Moving to (full) registration

• if your service is an Early Years Management (EYM) organisation, the EYM manager may be able to determine if there is a potential mentor at a nearby service.
• if you are a member of an early childhood professional associations, you may contact them to find out if they are able to assist. Alternatively, you may consider joining one.
• use your professional network or alumni contacts
• consider networking opportunities such as conferences and professional development (your local government may also hold network events for early childhood services)
• consider becoming a member of relevant early childhood social media pages
• if your service is coordinated by local government, the relevant officer at the local government office may be able to determine if there is a potential mentor at a nearby service
• if your employer operates multiple services, your area manager or equivalent may be able to point you to an experienced teacher from another service
• if your service is connected to a primary school, ask if you can be connected with an experienced teacher or mentor in the school
• ask a local primary school to assist you in connecting with an experienced primary school teacher to act as your mentor

The Department of Education and Training also operates a mentor map, which you can use to connect with local mentors in your area.

If you have any questions relating to the mentor map, or to add your service details to the interactive mentor map, contact DET’s early childhood mentoring team at ec.mentoring@edumail.vic.gov.au

Does the 80 days of teaching have to be completed in one school / service?

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 Australian or New Zealand schools or services over the past five years, these can be in more than one school or service. The evidence can be in the form of statement of service, pay slips or letter / email from the workplace.

It is recommended that before a workplace panel endorses an application for full registration, the workplace needs to have observed the teacher’s practice over an extended period and sight the evidence of teaching days.

The workplace panel will make their recommendation for full recommendation based on a consistent representation of practice over time. The principal, panel chair or their delegate must be satisfied that the teacher has undertaken the Inquiry process and provided sufficient evidence that the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) at the Proficient Teacher level have been met.

Make sure that if you have completed your 80 days of teaching in more than one school / service that you can provide evidence of your teaching days to the recommendation panel.

Can my 80 days be a mixture of paid employment and volunteering?

The 80 days can be a mixture of paid employment and non-paid employment. If you are engaged in non-paid teaching work, you need to

• work independently and not under the direct supervision of another teacher;
• plan and deliver an approved curriculum to school / early childhood aged learners;
• have direct teaching and learning relationships with your learners; 
• select and use resources and / or modify your teaching practice in response to the learning needs of the learners; and assess learning, including reporting to parents / carers; and
• undertake the Inquiry process and evidence all the 37 descriptors of the APST at the proficient level.

Do I have to complete 80 days of teaching before I start my inquiry?

You can start your inquiry and gather evidence before you have completed 80 days of teaching. You will need to have completed at least 80 days of teaching before you present to your recommendation panel.

What constitutes a day of teaching?

VIT defines 7.6 hours as equivalent to a day of teaching.

If you are employed as a teacher for a full day (ongoing, contract or casual), you can consider this a day of teaching.

If you are employed for half a day as teacher, regardless of face-to-face teaching time, VIT will consider this half a day of teaching.

Teaching hours include your face-to-face teaching time, as well as the time you spend preparing the learning environment and assessing learner’s work.

What is a ‘school’ setting’?

For teacher registration purposes, a school setting is an early childhood education service, primary, secondary, P-12 or special education school.

What is a ‘non-school’ setting in which I can undertake the (full) registration process?

With this specific teaching context, you will need to first contact VIT to verify whether you can use your practice within this setting to undertake the full registration process.

In general, the workplace should provide provisionally registered teachers (PRT) with the opportunity to teach learners and an experienced colleague or trained VIT mentor to work with you. The work you undertake must allow you to evidence the APST at the proficient level and must also provide opportunities for PRTs to

• plan for and deliver approved curriculum; 
• select and use resources and / or modify their teaching practice in response to the learning needs of their learners; and 
• assess learning.

