The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 states that teachers must complete annual registration tasks by 30 September each year in order to teach in the following year. Legislation provides a 3 month grace period (until 31 December) in which teachers remain registered so that they can complete their tasks. Those who do not complete their tasks by 31 December are removed from the register of teachers and unable to teach.

In previous years, under different legislation, when the annual registration tasks were due by 31 December, many teachers were removed from the register for failure to complete on time, leaving schools and early childhood services without teachers ready to teach on the first day of term 1. This was common due to teachers being on extended holidays over the summer break.

Registration tasks must be completed yearly to ensure teachers continue to maintain their suitability to teach, their recency of practice and professional development. This is one of the main ways in which VIT regulates the teaching profession and a critical function to ensure only qualified and suitable persons are registered to teach.

Many professions, such as doctors, nurses and psychologists have similar registration requirements to those of teachers (like annual fees, required qualifications, a period of provisional registration, renewal requirements including annual professional development hours, and adherence to professional standards) and must complete these in accordance with the relevant regulatory body.

The VIT provides a wide range of statutory functions that are mandated by legislation, and these functions extend well beyond registering teachers to ensure only qualified and suitable persons are eligible to work in Victorian schools and early childhood services. 

Although VIT reports to the Minister for Education, it is not part of the Department of Education (DE) and does not receive any direct government funding.

The VIT approves and accredits initial teacher education programs that prepare early career teachers for working in Victoria, and supports beginner teachers to enter the profession and develop their practice through professional standards.  
 
The VIT also investigates instances of misconduct, incompetence or lack of fitness to teach. This work is critical and provides for the safety and wellbeing of children.     
  
All of this work is completed on a cost recovery basis, with VIT’s operational costs funded through revenue from teacher registration fees.  

Please note: Victorian teachers are exempt from requiring a separate Working with Children Check (WWCC), as VIT’s assessment and continuous monitoring is deemed sufficient in determining an individual's suitability to work with children. All other teacher registration bodies in Australia require teachers to hold a separate WWCC. The WWCC fee in Victoria is $123. Many other teacher registration bodies also receive government funding. 

The VIT is obligated to administer Part 2.6 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) and our work is completed on a cost recovery basis primarily funded through revenue from teacher registration fees.

The VIT is governed by a 14-member Council that is informed by a number of committees. Advice from the VIT Council and committees informs the work undertaken by the Chief Executive Officer and VIT’s six branches.

Teacher registration fees contribute to the operation of VIT’s regulatory functions as outlined below

Under legislation, registered teachers are required to make declarations about their continuing suitability to teach, recency of practice and professional development as part of the annual registration process - i.e. it is not just about paying a registration fee.

In previous years, some teachers would make payment and not complete the declarations, which meant they had not fully completed their tasks and subsequently became deregistered.

Further to this, there were instances where teachers would make payment in order to submit their annual registration tasks and then cancel the payment. This also led to teachers becoming deregistered for not making payment.

These circumstances have necessitated VIT to link a credit card payment as the last step in the annual registration process, preventing the ability to offer other forms of payment or the option to schedule payment.

All registered teachers are subject to continual state police checking to ensure they remain suitable to undertake the duties of a teacher. This enables teachers to use their registration (including non-practising registration) in lieu of a Working with Children Check (WWCC). All other teacher registration bodies in Australia require teachers to hold a separate WWCC. The WWCC fee in Victoria is $123.

Those who do not wish to pay for non-practising registration are able to cease registration and re-apply (meeting all current requirements) when they wish to teach again. Note: fully registered teachers who cease being registered for more than five years may only be eligible for provisional registration if they return to teach.

Upon payment, you are prompted to view or download a copy of your receipt.

You can also view and download your payment history at any time through your MyVIT account by navigating to the 'View applications' tile. Click the down arrow (on the far right side) of the relevant application and select ‘View receipt’. 

To request a copy of pre-2020 invoices for tax-purposes, please contact VIT.

Fully registered teachers are required to complete 20 hours of professional development (PD) which relates to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) and make declarations about this learning as part of their annual registration application each year.

As part of this process, VIT randomly audits these declarations and those selected are required to provide evidence via the MyPD tool. The MyPD tool keeps track of PD activities to substantiate your annual renewal declarations (i.e. this requires more than just recording time and place). The reflections on learning forms the basis of our assessment as to how the PD activity relates to the APST. 

Further to this, it is compulsory for all non-practising teachers who are returning to teach to provide evidence of their 20 hours of PD using the MyPD tool.

Previously, a high proportion of audited teachers were not able to meet the evidence requirements or able to articulate how the learning they undertook related to the APST. As such, the 200 character limit was introduced to ensure that teachers do provide sufficient reflection about their own learning and how it may inform their teaching practice.

Teachers who are audited and do not correctly enter their reflections in this section of MyPD are at risk of not being able to successfully pass the audit.

Your MyVIT account hosts personal information that could be used in identity theft. As a public sector agency, the VIT’s operations fall under the Victorian Protective Data Security Framework (VPDSF), and it is a legislative requirement for passwords to be changed frequently to protect both teachers’ privacy and their data. 

