GillyG

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has got a 3 year degree in PET and has managed to get a job in Oz? From what I have been told by Teaching Australia I will not be able to teach as they require all teachers to have 4 years of tertiary education. Seems crazy that I should have to do the equivalent of a PGCE as my whole degree was in teaching!!! I also have a 2 year, full-time diploma in Nursery Nursing (NNEB). I only qualified in 2007 so will have 1 year's experience when I leave the UK.

Thanks x

WS

If you need to apply for a visa then yes, you will need to get your skills assessed by 'Teaching Australia' who require either a 4 year BEd or a 3 year degree with PGCE.

If you already have a visa you will need to register with the College of Teaching in the state you want to work in. Unfortuntely they also require a 4 Yr BEd or PGCE.

Use the search facility on here to see previous discussions on this topic! Good luck .

tynajon

Howdy,

What moderator has to say os correct...
I have a 3 year degree in primary ed but had to do a PGCE to make up the 4 years required for a visa. I know every visa has different requirements so I can only share my experiences, here goes....
Ive applied for a temp 3 year visa to be sponsored by the state of Victoria (primary teachers is currently on their demand list - how realistic that makes getting a job is another matter). I cant get an instant permanent visa because I dont have the compulsory 3 years full time teaching experience (I only have 2). Even then the Victoria Institute of Teaching (exquiv to our GTC) asked for my NQT year to be completed too in order for them to register me. So have had to wait 5 years in total (3 year degree, pgce then NQT year). Thats the only way I could apply. There are so many requirements for so many different visas so it all depends on what visa you are considering? I have a friend who is due to qualify this summer for a 3 year teaching degree with QTS so goes straight into her NQT year this Sept - but they still want the 4 years even though she will be a qualified teacher in the UK. Are you currently teaching promary/doing your NQT year?
kind regards
tyna

GillyG

Yeah I am currently in my NQT year teaching Reception. It just seems so crazy- I can't see how "they" think someone with a degree in teaching is less qualified than a 40 year old accountant who has completed a PGCE (which, in theory, would be OK)!

tynajon

Is the idea of emmigrating to australia enough of a pull for you to consider topping up your 4 years study? I dont know if your completed NQT year counts as 1 of the required 4 years study? After all youre monitored (in a real job) and have to meet the teaching standards just the same as for a pgce (especially as an NQT one is are expected to be better at their job than as a QTS/pgce student).

WS

No unfortunately the NQT year does not qualify as the fourth year of studying.

GillyG

We are actually gaining a visa on my husband's skills/quals. so it won't deter us from emigrating. I don't think my NQT year would count as my 4th year, just one year of teaching experience. I just find it so frustrating...obviously I'm not one of the most experienced teachers in the world but I have gained a 3 year degree in teaching with QTS which included 24 weeks of teaching practice AND a year of teaching experience in the UK- surely doing a PGCE would be like teaching your grandmother to suck eggs???!!!!!

WS

I'm sorry if you don't agree with it, but there's nothing you can do. To teach you have to register with the College of Teaching in the State you want to work in and you will see they all have the 4 year requirement.

Maybe you could look to do a teaching qualification in Australia which would enable you to teach when you finish it.

tynajon

Sounds like the best option xx

GillyG

I realise rules are rules but it is just annoying! I guess there are lots of pros about doing an extra year once in Oz but it is just ANOTHER year of not earning money- unless post grad. PR students get some kind of grant/bursary?

Plus we are wanting to start a family but have decided to wait til we get to Oz as emigrating will be stressful enough without a baby in tow! Decisions, decisions...

Simon.and.Kate

Hi,

My OH is in the same boat. We've applied for a visa on my merit, but still need to satisfy Queensland College of Teachers to allow Kate to register to teach.

Read about our progress here: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=466301

We've been in contact with QCT alot, have worked out that Kate is 60 credit points short of their requirements.

To summerise though, Kate is doing an extra 'unit' at University which will be a 'work based project' and give 30 points. She has to go to a few meetings at uni, but then just cracks on with it her self - a bit like a mini disertation.

She can also get 30 points for mentoring ITT students, but could have just done a bigger project if this wasn't an option.

The way we see it, Kate should be able to get this done in a few months, and then apply for registration well before we arrive...

(fingers crossed)

We've kinda got over the bitterness stage and just getting on with what we need to do to allow Kate to teach in Queensland.

GillyG

God do I sound that bitter and twisted???!!!! I think that because I only qualified last year it is still so fresh in my mind how hard I worked to get my degree- the course used to be a 4 year course which the uni decided to condense down for the financial benefit of its students- so I feel I have worked just as hard as someone who did a 4 year course, even if it doesn't say that on paper. Oh well, looks like there's no way around it...if I leave it long enough and have lots of babies maybe by the time I get back to teaching the rules would've changed!

Simon.and.Kate

No more than we probably did 6 monts ago. And to be honest, I think Kate probably took it worse, because she had 5 years teaching experience and is highly thought of. She still doesn't like that thought that me, the one who did the PGCE as an after thought and has 2 years less experience is seen as more 'qualified' than her.

There is - it just depends on how much you want it and how much effort you want to put in. Don't be put off by the thought of an extra year, in reality it's not down to length of study at all, it's down to number of points.

If you want it, it can be done.

When I get time I'll update our other thread with some more of the emails we've had from QCT - they may be of use.

Where are you hoping to move to, which state?

GillyG

Simon,

Hopefully Brisbane area, my sister-in-law and her family live on the Gold Coast so we'd like to be near them give or take a couple of hours drive but it all depends on where one of us finds a job...not much hope for me on that front at the mo though! How about you?

Simon.and.Kate

So it's the QCT that you'll need to be contacting too then.

We're moving to Townsville, North Queensland. Kate's parents live there. You know that all the QLD state schools operate a 'pool system' don't you? So you apply to the authority and they 'place you'.

This scared the pants off us to start with, as they can 'place' you in hard to staff areas. But, it turns out that this doesn't really happen where we're heading, as it's already considered somewhat 'remote'. Brisbane may be somewhat different though, and you'd probably definately find it easier to find work 'out of town'...

We both spent time in schools in Townsville last August and are pretty hopeful of securing work after doing a bit of temp/contract work to begin with. It's pretty important that we get Kate's qual's sort out as there is no way she'd do anything other than teach - but we do also have the 'get sprogged up' backup plan too!