Victorian Government Tutor Learning Initiative

You must register your interest to be a tutor in a government school through Recruitment Online (ROL), at which time you will be provided with information regarding employment opportunities.

Individual schools will be responsible for recruiting their tutors, based on student learning requirements. If you are a preferred candidate, and do not hold current teacher registration, you will need to contact VIT regarding your options for registration. 

You may wish to wait for advice from a school on whether you are a preferred candidate before submitting your application for registration. 

If you choose to register before being recommended as a preferred candidate from a school, you can apply for other teaching positions and use your teacher registration in lieu of a Working with Children (WWC) clearance (previously known as a Working with Children Check or WWCC) for child-related work (other than teaching).  

Please note that application fees are non-refundable. 

The process to gain registration to work as a tutor under the TLI will depend on your individual circumstances.  

1. If you can meet all the current requirements for teacher registration, you should apply for full registration or provisional registration. 

2. If you cannot meet all the current requirements for teacher registration, you can apply for a new permission to teach (PTT) (Teacher Tutor) category. The employing school will need to initiate the process with VIT. Once we receive confirmation that you have been offered a position, you will be able to apply for PTT (Teacher Tutor) through your MyVIT account.  

You will be assessed in accordance with the requirements of PTT (Teacher Tutor), English language competence, and suitability – including Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) and overseas criminal record check (CRC) as applicable. 

Please note that if you are a pre-service teacher, you will not be eligible for PTT (Teacher Tutor), however you can be engaged as an education support staff member and perform the duties of a tutor under direct supervision. 

Proving your identity and suitability to teach 

The VIT’s key function is to provide for the safety and wellbeing of children by ensuring only qualified and suitable persons are teaching Victorian learners. Suitability to teach means determining whether a person is fit to teach and whether a person is physically or mentally able to teach. The VIT must assess whether the character, reputation and conduct of a person are such that a person should be allowed to teach in a school / early childhood service. 

You will be required to provide evidence that proves your identity as well as give consent so VIT can undertake a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) on your behalf. We may carry out other criminal record checks from time to time.   

Declaring physical and / or mental health conditions 

You need to declare any physical or mental impairment that may seriously detrimentally affect your ability to practise as a teacher.

Overseas criminal record check (CRC) 

If you were over the age of 18 and lived continuously in any country other than Australia for 12 months within the last 10 years, you will need to provide a certified copy of a police certificate issued by the national police service in the country you lived in. Please refer to Australian Department of Home Affairs for accepted overseas CRCs. 

Applications can take up to six weeks for VIT to assess. The VIT completes a rigorous assessment of an applicant’s qualification for registration, including suitability to teach. The VIT is required to undertake a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) on your behalf. This can take time to be returned to VIT, at which time, your application will be assessed for your suitability to teach. Assessment of suitability to teach includes consideration of criminal history, professional history, impairments, reportable conduct, and Working with Children (WWC) exclusions and interim exclusions (previously known as negative and interim negative notice) from Working with Children Check Victoria (WWCCV). 

If you haven't done so already, please confirm your eligibility and register your interest in participating in the Tutor Learning initiative with the Department of Education (DE). 

Individual schools will be responsible for recruiting their tutors, based on student learning requirements.  If you are a preferred candidate, you will need to contact VIT regarding your options for registration. 

You may wish to wait for advice from a school on whether you are a preferred candidate before submitting your application for registration. 

Standard application fees will apply – initial registration fee and Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) fees apply. Visit the fee section of our website for more information. 

No. Early childhood teacher / education support staff are excluded from the initiative. Under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, only registered teachers or holders of permission to teach (PTT) are able to undertake the duties of a teacher in Victorian schools. 

No. TAFE and university teachers are excluded from the initiative. Under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, only registered teachers or holders of permission to teach (PTT) are able to undertake the duties of a teacher in Victorian schools. 

If you previously held permission to teach (PTT) and you are unable to meet all the current requirements, you can apply for PTT (Teacher Tutor) which will enable you to use your registration for the purposes of the Victorian Government’s Tutor Learning initiative. 

The employing school will initiate the process with VIT. Once we receive confirmation that you have been offered a position, you will be able to apply for PTT (Teacher Tutor) through your MyVIT account. 

You will be assessed in accordance with the requirements of PTT (Teacher Tutor), English language competence, and suitability – including Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) and overseas criminal record check (CRC) as applicable. 

PTT (Teacher Tutor) will be granted until 31 December 2025 to undertake small group tutoring in any Victorian school only. 

If you meet current VIT registration requirements (including a minimum of four years of tertiary education), you can apply for teacher registration – full registration or provisional registration. 

No. All pre-service teachers must liaise with their initial teacher providers and register directly with the Department of Education through Recruitment Online (ROL).  

If you previously held full registration or provisional registration and you meet the all current requirements, you can apply for teacher registration. 

