Teachers who hold provisional, experienced returning or full registration can apply for non-practising registration if they are not currently teaching.
Reasons for holding non-practising registration could include
- unable to meet the professional practice requirements for maintaining current registration
- currently unable to teach for health reasons
- currently teaching overseas
- unable to meet the requirements to move to full registration
- taking a break from the profession.
Is non-practising registration right for you?
These examples show how different work or leave arrangements can affect your registration.
| Scenario | Teaching situation | Non-practising registration can help you… | Key takeaway |
| Family leave | Taking extended family leave (more than 1 year) and not working in a teaching role | • remain registered while on leave • pause practice and learning requirements or the 6 year limit for provisional registration | If you’re planning time away from teaching, switching early can reduce stress later |
| Health matters | Currently unable to teach (and unlikely to be able to return in the short term) due to health impacts e.g. work-cover, undergoing treatment | • remain registered while focusing on your health - VIT will not request current information from your treating health practitioner about your ability to undertake the duties of a teacher while you hold non-practising registration • pause practice and learning requirements or the 6 year limit for provisional registration | If you're not undertaking the duties of a teacher, you can focus on your health until you're ready to teach again |
| Career break | Taking a break from teaching (e.g. travel or other plans) | • pause practice and learning requirements or the 6 year limit for provisional registration • stay connected to the profession while not teaching • keep your registration active while planning your next steps | You don't have to think about registration while you're taking a break |
| Tutoring | Working as a tutor or educational leader that generally doesn't meet equivalent practice requirements for registration renewal | • stay registered even if your role doesn't meet APST requirements • avoid renewing based on practice that may not be recognised • keep options open to return to school-based teaching | Not all education roles count as teaching. Check before renewing to avoid issues |
| Educational leadership | Outside of a school or early childhood setting | • stay registered even if your role doesn't meet APST requirements • avoid renewing based on practice that may not be recognised • keep options open to return to school-based teaching | Put your registration requirements on hold while you're not in a school or early childhood setting |
Log in to your MyVIT account to review or change your registration.
Teachers with non-practising registration will be required to maintain their continued suitability and fitness to teach and will continue to be exempt from requiring a Working with Children Check (WWCC).
However, they will not be permitted to teach or be employed or engaged as a registered teacher in any Victorian school or early childhood service.
Registration obligations and how to apply
If you hold full, experienced returning or provisional registration, you can apply to become non-practising at any time* and monitor the status of your application through your MyVIT account by navigating to the 'Manage registration' tile and selecting 'Apply for non-practising'. Your name will continue to appear on the register of teachers.
*During the annual registration period (mid-August to 31 December), full registered teachers can only apply for non-practising registration when they complete their annual registration tasks.
Before you apply, make sure you are ready to return to practising registration. Once your registration is changed from non-practising to practising, you cannot apply again for non-practising registration within the same registration period (12 months). This includes situations where you no longer meet the requirements to return to non-practising registration.
Non-practising teachers cannot teach in any Victorian primary, secondary or special school, or be employed/engaged as a registered early childhood teacher in a Victorian education and care service or a Victorian children’s service.
Teachers may continue to use their non-practising registration in lieu of a Working with Children Check (WWCC).
Teachers who hold non-practising registration can apply for practising registration at any time by completing an application to return to teaching via their MyVIT account. Over 97% of applications are approved the same day. If you are wondering whether you'll need to provide additional supporting information with your application, you can contact us prior.
Non-practising teachers who previously held experienced returning registration will be able to return to teaching as a provisionally registered teacher and required to move to full registration using VIT’s Inquiry process.
Visit the Returning to teaching from non-practising registration page to find out more.
Click here for some helpful videos, including information about why you may want non-practising registration and what happens if you retire from the profession.
Ceasing your registration
If you do not wish to maintain your registration, you can log into your MyVIT account and complete a cessation of registration form. You will be given the option to choose what date you wish you cease your registration (up to 31 December), and you will continue to receive VIT communications and be able to teach until that date.
Once you cease your registration, you will be unable to undertake the duties of a teacher. If you wish to teach again, you will need to log into your MyVIT account, submit a new application for registration and fulfil all current registration requirements.
Please note: fully registered teachers who cease their registration for more than 5 years and wish to re-register as a teacher, may only be eligible to apply for provisional registration.
You can also find more about ceasing registration on the FAQs page.
Ongoing obligations
All teachers, regardless of their registration category, are required to meet certain obligations in order to maintain their registration.
For those with non-practising registration, these include
- completing the annual registration process by 30 September each year, which includes
- making suitability declarations about their ongoing fitness to teach
- paying an annual registration fee
- consenting to VIT running a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) every four to five years*
- maintaining their details with VIT, including confirming/updating their name, contact and employment details.
* If registration was granted before 30 September, the NCCHC will be conducted as part of the annual registration process during the fourth year.
Visit the Maintain my registration page to find out more.
Read our non-practising FAQs for more information.
Last updated: 07 Oct 2026