No. The same criterion and requirements are in place and we do not offer exemptions. You will need to wait until you can sit the test and get results before submitting an application to AITSL.
Please visit the IELTS global test taker community information webpage for the latest news from IELTS.
For a small number of applications, remote/alternative teaching practice may be considered. Please visit the Covid-19 and 2020 Study page for detailed information to determine if you may fit within this category.
Send an email to [email protected]
Existing applications access through the Applicant portal message centre.
AITSL does not provide face-to-face services. PLEASE NOTE: Visitors to the AITSL office cannot be attended to.
Please send any skills assessment enquiries to our email [email protected] All correspondence about an application should be made via the Applicant portal. Emails sent to other email addresses will not be considered or responded to.
Applications must be made through AITSL’s Applicant Portal. For further details on the evidence needed to submit an application, please refer to the Application Guide and checklist for your occupation, available at Migrate to Australia.
For information on how to use the Applicant portal, please refer to the user guide available on the Migrate to Australia webpage.
Yes, AITSL requires a complete application to be lodged for assessment. Colour copies of all supporting documents must be uploaded at the time an application is submitted. If further information needs to be requested this will result in delays to the assessment process.
No, AITSL does not provide a fast track assessment service. If an assessment outcome is needed by a specific date it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure a complete application is submitted well before the required date.
AITSL's estimated assessment time is 10 to 12 weeks from the date of submission.
The step-by-step process can be found on our web page at Migrate to Australia. After you have read the documents and guides, please go to the Applicant portal to start the online application process.
Scan your documents in at least 300 dpi resolution. Ensure that your documents are in the correct format. The Applicant portal will only accept pdf, jpeg, jpg, png, bmp and tiff file formats. Don’t forget to click upload once you have attached your document.
Email: [email protected]
Existing applications: Applicant portal message centre
No, questions about migration, visa and points requirements must be directed to the Department of Home Affairs.
AITSL can only answer questions about the skills assessment of school teacher occupations.
For information about criteria and requirements for the different teacher occupations, please visit the Migrate to Australia webpage and download the Application Guide and the checklist specific to the occupation you wish to nominate.
No. AITSL can only provide general information. We do not provide a pre-assessment service. AITSL compares an applicant's qualifications against the assessment criteria in place at the time they apply. Without a complete application including a full set of evidence, AITSL is not able to provide an assessment.
AITSL cannot provide advice on proposed study to meet the requirements of this assessment. AITSL compares an applicant’s qualifications against the assessment criteria in place at the time they apply.
Assessment criteria may change over time to reflect current Australian teaching standards and Australia’s immigration policy. As such, AITSL advises against making educational choices solely on the basis of hoping to achieve a particular migration outcome.
No, the AITSL skills assessment for teachers is a qualifications based assessment. Work experience undertaken before or after the completion of an initial teacher education qualification will not be considered as part of the skills assessment.
AITSL cannot direct or recommend an applicant to choose a particular occupation. A skills assessment considers an applicant’s qualifications and English language proficiency. Applicants should choose the school teacher occupation for which their teaching qualification/s is most relevant.
A Special Needs Teacher has a specialist qualification for teaching students in early childhood, primary, middle and secondary school, with learning difficulties or other special needs.A Special Education Teacher (not elsewhere classified) has a specialist qualification in a distinct field/s of special education not covered by the occupations:
A skills assessment can consider qualifications that are:
For teaching qualifications, AITSL is able to consider qualifications comparable to the educational level of an Australian bachelor degree (Australian Qualifications Framework Level 7) or higher.
For non-teaching qualifications, AITSL is able to consider qualifications comparable to the educational level of an Australian Advanced Diploma / Associate Degree (Australian Qualifications Framework Level 6) or higher.Please note, AITSL does not have a list of accredited programs for skills assessment purposes.
AITSL does not provide a pre-assessment service. We compare an applicant's qualifications against the assessment criteria in place at the time they apply. Without a complete application including a full set of evidence, AITSL is not able to provide an assessment.
Applicants should include details of all completed higher education qualifications. Please refer to the application guide for the documents to include for each qualification.
No, AITSL cannot consider study that has not resulted in a formal academic qualification.
AITSL Assessment for Migration does NOT have a list of accredited programs for the purposes of skilled migration. The accredited programs list on the AITSL website is a record of programs accredited as an initial teacher education program in Australia.
An initial teacher education qualification is the qualification required to teach in a school classroom or educational setting. It must include at least one year of full-time study (or part-time equivalent) and be specific to the stage of schooling of the nominated occupation.
