Experienced returning registration

Experienced returning registration is designed to acknowledge the prior knowledge and experience of teachers returning to the profession who previously held full registration in Australia and New Zealand.

It helps returning teachers understand their obligations and professional responsibilities and allows them to familiarise themselves with the current teaching landscape in Victoria before returning to full registration.

Experienced returning registration applies to teachers who meet the current requirements for registration and have held full registration within the last

• 5 years and wish to return to teaching (but ineligible for immediate full registration due to missing 80 days of classroom teaching)
• 5 - 10 years and wish to return to teaching
• 10 - 15 years and have engaged in teaching related experience during that time and wish to return to teaching.

An experienced returning registered teacher (ERRT) has two years to complete the returning to full registration process by demonstrating

• their practice meets the Proficient Teacher level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST)
• they have taught for at least 80 days in one or more Australian or New Zealand schools or early childhood services.

Once an ERRT has completed the returning to full registration process, they can apply for full registration.

Experienced returning registration helps returning teachers understand their obligations and professional responsibilities, while protecting the profession’s high standards of professional practice and conduct.

In recent years, the regulatory landscape surrounding the issues of child safety and wellbeing in Victoria have been dynamic. After time away from the profession, teachers must ensure they demonstrate knowledge of current standards, legal responsibilities, and the expectations of the community to establish and maintain appropriate professional boundaries.  

Completing the requirements ensures returning teachers

• are up to date with the Victorian Teaching Professional's Code of Conduct and Ethics and Child Safety Standards
• are familiar with the current Education State priorities
• are acclimatised to the current Victorian teaching landscape and aware of the professional responsibilities and community expectations of being a teacher
• can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of their responsibilities as a teacher regarding child safety and wellbeing
• can demonstrate their proficiency against the APST, including knowledge of current localised practices such as working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners (1.4)
• comply with regulatory requirements
• are reflective and can identify their areas for professional improvement
• engage in professional discussions and have feedback provided from their experienced colleagues and employers
• have their proficiency and currency of practice attested by their employer.
   

Teachers who hold experienced returning registration have two years to complete the returning to full registration process.

This work is undertaken in collaboration with other experienced fully registered teachers who can provide the experienced returning registered teacher (ERRT) with feedback and support to understand their obligations and professional responsibilities and familiarise themselves with the current teaching landscape in Victoria.

The Return to Full Registration Pathway is designed to guide an ERRT through the five stages of the experienced returning registration requirements, with each stage represented as a module within the pathway, including

1. Stage 1: Child Safety
2. Stage 2: Priority Standards
3. Stage 3: Professional Practice
4. Stage 4: Identified Learning
5. Stage 5: Attestation.

An ERRT can access the Return to Full Registration Pathway to complete each stage via their MyVIT account.
 

• An applicant may be eligible for experienced returning registration if they have previously held full registration within the past 15 years in Australia or New Zealand.
• Applicants not holding full registration within the last 10- 15 years will be required to provide evidence of their further education-related qualification(s) and/or education-related practice, to be assessed by VIT on a case-by-case basis.
• You hold current provisional registration or have applied for registration.

Stage 1: Child Safety

• attend a VIT Code of Conduct Webinar
• complete the Protecting Children: Mandatory Reporting and Other Obligations (PROTECT) online training
• complete a Professional Responsibilities Report.

Stage 2: Priority Standards

Engage in a minimum of five hours of professional learning focusing on the five identified priority areas based on standards

• 1.4: Strategies for Teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Learners
• 2.4: Understand and Respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to Promote Reconciliation Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians
• 1.6: Strategies to Support the Full Participation of Learners with Disabilities
• 3.2: Plan, Structure, and Sequence Learning Programs
• 5.1: Assess Learning.

Stage 3: Professional Practice

• observation of a fully registered teacher
• observation conducted by a fully registered teacher
• two professional conversations to identify and develop a professional learning plan.

Stage 4: Identified Learning

Identify areas for improvement and professional learning that aligns with the APST. Topics may include, but are not limited to

• inclusive education
• curriculum-focused initiatives
• technology in the classroom
• assessment techniques
• classroom management strategies
• classroom practices
• workplace priorities.

Stage 5: Attestation

• meet with employer to discuss progression through each stage of the pathway and present evidence of meeting the requirements
• employer to confirm if the requirements have been met and Intention to make a recommendation for full registration.

The employer recommendation must be completed by one of the following

• VIT fully registered principal
• VIT fully registered early childhood Director/Service Leader
• VIT fully registered early childhood teacher delegate.
   

A teacher completing their experienced returning registration requirements does not require the guidance of a VIT trained mentor. A teacher can choose a fully registered colleague and their employer to guide them through this pathway.

An experienced returning registered teacher (ERRT) can approach an experienced colleague within their workplace requesting support to complete the requirements.  

