How to Become a Teacher in Victoria (2026): Full Guide to Qualifications, VIT Registration and Salary

Becoming a teacher in Victoria means clearing two separate hurdles: completing an approved teaching qualification, and then registering with the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) – the only body legally allowed to authorise you to teach in a Victorian school, whether government, Catholic or independent. There’s no shortcut around either step, and the exact path looks different depending on whether you’re leaving school now, already hold a degree in something else, or trained as a teacher overseas. This guide walks through every pathway, the real costs and timeframes, VIT’s registration process in detail, current salary figures (including the pay dispute still playing out in 2026), and the financial support actually available to you – all sourced directly from VIT, the Victorian Department of Education and the Australian Education Union, not secondhand summaries.

TL;DR

• Two steps, always: complete an approved Initial Teacher Education (ITE) qualification, then register with VIT. Neither substitutes for the other.
• Four main study pathways: a 4-year Bachelor of Education, a 4-year double degree, a bachelor’s degree plus a 2-year postgraduate Master of Teaching, or (for tradespeople) an industry-entry program after 6-8 years’ experience.
• Registration starts Provisional (2 years, ~$170.90 initial fee) and moves to Full Registration via an evidence portfolio and a Workplace Recommendation Panel, after at least 80 days of teaching and demonstrating the Proficient level of the national teaching standards.
• Graduate teacher pay is currently $79,589 under the existing agreement – but a new pay deal is being actively negotiated through 2026, with two proposed increases already voted down by union members.
• Overseas-trained teachers face an extra pre-assessment step ($285) and a high English language bar (IELTS 8.0 in speaking and listening, 7.0 in reading and writing) unless they trained in Australia, NZ, the UK, US, Canada or Ireland.

The two-part process, in plain terms

Every path to teaching in a Victorian school runs through the same two gates:

1. Get qualified. Complete a course that has Initial Teacher Education (ITE) approval – a status granted by VIT to specific degree programs at specific universities and TAFEs. A general education-related degree without ITE approval does not qualify you to teach; the course has to be on VIT’s accredited list.
2. Register with VIT. Once you’ve completed (or are close to completing) an approved ITE program, you apply to VIT for teacher registration. You cannot legally teach in any Victorian school – government, Catholic or independent – without it.

After registration, the final step is simply applying for jobs – through the Department of Education’s recruitment portal for government schools, or directly with individual Catholic and independent schools.

Choosing your study pathway

Which pathway suits you depends mainly on whether you already hold a degree. There are four main routes recognised in Victoria.

1. Bachelor of Education (4 years, straight from school)

A standalone four-year undergraduate degree with ITE approval built in from day one. This is the most common path for school leavers heading straight into teaching, and most Victorian universities offer a version specialising in primary, secondary, or (less commonly) both. Entry is via VTAC like any other undergraduate course, and it’s worth budgeting time to check VCE prerequisites directly on each provider’s course page, since these vary and change from year to year – English is commonly required, and some secondary specialisations (maths, science) expect the matching VCE subject.

2. Double degree (4 years, straight from school)

Two degrees studied concurrently over four years – for example a Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Education, or Bachelor of Science / Bachelor of Education. One half of the double degree carries the ITE accreditation. This path is popular with secondary-bound students who want a stronger subject specialisation (say, a Bachelor of Science component to teach senior chemistry or physics) alongside their teaching qualification, without the extra time a separate postgraduate course would add.

3. Postgraduate Master of Teaching (2 years, for existing degree holders)

If you already hold a bachelor’s degree (or a diploma/higher education qualification of at least three years), you can study a two-year, ITE-approved Master of Teaching instead of starting a new undergraduate degree from scratch. Your existing degree needs a reasonable link to the Victorian curriculum – a science, arts, commerce or similar background works well; a completely unrelated vocational qualification may not. This is the standard route for career changers and is offered at most major Victorian universities. As an example, the University of Melbourne’s Master of Teaching (Secondary) runs two years full-time (or 1.5 years in accelerated mode for eligible students) at its Parkville campus, with March and July intakes, and qualifies graduates to teach two subject areas plus introduces a third.

4. Vocational/industry entry (for tradespeople, 2 years)

If you hold a certificate of technology or a vocational trade qualification and have six to eight years of substantial industry experience, you may be eligible to study an approved secondary teaching course of at least two years through what’s known as an “industry entry program” – a genuinely useful pathway if you’re an experienced tradesperson (electrician, chef, mechanic and so on) wanting to move into VET or technology teaching in secondary schools.

