AITSL Skills Assessment — Teachers

The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) is the assessing authority for migration purposes for teaching occupations — Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher, Primary School Teacher, Secondary School Teacher, and Special Education Teacher. The assessment confirms that the overseas teaching qualification is comparable to the Australian standard for the relevant teaching category.

No. AITSL provides the migration skills assessment. State and territory teacher registration authorities (VIT in Victoria, TQI in ACT, NESA in NSW, QCT in Queensland, TRBWA in WA, TRB Tasmania, TRB NT, TRB SA) are the bodies that register teachers to teach in their jurisdiction. The two are separate processes — AITSL for migration, state authority for practice. Some applicants progress both in parallel.

AITSL assesses: (1) that your teaching qualification is comparable to a four-year Australian initial teacher education degree at AQF Bachelor or above; (2) that the qualification was designed to prepare teachers for the level you're nominating (early childhood, primary, secondary, or special education); (3) that you have completed a supervised teaching practicum of sufficient duration as part of the qualification; and (4) English language competency, with specific score requirements for the assessment itself.

AITSL accepts IELTS Academic and other recognised tests with published minimum scores — historically IELTS Academic with an overall and skill-band minimum, including a higher score for the Speaking and Listening bands. The published scores can change — verify the current requirement directly with AITSL before booking a test. The English requirement for visa points and grant is separate, assessed by the Department of Home Affairs.

AITSL publishes current fees on its website. Standard skills assessment is typically in the mid-hundreds AUD. Reconsideration, appeal, and additional report fees are charged separately. Verify current fees with AITSL before paying.

AITSL publishes current processing times. Plan for several weeks at minimum for straightforward applications; longer if additional information is requested or if the qualification requires deeper verification. State teacher registration is a separate timeline.

AITSL has minimum practicum requirements (commonly around 45 days of supervised teaching practicum embedded within the initial teacher education qualification, varying by category). If your qualification didn't include sufficient embedded practicum, AITSL is likely to issue a negative or conditional outcome. Bridging options may include further Australian study (a Master of Teaching) or, in some cases, an alternative occupational pathway. The right next step depends on the specific outcome letter.