This may come from a variety of individuals you have daily contact with, for example

• Principal
• Assistant Principal
• fully registered teacher in the lead teacher cohort
• fully registered early childhood Director/Service Leader
• fully registered early childhood teacher delegate
• school scheduler (for CRTs)
• other fully registered teachers or early childhood teachers
• VIT trained mentors working at your school or early childhood service.

It is important you use your workplace supports to ensure you are teaching at the Proficient Teacher level of the APST within your context. The best people to know this are the workplace leaders and teaching peers, therefore, it’s appropriate for these people to provide guidance about your professional practice.

Your employer must confirm they are ready to attest to your proficiency required for you to declare you have fulfilled all requirements and complete the Attestation module (stage 5).

Once the Return to Full Registration Pathway is complete, you can apply for full registration and your employer can submit a recommendation for full registration.

The employer recommendation must be completed by one of the following

• the principal (a fully registered teacher in a position of leadership)
• a leader or Director if they are fully registered teacher (EC setting)
• a fully registered early childhood teacher (ECT)

The Return to Full Registration Project Team is here to support you should you require clarification or guidance throughout the returning to full registration process.

The two-year timeframe granted to an experienced returning registered teacher (ERRT) should be sufficient in most teaching contexts to complete all requirements. You can discuss with your employer strategies to further support you in completing your requirements within this timeframe.

If your employer will not attest to your proficiency, the application for experienced returning registration will be closed and the teacher can apply for a further grant of provisional registration. Another grant of experienced returning registration will not be offered.  

The VIT will not recognise teaching in tutor, home-schooling teacher or other non-educational setting situations for the purpose of experienced returning registered teacher (ERRT) eligibility. To demonstrate maintaining proficiency or moving towards proficiency, a teacher must be actively teaching learners within a school or early childhood setting.

80 days of teaching can only be compiled in any Australian or New Zealand school or early childhood setting. Teaching days from any other country cannot be counted in this context.

All teachers that meet the eligibility criteria can apply for experienced returning registration via their MyVIT account regardless of their employment status. The VIT encourages applicants to obtain support from a workplace they have strong working relationships with to ensure they are supported throughout the returning to full registration process.

Experienced returning registered teachers (ERRTs) are required to complete 2 x 1-hour observations to meet the requirements of the returning to full registration process. To assist them in completing this requirement, ERRTs working in a standalone early childhood setting should 

1. contact the Gowrie Victoria, or
2. seek assistance from a fully registered teacher in a geographically nearby primary school.

Experienced returning registered teachers (ERRTs) completing the returning to full registration process are required to upload three documents into the Return to Full Registration Pathway via their MyVIT account including

1. VIT Code of Conduct Certificate
2. Mandatory Reporting Certificate, and
3. Professional Responsibilities Report.

All other evidence of professional learning should be kept by the teacher in the event of being selected for audit. Teachers can do this by selecting the ‘MyPD’ tile via their MyVIT account. 

The VIT recommends for all experienced returning registered teachers (ERRT) to keep their evidence for a period of two years. While an ERRT is not required to provide evidence, apart from the Child Safety requirements, you may be selected for audit.  

An audit will ensure that the process has been undertaken consistently and all judgements about the standards are made consistently.

Equivalent practice, where a registered teacher is working in an industry / organisation aligned with teaching and / or education, their work in this setting cannot be utilised to complete the experienced returning registered teacher requirements.

The Return to Full Registration Pathway is designed as a school-based process. Its purpose is to showcase current teaching practice to demonstrate meeting the proficient level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST).

The process used to demonstrate proficiency is a collaborative improvement cycle. The Return to Full Registration Pathway is designed to support and assure the workplace and community that all Victorian teachers are meeting consistent minimum standards of teaching practice and child safety.  

Your days of teaching can be collated from a single workplace or several workplaces. You will be required to provide a statement evidencing days of teaching at the time of application.

You can undertake the 80 days of practice in more than one workplace setting. As long as you can provide evidence that you have taught for 80 days in Australia or New Zealand over the past five years, these can be in more than one school or service.

The evidence can be in the form of a statement of service, pay slip or letter/email from the workplace.

The VIT only grants an eligible teacher one opportunity to apply for experienced returning registration. If an experienced returning registered teacher (ERRT) ceases their registration, or fails to meet the registration requirements, they will not be granted experienced returning registration again and they will need to apply for provisional registration.

Returning from non-practicing registration is when a currently registered teacher is returning to teaching after a period of being unable to teach due to holding non-practicing registration.

Returning to full registration is when a previously registered teacher is returning to teaching after five years or more years of being out of the workforce. An experienced returning registered teacher has previously held full registration and is working towards returning to full registration again by completing the returning to full registration process.

The Experienced Returning Registration Teacher Guide breaks down the Return to Full Registration Pathway and includes a range of resources, checklists and templates to guide you through the process. 

You can also contact our Return to Full Registration Project Team via email at rtf@vit.vic.edu.au or phone on 1300 888 067.