An approved school curriculum delivers one of the following

• The Victorian Curriculum
• The Australian National Curriculum;
• The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE);
• The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL);
• Vocational Education and Training (VET);
• Any other curriculum or program approved by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA) or Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA);
• The International Baccalaureate (IB) authorised by the International Baccalaureate Organisation;
• A program that, in a non-government school, is authorised and reviewed by the Victorian Registration & Qualification Authority (VRQA) and is approved as the educational program of the school by the school’s governing body;
• A program that forms part of the compulsory curriculum of a school for students attending that school;
• A program that is comparable to an Australian Year 12 course as recognised by an Australian legislative framework; or 
• An overseas curriculum delivered at a school registered with the VRQA as a ‘Specific Purpose’ school.

If you are working within these frameworks and the education leader of the non-school setting (who needs to be a VIT registered teacher) can verify this, then you can use this practice as teaching practice.

Examples of non-school settings where approved curriculum is taught may include the Melbourne Zoo, Royal Children’s Hospital, TAFE institutions offering the VCAL or VET programs (if they are teaching school aged students).

You must contact VIT to verify whether you can use this practice first before commencing the process.

What is ‘approved curriculum’?

Approved curriculum is defined as curriculum taught in settings requiring registration - early childhood education, primary, secondary, special education.

Early Childhood Education

• The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework; or
• The Early Years Learning Framework.

School Foundation – Year 10

• The Victorian Curriculum
• Victorian Curriculum; or
• International Baccalaureate.

School Years 11 - 12

• Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE);
• Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) or Vocational Education and Training (VET) (alternatives to VCE which are offered by some secondary schools and some TAFE institutions and Registered Training Organisations); School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBAT) (are available to students over 15 years); or
• International Baccalaureate (IB).

An approved curriculum may also include

• any other curriculum or program approved by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA) or Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), which is to be delivered in Victorian schools;
• any element, in a non-government school approved as the compulsory educational program that is not otherwise included by the above programs;
• an overseas curriculum delivered at a school registered with the VRQA as a ‘Specific Purpose’ school (the Japanese School of Melbourne is an example); or
• a program that is comparable to an Australian Year 12 course as recognised by an Australian legislative framework (e.g. Monash University Foundation Year).

How long is evidence of professional practice valid for?

The evidence of practice is valid for five years. This is based on national consistency on what constitutes recency of practice. You are not able to use evidence of your practice that you gathered whilst a pre-service teacher. Evidence of professional practice must be gathered whilst you were a VIT registered teacher.

Can I undertake the (full) registration process interstate or overseas?

The inquiry into practice must be conducted within Victoria for (full) registration to be granted by VIT.

The inquiry cannot be undertaken overseas or in New Zealand. The only exception made to this is if a teacher is teaching at the international campus of a Victorian school e.g. Haileybury. In this situation, they will need to be teaching the approved curriculum and mentored by a VIT registered teacher.

PRTs working interstate or in New Zealand are encouraged to undertake their jurisdiction’s registration requirements.

The 80 days of teaching can be accumulated interstate or in New Zealand.

How do I undertake the (full) registration process as a CRT?

The process for moving to (full) registration is the same for a CRT as it is for any other teacher. There can be some additional challenges in completing this process as a CRT, but it is possible.

You will need to familiarise yourself with provisional to (full) process by reading our Supporting Provisionally Registered Teachers Guide PDF, 3534.71 KB and the CRT Companion Guide PDF, 2515.64 KB which outlines some additional strategies and information for CRTs undertaking the (full) registration process. Take the time to reflect on this process and how you may approach this within your specific context.

For more information on how you can undertake the full registration process as a CRT, please see the CRT FAQs.

Can I undertake the (full) registration process employed as a Tutor?

You are not able to use tutoring to undertake the (full) registration process. Tutoring does not involve developing, teaching, assessing and reporting on a program of study of an approved school curriculum (e.g. Victorian Curriculum, VCE, VCAL, IB etc). It also does not enable you to address all of the standards and associated descriptors at the proficient level.

Who can be my mentor?

