darkless

So, finally after 3 1/2 years in the planning, everything was coming together nicely.

Only thing left to do was to get Helen (my wife) registered as a teacher in WA. Application in with the Ed Dept - spoke to them fine, no problem, she just needs to do a 2 day course when we arrive. Then they tell us that Helen also needs to register with the Western Australian College of Teaching, a new registration board which has just been setup (September) following new government legislation!!

Fine, applied to them - heard back today!!! They wont accept Helen because her degree was only 3 years in length not the 4 years the government legislation states. Don't get me wrong I am all for ensuring teachers are fully qualified, but Helen's degree was a course specifically design for Primary School Teachers (BA(hons) Primary Education). She has passed it and has been working in the UK as a teacher for a number of years. But she is not good enough for the Aussies, yet someone who has done a 3 yr degree in David Beckham studies or something equally as useless, and who then has done a one year teacher training course it allowed to teach. Now let me clarify, the second route is absolutely fine, but surely they should be flexible enough to realise that a 3 yr dedicated degree in teaching is as valid if not very slightly more valid than just doing the single year on top of your non-related degree.

So it now seems that Helen will have to go back to uni out there - which she wont want to do as she adores teaching and will be so gutted to think she a) has to prove herself again and b) wont have a class for well over a year.

Also I am not sure we can afford for her to go back to uni!!

What a mess! We were only saying yesterday that things were going all too well at the moment!!

I am considering writing a letter asking them to reconsider their decision, but the person I spoke to on the phone today which pretty adament that it was out of their hands, it was all down to government legislation!!!

I had heard rumours of Aussie being up their own ar5es about qualifications - I am sad to see that it true!

Sorry! Rant Over....

kulu

I don't believe it!

Is it the same all over Oz or just WA?

If not come to Qld and she can teach our children (if we ever get there)!

Lou

Ushas

An interesting outlook. I agree it's not very nice to have to deal with...however, I graduated in a teaching course in Oz and had over 8 years teaching experience...and had the same problem when I came to the UK. As a country that is part of the commonwealth and which has such terrific teaching schemes that the UK has actually bought them in and adapted them to UK teaching situations I couln't come here and teach either. I had to go through extra courses and assessments to get QTS. Although if I'd been teaching in some remote or isolated hut in an EU country I could've walked into any job I wanted regardless of language or teaching barriers.

Personally I thought that was pretty cr*p too!

So I guess it works both ways!

johnnie7au

Well

Two ordinary national certificates plus a higher national certificate , Registration with the UK Engineering council ... Recognized by Aussie immigation but realistically, Not recognized by employers.

So I just bit the bullet and did a 3 year B.A and a 1 year B.Ed. in Education a while after I got here.

It is worth it, One year will fly!, some units could perhaps be done externally or on line. and maybe you could maybe get part time job somewhere to reduce the financial burden.

sackofspuds

I sympathise, there are plenty of people who did a 3 year BEd here who have plenty of experience. Would it be the same if you went to another State?

How about on-the-job training? Is that possible there? Do you need to have your qualifications recognised for private schools?