d) of the Teachers Registration and Standards Regulations 2021 and,
- have an offer of employment as an Early Childhood Teacher that you wish to accept.
You can check the updated list of approved early childhood teaching qualifications on the ACECQA website.
Please note, not all ACECQA approved programs will be accepted for teacher registration in South Australia. Studying a program that does not lead to registration as a teacher in South Australia will not make you eligible for a Special Authority to Teach as an Early Childhood Teacher (Working Towards). 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 SAT Early Childhood Teacher form and provide supporting documentation as detailed in the form.
You can also review the SAT Early Childhood Teacher (Working Towards) Policy.
The Special Authority to Teach as an Early Childhood Teacher (Working Towards) can be granted for up to three years ending on 31 January in the third year. Depending on the proposed completion date of your studies you can determine to pay one, two or three 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.
The purpose of this special authority to teach is to enable a pre-service student to teach in a specific role, in an identified designated school (as listed in the policy) for up to two years, when enrolled in an accredited initial teacher education (ITE) employment-based pathway to teacher registration. The employment-based pathway only applies to positions where the duties to be undertaken are those of a teacher delivering an educational program in a school. Authority holders are expected to progress towards teacher registration. An authorisation confers like professional obligations of a registered teacher. Pre-service teacher applicants can apply for a special authority to teach under section 30 of the Teachers Registration and Standards Act, 2004.
This Policy is limited to pre-service ITE students employed in a limited list of South Australian schools.
Applicants include those who have been offered a contract of employment to teach in:
- a Teach for Australia program or
- a program associated with the High Achieving Teachers Program grants or
- a South Australian higher education institution offering an Internship ITE program
and will commence employment to deliver curriculum at a school only in the designated and listed schools in South Australia.
This policy has no application for Principal or other secondary school leadership positions.
PDF Version of PolicyThe Special Authority to Teach (SAT) for Returning Educators (TRT) is a new initiative designed to encourage experienced teachers who have retired within the past 5 years to return to South Australia's education workforce.
By creating a streamlined pathway back into teaching, this initiative recognises the immense value that retired educators bring through their knowledge, expertise and commitment to student learning.
The Board's policy establishes a clear, consistent, and transparent framework for granting Special Authorities to Teach (SATs) to individuals who were previously registered teachers and who now seek to return to the profession for the purpose of undertaking relief teaching. The policy supports the Board in meeting its statutory responsibility to ensure that all individuals engaged in teaching roles are suitable, competent, and capable of delivering high-quality education to children and young people.
The policy applies exclusively to:
- Individuals who have previously held full or provisional teacher registration in any Australian state or territory, or in New Zealand, and
- Who do not currently hold active registration but seek to return to the teaching profession for the sole purpose of undertaking relief teaching duties.
The policy is to be read in conjunction with the general principles set out in the Board's Special Authorities to Teach Policy. Where any inconsistency arises, the provisions of this policy take precedence.
Links
Special Authority for an Unregistered Person to Teach, Returning Educator Policy.