VIT recommends a registered teacher who has participated in a VIT mentor training program (EMP or other program) act as your mentor. Where it is not possible to be supported by a VIT trained mentor, you may work with an experienced colleague e.g. team leader, year-level coordinator, learning leaders. However, there should be a VIT trained mentor on your workplace panel. Please refer to The Work Place Recommendation Panel guidelines PDF, 458.5 KB

What is the preferred panel make-up?

In a school setting, it is expected the panel generally comprises

• your principal* (or their delegate) who assumes the role of panel chair;
• a registered teacher who has participated in the VIT (EMP or other) mentor training program; and
• a registered teaching colleague you nominate and who knows your work.

*To be part of a panel, a principal must be a registered teacher.

In an early childhood setting, it is expected the panel generally comprises

• a registered early childhood teacher; 
• a registered early childhood teacher or registered teacher who has participated in the VIT (EMP or other) mentor training program; and
• another registered early childhood teacher or teacher colleague who you nominate and who knows your work.

On some occasions, there can be a variation to the panel, where it will be the principal or a principal’s delegate in attendance only. We tend to see this in schools located in remote locations. Please contact VIT to ask for approval to have an exemption to the recommended panel composition.

Can I undertake the (full) registration process at one workplace, but have the recommendation made by another school?

It is a requirement that the school recommendation is provided by the principal or their delegate at the workplace where most of the teaching practice has been undertaken and documented.

Before endorsing an application for (full) registration, a workplace needs to have observed the teacher’s practice over an extended period. The recommendation must be based on a consistent representation of practice over time and the principal or delegate must be satisfied that the teacher has provided sufficient evidence that the APST have been met.

If I have provisional registration in both categories (teacher / ECT), do I undertake the Inquiry process in each setting?

You should undertake the inquiry process in the setting you are teaching. Regardless of your context, all PRTs follow the same process to apply for (full) registration.

Successful completion of an application for (full) registration in one category of registration will lead to successful completion of (full) registration requirements in the other category of registration.

Who signs off on the recommendation report?

The recommendation report that attests to the PRT’s proficiency in the APST must be completed by the panel chair (a registered VIT principal or educational leader.) Where the principal or educational leader is not in a position to complete the recommendation report (e.g. they do not hold VIT registration) they can delegate the responsibility to an experienced teacher, who must hold (full) registration.

In an early childhood panel, the panel chair will complete the recommendation report. This may be the VIT trained mentor, or educational leader in the early childhood service provided they hold (full) registration.

How can I evidence Standard 1.4 if I do not have an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander learner?

You should consider the modifications to the curriculum and / or your practice you will need to make for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners to access learning.

If you do not have an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner in your learning environment then you can

• observe an experienced teacher’s practice and / or approach to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner and base your demonstration of Standard 1.4 on another student in the school; or 
• hypothetically include an Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander learner to demonstrate the standard.

Then you will need to ask yourself

• what would I do if I had this learner in my group? 
• how would I design and implement effective teaching strategies that are responsive to the local community and cultural setting, linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners?

You may find the following resource useful: Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners PDF, 223.39 KB

How can I evidence Standard 1.6 if I do not have any learners with a disability?

You should consider the modifications to the curriculum and / or your practice you will need to make to support the full participation of learners with a disability. It is estimated that approximately one quarter of learners in Victoria have special needs, so it is likely that you are teaching a learner with a special need. Think about what you can do to find out, speak with your workplace leadership if you are unsure.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) provides a definition of learners with a disability. This is quite broad and includes

• total or partial loss of the person's bodily or mental functions;
• total or partial loss of a part of the body;
• the presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness;
• the presence in the body of organisms capable of causing disease or illness;
• the malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of the person's body;
• a disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently from a person without the disorder or malfunction; and
• a disorder, illness or disease that affects a person's thought processes, perception of reality, emotions or judgement or that results in disturbed behaviour.

