NKSK version 2

Agree.

BTW just had a look at your profile. Are you moving out to Australia? PM me if you'd rather not announce things!!

OzTennis

No problem, I've mentioned our circumstances before. Me - from Melbourne, met Mrs OzT (who is also a teacher and a tennis player) at the same tennis club in Melbourne; she's out in Melbourne from Scotland on a 2 year minimum teaching stint after being recruited in UK; stays much longer after marrying me, gets very homesick, I'm happy to move to the UK for a change and an adventure.

Many years later we are still here but we intend going back to Melbourne at some point in the future (Mrs OzT will need a spouse visa, that's how I stumbled on BE's). We visit Melbourne every year and have a property out there. I can either teach, do tennis coaching, start up a business or unwind when we go back. And there you have it! I've taught in both countries, am registered in both countries and hence the interest in this thread.

I could give you a long story about how the General Teaching Council for Scotland needed a lot of convincing about my qualifications from the University of Melbourne (one of the world's esteemed Uni's) but it would take too long to describe the problems I had.

OzTennis

NKSK version 2

Oh God, don't tell me about that or I'll have to eat my words after slating the Australian skills recog. system!


Sounds like a nice situation to be in.

OzTennis

Yes, it is a nice position to be in - can teach and coach in both, live in one, visit the other each year, properties in both, like living and working in both etc.

The registration problems I had with GTC (Scotland) were twofold. Firstly, I registered before leaving Oz and had to send the equivalent of 3 or 4 large trees of documentation about my degree and Dip Ed from Uni of Melb - obviously results from Student Records but they wanted a detailed syllabus for each subject I undertook in my degree and Dip Ed which they examined for a couple of months before pronouncing it all acceptable.

I was registered in Oz to teach a number of Business Studies subjects incl Accounting and Economics and that was in the state, private and TAFE systems when there were separate registration boards.

This wasn't acceptable to GTC because they said I had to be able to teach Secretarial Studies as well so I had to qualify myself in Typewriting/Word Processing before they would register me (I was registered to teach Accounting, Economics, Business Management and I.T. but couldn't start until I could teach typing as this was the major subject area in Bus Studs in Scotland). I did this after I arrived in the UK by attending the local college (not university!) and it took 6 months (Mrs OzT started working straight away as obviously she was already registered here). In Victoria at that time it was common to be a Business Studies or a Commercial Studies teacher rather than the 2 rolled into one so this was at the heart of my registration difficulties. In retrospect, learning to touch type was one of the best things I have done and this too sounds like a skills recognition problem doesn't it!

OzTennis

Swerv-o

That sounds worse than the nightmare I have had registering in Oz!

I'm happy with my NSWIT registration now, as it means that I can at least teach in the private sector.

I know that the Canadian girl that I was teaching with at my last school is having real problems getting the GTC (E&W) to recognise her teaching quals, and refused to grant her QTS without additional courses. I also know that the school has a policy of recruiting overseas teachers. I wonder if they do this on purpose, knowing that they will not get QTS, so that they only have to pay them at the unqualified rate, as opposed to the qualified rate? That's a difference of over £5k in the base rate of pay. Multiply this across 10 or so teachers in the school, and that's a substantial saving...

Or is this just some kind of conspiracy theory I'm now propogating. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they arn't out to get me...

S

OzTennis

We have an overseas teacher in our school who has been appointed but is having problems with GTC over registration and so hasn't started teaching (how can you get the job first, before the registration you may well ask and perhaps our local authority could answer that!). Her job is being covered by supply teachers at the moment which short term I suspect would end up more expensive than a new probationer teacher. We're 2 months into the new session and the new lady hasn't appeared. yet!

Is private and public sector registration separate in NSW? It used to be in Vic when I was registered but I think one body does private, public and TAFE now.

OzTennis

Swerv-o

Well, there's the funny thing - I tried to register with the state DET in NSW, and they said no, the same as NOOSR, but they passed my details on to the NSW Institute of Teachers, who said yes, and have given me provisional accreditation as a qualified teacher teacher, just have to do the two years professional development programme to gain full accreditation.

