A person with an early childhood qualification to teach learners up to 8 years of age must hold teacher registration in order to teach in primary setting. If they wish to teach in an early childhood service, they require early childhood teacher (ECT) registration.
The type of VIT registration that ECTs are required to hold is determined by the sector they work in.
Type of qualification | Type of registration | Permissible teaching setting |
---|---|---|
Early childhood education (learners up to 8 years old) |
ECT | Early childhood service, kindergarten and preschool |
Teacher | School | |
ECT and Teacher | Early childhood service, kindergarten, preschool and school | |
Early childhood education (learners up to 5 years old) |
ECT | Early childhood service, kindergarten and preschool |
Please note:
- schools must not employ persons who only hold ECT registration to undertake the duties of a teacher in a school - this applies to all primary / secondary school settings, including Cycle One Montessori; and
- early childhood services must not employ a person in a substantive role if they only hold teacher registration (i.e. they must employ persons who hold either ECT registration or both teacher and ECT registration).