The definition of disability includes those learners with a disability who are supported by general resources available within the school or service, as well as learners who are receiving targeted specialist education services and supports.

The impact of the learner’s disability should result in the school or service actively addressing the learner’s specific individual education and learning and development needs arising from their disability. This should be done within quality differentiated teaching practice and / or by monitoring the learner, or providing a ‘supplementary’ / higher level of support.

Whilst this definition is broad and includes a wide range of disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, autism spectrum disorder or hearing and vision impairments, it does not include learners who speak English as a second language. This is considered a disadvantage, not a disability.

You may find the following resource useful: Working with learners with special needs PDF, 244.45 KB

Do I need to do 20 hours of PD as a PRT?

The 20 hours of professional development is a renewal of registration requirement for (fully) registered teachers. PRTs are not obligated to undertake set hours of PD to maintain provisional registration. It is expected that PRTs will continue their professional development through their inquiry in the (full) registration process.

What do I do if I can’t move to (full) registration within two years?

If you have been unable to undertake the (full) registration process within the first two years, you may apply for another period of provisional registration.

Reapplications for further periods of provisional registration are assessed on their individual merits and are not guaranteed approval.

You will be required to submit detailed information outlining

• why you have not been able to complete the inquiry approach and apply for (full) registration;
• how you intend to do this in the next period of provisional registration (if granted); and
• any other exceptional circumstances.

As an early childhood teacher, how can I find a mentor?

As a provisionally registered early childhood teacher, you may find the following suggestions helpful in connecting with a mentor

• if your service is an Early Years Management (EYM) organisation, the EYM manager may be able to determine if there is a potential mentor at a nearby service;
• if you are a member of an early childhood professional associations, you may contact them to find out if they are able to assist. Alternatively, you may consider joining one;
• use your professional network or alumni contacts;
  consider networking opportunities such as conferences and professional development (your local government may also hold network events for early childhood services);
• consider becoming a member of relevant early childhood social media pages;
• if your service is coordinated by local government, the relevant officer at the local government office may be able to determine if there is a potential mentor at a nearby service; and
• if your employer operates multiple services, your area manager or equivalent may be able to point you to an experienced teacher from another service.

The Department of Education and Training (DET) also operates a mentor map, which you can use to connect with local mentors in your area.

If you have any questions relating to the mentor map, or to add your service details to the interactive mentor map, contact DET’s early childhood mentoring team at ec.mentoring@edumail.vic.gov.au.

In exceptional circumstances, where there is no suitable mentor at your own or a nearby service, contacting the principal at a local primary school may be an option to find a potential mentor to
support you in the process to become (fully) registered.

Options to find an early childhood mentor should have been exhausted first, which may include a mentoring relationship using email, phone or web communication, rather than face-to-face.

How are the APST relevant to me as an early childhood teacher?

The APST are the teaching standards that all Australian teachers are expected to demonstrate, this includes teachers in a range of different contexts including schools, early childhood services and non-school settings.

Six Illustrations of Practice referencing kindergarten teaching in early childhood services have been produced through a partnership between VIT and the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).

Can I undertake the provisional to (full) registration process if I am employed as an education support / teacher’s aide?

Teacher assistants and teacher / integration aides in a school context are not regarded as a teacher for the purposes of moving to (full) registration.

If you are performing the duties of a teacher’s aide or assistant then VIT cannot consider your practice for moving from provisional to (full) registration.

The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) provides the following definition of a teacher:

“teacher”
a) means a person who, in a school, undertakes duties that include the delivery of an educational program or the assessment of student participation in an educational program; and;
c) does not include a teacher's aide, an assistant teacher or a student teacher;

Can I undertake the provision to (full) registration process if I am employed as an educator in an early childhood service?

Educators are not able to use this practice for the purposes of moving to (full) registration.