The qualification must include a program of professional studies in education including discipline-specific curriculum, pedagogical studies, general education studies and supervised teaching practice relevant to the age range of the students for the occupation you have nominated.
No, it is your responsibility to download these documents from the university portal and upload them to your application.
AITSL Assessment for Migration can only consider initial teacher education programs that result in a formal academic award, final academic transcript and a statement of supervised teaching practice all issued by the institution awarding the teaching qualification.
No, as with all initial teacher education qualifications, a post-graduate certificate of education (PGCE) must meet the qualification requirements set as part of the AITSL skills assessment criteria.
The following scenarios may result in a PGCE that does not meet the criterion:
Please note, AITSL is not able to provide advice on your prospective course of study nor do a pre-assessment of study you have already completed. See the FAQ on What should I study to gain a successful assessment?
Yes, the skills assessment requires an applicant to have completed at least one year of initial teacher education study relevant to the nominated occupation.
A qualification designed for practice as one school teacher occupation would not likely meet the requirements for a second occupation. Please note that this may be different to the requirements for teacher registration.
No, Montessori qualifications in general are not recognised by AITSL as meeting the professional criterion as it is considered a specialised method of teaching.
No, AITSL completes assessments for the purpose of migration for school teacher occupations only. If your qualification is in TESOL, TEFL or ESL you may need to refer to the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) from the Department of Home Affairs for an appropriate occupation and the relevant assessment authority. Please note that some initial teacher education qualifications may have ESL or TESOL as a specialist subject area.
An AITSL skills assessment includes an English language requirement which can be met either through a study option or with a suitable Academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Test Report Form (TRF).
AITSL does not accept any other form of English language test towards meeting this requirement. For further details please refer to the application guide and checklist for your occupation available in the Migrate to Australia webpage.
No. AITSL will only accept an Academic IELTS Test Report Form. We do NOT accept PTE, PEAT, ISLPR, TOEFL, Cambridge or any other form of English language test.
As part of our standard process, all IELTS TRFs are verified by the IELTS TRF Verification Service. If we find that the test result you submitted is not authentic, we would decline to assess the application and inform the Department of Home Affairs. It is the duty of the applicant to ensure that the testing centre is legitimate. The British Council and IDP Education websites have lists of the different testing centres around the world.
No, AITSL would decline to assess the application and we would not accept further evidence. In most cases, we would also decline to assess additional applications from you. Where this is the case, you will be notified of this as part of the outcome letter.
An AITSL skills assessment can consider qualifications that are:
Please note that to fulfil the study option of the English Language criterion (Option 1), your total study must equal four full years in any of the six listed English speaking countries and this study must include a recognised initial teacher education qualification. All components of the initial teacher education qualification including supervised teaching practice must be completed in one or more of the six countries listed.
Yes, credit transfer arrangements, recognition of prior learning or advanced standing may impact on an applicant’s ability to meet the study option which requires four full years of study in one of the listed countries.
AITSL will only consider a doctoral degree completed in one of the six listed English speaking countries to be a maximum of two years of full-time study towards meeting the study option of the English language criterion. Please note that the initial teacher education including the supervised teaching practice component must also have been completed in one of the six listed countries.
An applicant should only include evidence for one option. However, AITSL reserves the right to ask an applicant to undertake the Academic version of the IELTS test if there is uncertainty about their level of English language proficiency.
Supervised teaching practice is the compulsory component of an initial teacher education program during which time a student teacher is on a school placement and engaged in the teaching and learning process with school students. This teaching practice is under the supervision of a qualified teacher and university education staff and is formally assessed by the university.
University based teaching practice activities undertaken with fellow students and university staff will not be considered.
No. For the purpose of skills assessment, work experience undertaken before, or after the completion of an initial teacher education qualification is not supervised teaching practice.
Only supervised teaching practice undertaken with school students in a school setting, as a compulsory component of an initial teacher education qualification, will be considered.
No. The minimum duration of supervised teaching practice must be undertaken within the age range but does not need to be completed with every age in the age range. For example, if you are applying for early childhood occupation and the STP requirement states birth to 8 years range and you have done birth to 5 years, we would consider the STP as meeting the requirement.
The purpose of the AITSL skills assessment is to determine whether your qualifications and English language proficiency meet the requirements for skilled migration, in one of the nominated school teacher occupations. For more information visit the Migrate to Australia webpage.
AITSL’s assessment is intended for migration purposes only.
The purpose of the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) assessment is to determine whether your qualifications meet the requirements to work in early childhood education and care services in Australia.
ACECQA’s assessment is not intended for migration purposes. For more information contact ACECQA.