My friend works for the DET, and he did some digging for me, and said that this was good, because apparently the NSWIT decision overrules the DET decision, meaning that apparently I can teach in both sectors. Confused? I was...

I think, for the sake of safety I will just seek employment in the private sector until I gain my professional accreditation, incase the DET go moaning to the NSWIT about their decision and they change their mind. Talk about left arm not co-ordinating with the right though...

S

OzTennis

Yes, and perhaps a unitary authority responsible for all registration is the way to go as in Vic? The UK at least has just one body for all E&W and separate bodies for Scotland and NI. But then again the UK's a small place and nearly fits into Vic! Good luck with everything.

OzTennis

mick_newcastle

Hi Just wondering - not sure how off topic it is - should my wife get a positive skills assessment from AEI- NOOSR Primary schools Teacher and we both get PR on a 136 visa.

How would she go about registering to teach in Brisbane ?

SHe has a BA Hons Primary Education degree from Sunderland Uni ( 3 year course when she studied / now a 4 year course.) - so wouldnt imagine that has any bearing?

ali south

I have a BEd, also 3 years of study and was recently turned down for teaching in public schools in QLD. I am not sure whether she could teach in the catholic system, I have to undertake additional study to get them to accept me. I have not looked into this because we decided to live in NSW. Three years is a big issue, I think that is what you are saying your wife's length of study was???Look into this carefully, she can apply for registration from the UK. I applied in August and got a reponse 3 weeks ago.
Good luck Tara

ali south

However! Just reread your message! I also got turned down by NOOSR so that might be an indication of her fate. I got our visa through vetassess as an education officer

Good luck
Tara

mick_newcastle

Thanks for your response Tara,
Judging by the Noosa forms she only had to have a Bacheler degree in teaching, which included supervised teaching practice for x amount of hours.

It's a complicated one - The Degree she did was originally a 4 year course, at the time of my wife enrolling onto the course they changed it to 3 years.
Due to the Pressure on the students it was decided that the course would revert back to 4 years upon the following years intake. (for the next lot of students).

So it has always been a 4 year course but sunderland experimented with a 3 year course - the course that my wife enrolled on.
So although she only studied a 3 year course - 95% of students will have done the BA hons degree in the 4 year format.

I shouldnt have thought it would be a problem - it certainly hasn't been within the Uk, I know that an English Primary school teacher can't however teach North of the Border (Scotland - 70 Miles away lol).
Maybe the problem was with Bed quals and PGCE's - I know that they scrapped Bed quals quite a few years ago.

PGCE route generally tend to be done by students who have realised that the degree studied itself doesnt open many doors in there chosen profession, so they see becomming a Teacher as an easy escape route. Lets face it that means 1 year study to get a PGCE and a Teaching Profession.
I wonder how many have realised just how hard you teachers work.
Mick

mick_newcastle

Tara,
Where do you apply for Registration ? Is there a website with information.

OzTennis

I'm not commenting on any individuals but in general - the General Teaching Council for Scotland has more stringent conditions for entry into the profession than its E & W counterpart. For this reason it is unusual to find a teacher in a Scottish teaching seemingly unusual combinations of subjects eg P.E. and English.

Due to the so-called McCrone pay rises of the last 3 years there has been a huge increase in E & W teachers applying for registration and for positions in Scotland. E & W teachers get slightly longer holidays and easier acceptance for registration to counterbalance this and in the past they received higher salaries.

OzTennis

ali south

Mick

try not to get your hopes up if this will be your route to a visa, it was a huge problem for me and many others, there have been lots of threads on this topic, if you look back you will read my many moments of despair also failing NOOSR added one year to my visa application as I was the main applicant, at one point we thought we were not going to get a visa,

I hope for your sake it all works out. As far as I know, three years with no PGCE means she will fail the NOOSR assessment. Is she your only hope for a visa? What other qualifications could she use like education officer for example.
Once you get the visa there are ways around being able to teach, private schools or more study for your partner. It will be difficult but it is possible. I know all this sounds so negative but I have just been through it all, I have also only been in Oz 7 weeks so it is all fresh to me.

BEST OF LUCK

here is the link you wanted

http://www.btr.qld.edu.au/reg.htm
Tara