The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) provides the following definition of an early
childhood teacher:

"early childhood teacher"
a) includes a preschool teacher and a kindergarten teacher; and 
b) does not include an educator (within the meaning of section 5 of the Education and Care Services National Law (Victoria)) or a staff member of a children's service (within the meaning of the Children's Services Act 1996 ), who does not hold an approved early childhood teaching qualification; and

In order for an early childhood teacher to use their practice to move to (full) registration, they must have all of the following requirements:

• be employed as an early childhood teacher or a leader of an education program; 
• have appropriate qualifications; and
• be registered with VIT as an early childhood teacher.

The following will not contribute to meeting the professional practice requirements for registration:

• being employed or engaged as an educator of an education and care service; 
• being employed or engaged as an early childhood teacher assistant of an education and care service; and 
• being employed or engaged as an educator assistant of an education and care service.

What age of learners do I need to be teaching in order to undertake the (full) registration process?

Generally a teacher will need to be teaching learners who are of compulsory school age, including up to 19 years old or pre-school aged (3-6 years).

For an early childhood teacher who is not teaching pre-school aged learners, they must have all of the following requirements in order to use their practice to move to (full) registration

• be employed as an early childhood teacher or a leader of an education program; 
• have appropriate qualifications; and
• be registered with VIT as an early childhood teacher.

The leader of the education program must be appointed in writing by the education and care service, and is responsible for the development and implementation of an educational program in the education and care service.¹

The educational program must be

• based on an approved learning framework; 
• delivered in a manner that accords with the approved learning framework; 
• based on the developmental needs, interests and experiences of each child; and 
• designed to take into account the individual differences of each child.²

The educational program must contribute to the following outcomes for each child

• the child will have a strong sense of identity;
• the child will be connected with and contribute to his or her world;
• the child will have a strong sense of wellbeing; 
• the child will be a confident and involved learner; and
• the child will be an effective communicator.³

The delivery of the educational program also needs to be documented in the following ways

• for all children of preschool age or under, there should be
  • assessments of the child’s developmental needs, interests, experiences and participation in the education program; and
  • assessments of the child’s progress against the outcomes of the educational program.⁴
• for all children over preschool age, there should be evaluations of the child’s wellbeing, development and learning.⁵

¹ Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011, Reg 118
² Education and Care Services (National Law) Act 2010, Schedule 1, s. 168
³ Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011, Reg 73(2)
⁴ Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011, Reg 74(1)(a)
⁵ Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011, Reg 74(1)(b)

Does my mentor have to undertake all observations / professional discussions?

The full registration process requires you to

• observe the practice of your mentor / experienced colleague at least once;
• have your practice observed by your mentor / experienced colleague at least three times; and
• engage in at least three professional discussions.

Any of the above requirements can be undertaken with your mentor, or with one or more experienced teaching colleagues, provided they hold (full) registration. In your context, it may be more appropriate, beneficial or practical to have more than one experienced colleagues supporting you to meet these requirements.

What can I do if I am not recommended for (full) registration and do not agree with the decision?

PRTs whose application for (full) registration is refused by VIT have a right to review to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

I am an experienced teacher, why do I have to do an inquiry?

The (full) registration process is used to provide a consistent means to evidence the standards that has comparability across schools and teaching contexts. It’s recognised as an effective vehicle for professional learning for teachers of any experience, so has value even if a teacher has taught extensively.

As an experienced teacher, you will understand our need to ensure all newly registered teachers meet the required professional practice standards. All teachers who are registered with VIT are required to do this, whether they have previous teaching experience or not. This is also consistent with the national agreements that apply to all Australian teacher regulators.

My tutoring college / workplace expects me to be registered, why can’t I use this practice to move to (full) registration?

Your employer may require you to be registered for employment purposes.

Requirements for employment are different to VIT registration requirements. VIT is bound by the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) and works under this legislation to register school teachers and early childhood teachers. Consequently the requirements to move to (full) registration are grounded in demonstrating proficiency against the APST in school or early childhood settings and in some non-school settings.