ATAR and entry requirements

ATAR requirements for a Bachelor of Education in Victoria typically sit in the roughly 50-70 range, but the exact cut-off varies by university, campus, year, and how many places are available – as an example, Deakin’s Bachelor of Early Childhood Education had a lowest selection rank of 60.10 (including adjustment factors) for 2026 entry. Because these numbers shift annually and differ significantly between providers and specialisations, treat any specific figure you read as indicative only and always check the current entry requirement directly on VTAC or the provider’s course page before applying – not a figure from a blog post, including this one, from a previous intake year.

Postgraduate Master of Teaching courses don’t use an ATAR – entry is based on your existing degree, academic transcript, and sometimes a personal statement or interview, plus English language requirements for international applicants.

Where you can study in Victoria

ITE-approved teaching courses (both undergraduate and postgraduate) are offered by most major Victorian universities, including the University of Melbourne, Monash University, Deakin University, La Trobe University, RMIT, Victoria University, Australian Catholic University, Federation University and Swinburne University, along with some TAFEs for specific pathways. VIT publishes and maintains the authoritative list of accredited ITE programs – always check a course is currently on that list before enrolling, since accreditation status is what actually determines whether a qualification lets you register as a teacher, not how a course happens to be marketed.

LANTITE: the literacy and numeracy test you must pass

Every school-teacher (K-12) ITE candidate in Victoria must sit and pass the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) before being granted Provisional registration – it’s been a ministerial requirement since 1 July 2016. The test, administered by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), requires you to demonstrate personal literacy and numeracy skills in the top 30% of the adult population, with an alternative pathway for demonstrating First Nations language proficiency. You’re required to make at least one attempt at both the literacy and numeracy components before the end of your first year of enrolment, regardless of study mode. Early childhood teacher applicants are exempt from LANTITE, though some individual course providers may still choose to require it internally.

Practical placements and the Working with Children Check

All ITE courses include supervised classroom placements – this is where you accumulate the teaching days that count toward registration later. Before you can start any placement, the Victorian Department of Education requires all student teachers to hold a current Working with Children Check (WWCC). As a student on placement, you apply as a volunteer, which means the check is free. Once you’re registered with VIT as a teacher, the WWCC requirement is superseded – registered teachers are exempt from separately holding a WWCC, since VIT’s own suitability and criminal history checks cover the same ground, though you’re still required to notify VIT if you take on any other paid or voluntary child-related work outside your teaching role.

Registering with VIT: step by step

Once you’ve completed (or are close to completing) an approved ITE program, registration follows the same process regardless of which pathway got you there:

1. Create a MyVIT account at vit.vic.edu.au.
2. Select your registration type – VIT’s online Registration Helper tool can point you to the right category in under a minute if you’re unsure.
3. Complete the application modules, providing identity documents, evidence of your approved ITE (or equivalent) qualification, evidence of supervised teaching practice, your LANTITE result (if applicable), and consenting to a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, which VIT can process as part of your application. Documents in a language other than English must be translated by a NAATI-accredited translator.
4. Submit your application and pay the fee.

Victorian graduates can apply up to four months before their expected graduation date – though VIT can’t finalise registration until your provider confirms your Evidence of Completion, so applying early just means your file is ready to process the moment that confirmation arrives, not that you’ll be approved sooner. Most applications take 4-6 weeks to assess once all documentation is submitted; overseas qualification verification typically takes longer.

Registration categories explained

VIT offers several distinct registration categories, and which one applies to you depends on your qualifications, experience and circumstances:

• Provisional registration – for graduates, early career teachers, and those returning to the classroom after a long absence. Valid for two years.
• Full registration – for teachers who’ve demonstrated the Proficient level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST). Renewed annually rather than held for a fixed term.
• Non-practising registration – for registered teachers who currently can’t meet the professional practice requirements to maintain active registration.
• Permission to teach (PTT) – a more limited, employer-initiated authorisation for people without a recognised teaching qualification, used to address specific workforce shortages. PTT holders cannot teach in early childhood settings, and the application must be initiated by the employer, not the individual.
• Experienced returning registration – for teachers who previously held full registration in Australia or New Zealand and can demonstrate their proficiency and currency of practice are still current.
• Casual relief teachers (CRTs) – substitute or emergency teachers don’t have their own separate registration category; they hold either Provisional or Full registration like any other teacher.
• Dual registration – for teachers who hold both standard teacher registration and early childhood registration, allowing them to work across both primary/secondary schools and early childhood services.