The VIT is currently exploring whether it can introduce 2 factor authentication, which would negate the requirement to update MyVIT passwords every three months. Given VIT is funded by teacher registration fees (we don’t receive government funding), part of its considerations will be the cost of implementing this change.

The VIT is independent of the Department of Education (DE), as well as the school and early childhood education sectors.

It is bound by the Victorian Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 and the Health Records Act 2001, and therefore cannot share information with external agencies unless specifically mandated.

This requires VIT to operate and maintain a teacher management system that is separate to all other entities.

Registered teachers don’t need a card to prove their registration status. We regularly remind employers of this fact, and it is also stated on our website.

The VIT maintains an Employer portal that allows schools and early childhood services to search a teacher’s registration status in real time. All teachers and early childhood teachers who are registered are also publicly listed on the Register of teachers.

Some schools / early childhoods services / casual relief teaching agencies require teachers to show their registration cards for administrative purposes. This is beyond VIT’s control.

The VIT is currently investigating the use of digital registration cards. Look out for more information in the new year.

The VIT has no jurisdiction over employment matters. However during the past 2 years, we have been actively working with the Department of Education (DE), and the Catholic and Independent school sectors to address workforce shortages where possible.

To date, VIT has registered 1,540 PTT (COVID-19) holders to work in government and Catholic schools to fill short term absences relating to COVID-19 absences. A large number of PTT (General) grants have been issued to fill roles in independent schools. The assessment of these applications has been prioritised to ensure classrooms have teachers during periods of high absenteeism.

The VIT has also been working with DE to streamline the process for international students applying for registration. We have also been working with initial teacher education providers, AITSL and the Victorian government to gather data on workforce shortages in order to understand where the gaps are and how they might be addressed. 

The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) was amended by Parliament in 2011, to remove VIT’s professional advocacy role, and we no longer have a legislative remit to advocate on behalf of teachers or the teaching profession.

However, the VIT recognises the high professional and ethical standards of registered teachers and early childhood teachers, as well as principals and early childhood educational leaders in Victoria. These professionals support children and young people and have a huge impact in shaping their lives.

As a regulator, VIT has an important responsibility to respond to growing community expectations while ensuring the teaching profession is respected for its crucial role in delivering excellence in education. The VIT is committed to educating teachers and the community about teaching quality by showcasing best teaching practice.

We often receive questions about employment issues or curriculum matters, requests for professional development or services that might be expected from an industrial advocate or membership organisation. VIT is an independent regulatory body, and these aren’t matters we’re able to assist you with.

So it’s important to clarify who we are, and who we’re not.

The VIT is an independent, self-funding government authority, regulating the teaching profession in the public interest. Although we report to the Minister for Education, we’re not part of the Department of Education (DE).

What we do

And here’s what we are not

The VIT is funded primarily through teacher registration fees - it does not receive any direct government funding.

It is cost-prohibitive for VIT to attend all 2,400 schools and 4,000 early childhood services across Victoria.

We are looking to provide a series of informative webinars for teachers to attend in 2023. Look out for more information in the new year.

The VIT takes its responsibility to uphold the Victorian Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 and Health Records Act 2001 seriously.

The VIT recognises the impact that negative media coverage can have on teachers, their school / early childhood service communities, their students and the broader community. The VIT also understands the impact that sustained media coverage on teacher conduct issues can impact on the teaching profession as a whole.

The VIT does not actively seek media attention, particularly with regard to teacher conduct matters. Following the suspension or cancellation of a teacher's registration who has been found guilty of misconduct, and in accordance with its legal obligations under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), the VIT updates the Register of teachers and may publish the outcome on the Register of Disciplinary Action (RODA).

The RODA is available to the public and regularly monitored by the media. The VIT will only provide a statement when specifically asked by a journalist or reporter for information. Any statement is carefully vetted to ensure it does not breach privacy obligations and that it only states publicly available information.

The VIT has no jurisdiction over employment matters, and it is inappropriate for us to provide guidance on how to find teaching positions.

The VIT works with the Department of Education (DE), as well as government, independent and Catholic sector agencies and initial teacher education providers to ensure qualified and suitable persons are available to undertake the duties of a teacher in a Victorian school or early childhood service.

We have been working closely with agencies during the past 12 months to minimise workforce shortages, however this work must be done within VIT’s legislative remit.

The VIT has no jurisdiction over employment matters. However during the past 2 years, we have been actively working with DE, and the Catholic and Independent school sectors to address workforce shortages where possible.

To date, VIT has registered 1,540 PTT (COVID-19) holders to work in government and Catholic schools to fill short term absences relating to COVID-19 absences. A large number of PTT (General) grants have been issued to fill roles in independent schools. The assessment of these applications has been prioritised to ensure classrooms have teachers during periods of high absenteeism.

The VIT has also been working with DE to streamline the process for international students applying for registration. We have also been working with initial teacher education providers, AITSL and the Victorian government to gather data on workforce shortages in order to understand where the gaps are and how they might be addressed.