If you previously held teacher registration but are unable to meet all the current requirements, e.g. you are thee-year trained, you can apply for permission to teach (PTT) (Teacher Tutor). 

The employing school will initiate the process with VIT. Once we receive confirmation that you have been offered a position, you will be able to apply for PTT (Teacher Tutor) through your MyVIT account. 

You will be assessed in accordance with the requirements of PTT (Teacher Tutor), English language competence, and suitability – including Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) and overseas criminal record check (CRC) as applicable. 

PTT (Teacher Tutor) will be granted until 31 December 2025 to undertake small group tutoring. 

Registered teachers can use small group tutoring completed under the Teacher Learning Initiative (TLI) to meet and maintain practice requirements as outlined below.  

• While private tutoring will not allow provisionally registered teachers (PRTs) to demonstrate all of the standards required to demonstrate proficiency of practice, they can use their experience as a tutor under the Victorian Government's Tutor Learning Initiative to count towards their required 80 days of teaching for an application for full teacher registration. However, tutoring practice will not allow for the demonstration of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) at the proficient teacher level. To demonstrate they have met the Proficient Teacher level of the APST, PRTs must use VIT’s Inquiry process.

• Fully registered teachers (including those with a returning to teach requirement can use their experience as a tutor under the Victorian Government's Tutor Learning Initiative to demonstrate recency of practice (a requirement of annual renewal). 

• Holders of permission to teach (PTT) (Teacher Tutor) can use their experience as a tutor under the Victorian Government's Tutor Learning Initiative to contribute to recency of practice (i.e. 80 days teaching in the past 5 years) requirements for immediate full teacher registration applications.

Tutoring practice will not allow for the demonstration of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) at the proficient teacher level. To demonstrate  they have met the Proficient Teacher level of the APST, provisionally registered teachers (PRTs) can only complete VIT's Inquiry process if they are performing the duties of a teacher. 

The required 80 days teaching can be accumulated while working in the Victorian Government’s Tutor Learning Initiative (TLI). 

What activities constitute the duties of a provisionally registered teacher?

The teacher

• delivers an approved curriculum
• individually assesses student learning against the approved curriculum
• plans for learning against the approved curriculum
• provides feedback on learning to students both formally and informally
• reports this progress (informally and formally) to parents/carers
• demonstrates clear understanding of the legal obligations pertaining to registered teachers and strategies to ensure a safe and inclusive learning environment
• is able to demonstrate all 37 descriptors of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) at the proficient standard
• is able to undertake all of the compulsory requirements of VIT’s Inquiry process to demonstrate proficiency of practice.

Please note: Solely one-to-one will restrict a teacher’s opportunity to demonstrate competency against all of the required standards and is therefore not an appropriate setting for teachers to undertake an Inquiry to demonstrate proficiency against all 37 descriptors of the APST.

Teachers working in small group situations may also be unable to demonstrate proficiency against all 37 descriptors of the APST and therefore are encouraged to contact the Professional Practice team for advice regarding the suitability of their context.

The VIT recognises some individuals who are registered as permission to teach (PTT) (Teacher Tutor) have been out of the profession for a number of years. The Department of Education has advised that schools and tutors will be supported through a professional learning program tailored to delivering high quality small group tutoring.  

Holders of PTT (Teacher Tutor) must complete 20 hours of professional learning aligned with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), including completing professional learning on the following topics 

• mandatory reporting 

• working with learners with special needs 

• Child Safe Standards 

• Victorian Teaching Profession Codes of Conduct and Ethics. 

Some resources to support your professional learning in these areas can be found below. 

Mandatory reporting 

• Mandatory reporting  e-learning modules 

Working with learners with special needs 

• ARC – inclusive education for learners with a disability 

Child Safe Standards 

• Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) - Child Safe Standards

Ensure you speak with your school leadership team to discuss how the Child Safe Standards are implemented in your school. 

You may also wish to consider the following activities 

• watch a conduct case study video and write a reflection identifying 
  - what principles of the Code the case study relates to; and 
  - what steps you can take to ensure your conduct aligns with the expectations on the Code 

• read the Code and have a professional discussion with your colleague(s) about how you ensure your conduct aligns with the expectations on the Code. 

Victorian Government schools can contact their education improvement leader (EIL) located in their regional office with queries relating to delivery of the Tutor Learning Initiative. 

Schools can also

• contact tutor@education.vic.gov.au for general queries about the initiative
• contact the Schools Recruitment at sr.tutor.recruitment@education.vic.gov.au or 1800 641 943 for queries relating to tutor HR and recruitment
• contact the School Financial Management Support Unit at schools.finance.support@education.vic.gov.au for queries regarding funding
• refer to the Victorian Institute of Teaching for information regarding VIT teacher registration for tutors
• contact notebook@education.vic.gov.au for queries about the tutor laptops.