AITSL Assessment for Migration does NOT have a list of accredited programs for the purposes of skilled migration. The accredited programs list on the AITSL website is a record of primary, primary/early childhood and secondary teacher programs accredited as an initial teacher education program in Australia. If you would like to check if your qualification is National Quality Framework (NQF) approved, please visit the ACECQA website.
There are some differences in the qualifications requirements for assessments undertaken by AITSL and ACECQA.
AITSL’s qualification criterion is informed by initial teacher education program accreditation standards and teacher registration requirements in Australian states and territories. Teachers must be registered to teach in an Australian school. Qualification requirements can be found in the application guide on the Migrate to Australia webpage.
ACECQA’s minimum qualification requirements are informed by those set in the National Quality Framework (NQF). Educators working in children’s education and care services must meet these requirements. There are also some states and territory specific qualification requirements for working with school age children (e.g. in outside school hour services). ACECQA offers a qualifications checker to see whether your qualifications are recognised under the NQF. For more information contact or visit ACECQA.
Yes, the minimum duration of supervised teaching practice must be undertaken within the age range but does not need to be completed with every age in the age range. The STP requirement for early childhood teacher states birth to 8 years range but if you have done birth to 5 years, we would consider the STP as meeting the requirement.
No. AITSL Assessment for Migration and ACECQA recognition are separate and different. Each have different requirements. It is important to understand that a successful assessment for one does not ensure a successful assessment for the other.
To work in some early childhood education and care services in Australia you may need to have your qualifications assessed by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority. For more information contact or visit ACECQA.
No, the AITSL skills assessment does not require an applicant to hold teacher registration.
If you wish to work as a teacher in Australia you will need to gain registration with the teacher regulatory authority in the relevant state/territory. A complete list of authorities is available here.
An AITSL skills assessment is for skilled migration purposes only. It is separate to teacher registration requirements. If as part of your migration you require a skills assessment for a school teacher occupation, you will need to apply to AITSL. Please confirm with the Department of Home Affairs whether you require a skills assessment for your migration.
To teach in Australia, you need teacher registration. The registration and employment of teachers in Australia is the responsibility of the relevant state and territory authorities.
Contact details of the state and territory regulatory authorities can be found at Migrate to Australia links.
No. However the dashboard in the Applicant portal will show you when your application has been successfully submitted, when it is under assessment and when it has been finalised.
If AITSL needs to contact you, you will receive an email to your nominated email address asking you to log in to the Applicant portal and review your messages.
AITSL’s estimated processing time is 10 to 12 weeks from the date of submission. The 10 to 12-week timeline only applies if a complete application is received. If an application is incomplete or incorrect this will delay the processing of your application.
Yes, an application can be withdrawn. To withdraw an application, AITSL needs to receive a request in writing (via the Applicant portal) from the applicant or agent.
AITSL can only issue a partial refund (AUD 700) if the assessment of the application has not commenced. No refund will be issued if assessment of the application has started.
For next steps after an assessment, applicants should contact the Department of Home Affairs.
Points for skilled migration purposes is a matter for the Department of Home Affairs to determine. The Department has guidance on points depending on the visa types.
Closely related skilled occupation is defined by the Department of Home Affairs as those occupations that fall within one unit group classified under ANZSCO. Occupations are grouped together under ANZSCO to form unit groups. Unit groups are denoted by 4-digit codes and generally are at one skill level.
For example, if the application is for the occupation of primary school teacher, (ANZSCO 241213), the applicant could not use work experience as a secondary school teacher (ANZSCO 241411), as it is in a different unit group and would have a different range and complexity of tasks.
An AITSL skills assessment certificate is valid for two years from the date of issue and cannot be renewed.
Your first step is to contact AITSL to clarify the reason behind your assessment outcome. If you still do not agree with your outcome, you may request a formal appeal. This request must be made via the applicant portal within 60 days of the date of your assessment outcome.
There is a fee for this service. For information about current fees please visit our fees page.
An independent reviewer will consider the original application and additional information/evidence demonstrating you met the assessment criteria at the time of your initial assessment. If you wish to submit new evidence obtained after the date of your assessment outcome, such as a recent qualification or an Academic IELTS test result, you will need to submit a new assessment application.
All correspondence about an application and appeals should be made via the Applicant portal. Emails sent to other email addresses will not be considered or responded to.
Successful applicants who receive a positive AITSL Skills Assessment Certificate will be eligible to request a Skilled Employment Statement (SES). You can request a skilled employment statement from the Applicant portal after your assessment is finalised. You will need to upload your statements of employment. Further information regarding the requirements for skilled employment statements can be found in our SES webpage. Applicants who do not receive a Skills Assessment Certificate are ineligible to apply for an SES.