Permission to teach (PTT) is a temporary and alternative authorisation to teach that enables individuals who do not meet the qualification requirements for teacher registration to undertake the duties of a teacher in a school. PTT is usually limited to specific subjects or subject areas at a particular school, and therefore cannot be used to undertake casual relief teaching.

The Minister for Education has recently endorsed an amendment to the PTT Policy to accommodate new PTT categories that have been introduced to support Department of Education (DE) initiatives. 

1. PTT (Aboriginal languages) will be granted to applicants delivering an Aboriginal language program in any Victorian school.
2. PTT (Higher Education Studies) will be granted to applicants delivering one or more higher education studies subjects to school aged learners in a Victorian school setting. This category only applies to currently practising academic staff from Victorian higher education providers employed in an approved school setting, such as the Centre for Higher Education Studies (CHES).

The VIT has also changed the naming convention for ‘PTT (Pathway)’ to ‘PTT (Internship)’ to avoid confusion for stakeholders. PTT (Internship) allows applicants to undertake an accredited employment-based pathway to teacher registration, such as the Teach for Australia (TFA) program or the Master of Teaching (Internship) at the University of Melbourne.

PTT (Aboriginal Languages)

Since early 2021, VIT has worked with the DET’s Koorie Outcomes Division and the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI) to support the teaching of Aboriginal Languages in primary schools by Aboriginal elders and certificate qualified Aboriginal people.

PTT (Aboriginal Languages) will enable to delivery of an Aboriginal language program in any Victorian school. 

PTT (Higher Education Studies) [PTT (HES)]

A new Victorian government school, the Centre for Higher Education Studies (CHES) will open in 2023. CHES will provide access to tertiary courses to high achieving and high ability senior students in rural and regional areas and those in priority cohorts.

The higher education subjects offered at CHES will be delivered by academic staff employed by partnering universities or registered school teachers who are accredited by the university to deliver the subjects.

Academic staff delivering the higher education subjects at CHES will require PTT (HES) as they will be undertaking the duties of a teacher.

PTT (Internship) – previously known as PTT (Pathway)

The Education and Training Reform (Miscellaneous) Act 2021 (Vic) introduced a new regulatory function for VIT to approve Pathway Programs into ITE. Since the introduction of Pathway Programs, there is confusion amongst stakeholders with respect to PTT (Pathway) and Pathway Programs. 

PTT (Pathway) is granted to pre-service teachers undertaking an accredited employment based / internship ITE program. Whereas Pathway Programs into ITE are programs delivered by higher education providers and registered training organisations to prepare prospective students to meet the entry requirements for an ITE program.

How to apply for PTT

The application process for each PTT category is the same. 

1. An application must first be submitted to VIT by the employer / school / ITE provider seeking to fill a position with a PTT grant. The application must provide reasons for seeking to fill the role with an individual who is not qualified to be a teacher, along with the candidate who has been endorsed to fill the role.
2. The endorsed candidate must then apply for a grant of PTT. The candidate can only teach once the application has been assessed and approved.