Moving from Provisional to Full registration

Provisional registration lasts two years, during which you’re expected to progress to Full registration. Two things must be true before you can apply:

• At least 80 days of teaching in an Australian or New Zealand school or early childhood service, with full professional responsibility for student learning
• Demonstrated proficiency across all seven APST standards, spanning the three domains of Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and Professional Engagement, at the Proficient level

In practice, most Victorian schools use a structured evidence-and-panel process to assess this: you complete an inquiry-based reflection on your own teaching practice (identifying a class’s learning needs, forming a question, implementing and evaluating a plan, then reflecting on the outcome), building an annotated portfolio of lesson plans, student work samples and other evidence mapped against the APST. This portfolio then goes to a Workplace Recommendation Panel – in a school setting, chaired by the principal – which reviews the evidence and makes a professional judgement about whether you’re ready. If the panel recommends you, VIT assesses the recommendation alongside your evidence and, if satisfied, grants Full registration. If you haven’t met the requirements within your original two years, you can apply for an additional grant of Provisional registration rather than losing your ability to teach. A mentor – ideally one trained through a recognised mentoring program – is expected to support you through this process; Victorian government schools offer the Department of Education’s free Effective Mentoring Program for this purpose, while Catholic and independent schools generally arrange mentoring through the employer directly.

Staying registered: annual renewal

Registration isn’t a one-off event – it has to be renewed every year by 30 September, through your MyVIT account. Requirements differ by category:

• Full registration holders need at least 20 hours of professional learning per registration year (referencing the APST, covering at least one standard in each of the three domains), at least 20 days of teaching practice, and suitability and completion declarations, plus the annual fee.
• Provisional registration holders pay the annual fee and consent to ongoing criminal history checks, but don’t need to declare professional learning hours or teaching days – those obligations only apply once you hold Full registration.
• A Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check is required roughly every 4-5 years for all registered teachers.

Miss the renewal deadline and there’s a grace period to 31 December – miss that too, and Full and Non-practising registration lapse, while Provisional registration and Permission to Teach are suspended, meaning you legally cannot teach in any Victorian school until the requirements are met.

Already trained interstate or overseas?

Victoria doesn’t require you to re-qualify from scratch if you’re already a registered teacher elsewhere, but the process differs depending on where you trained.

Interstate or New Zealand-registered teachers

Under mutual recognition legislation, teachers with current, practising registration in another Australian state or territory, or in New Zealand, can transfer to VIT registration without re-qualifying, provided the registration isn’t suspended or subject to disciplinary proceedings. Your registration level transfers directly – Full registration interstate becomes Full registration in Victoria, Provisional stays Provisional. You’ll still need to create a MyVIT account, complete the relevant application modules, provide a statutory declaration authorising VIT to verify your registration with your home jurisdiction, and supply evidence of your current registration (New Zealand applicants also need their practising certificate).

Overseas-trained teachers

If your qualification was completed outside Australia, it must first go through pre-assessment by VIT before you can apply for registration at all – this can be done while you’re still overseas, and typically carries its own fee (around $285). You can submit your registration application up to three months before your planned arrival in Australia; applications submitted earlier than that are simply held until they fall within the window, which is an administrative timing rule rather than a rejection. If you’ve held full registration in Australia or New Zealand within the past five years and completed at least 80 days of teaching here within that period, you may be eligible for immediate Full registration; otherwise, you’ll start on Provisional registration and go through the standard Inquiry and Panel process described above.

If any part of your ITE or early childhood qualification was completed outside Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Canada or the Republic of Ireland, you’ll also need to demonstrate English language competency through one of the following, regardless of how strong your English otherwise is:

• IELTS Academic module: Speaking 8.0, Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0, Writing 7.0 – you must meet the required score in every individual skill area, not just on average. IELTS on paper or on computer is accepted; IELTS Online is not. Results are valid for three years.
• ISLPR (International Second Language Proficiency Rating): Level 4 across all four skill areas, from an approved teaching-focused assessment site.

The listening and speaking requirement (band 8.0) is notably higher than the English thresholds used for most Australian visas or general skilled migration, so it’s worth factoring into your planning early if English isn’t your first language – book your test well in advance, as VIT notes wait times can be lengthy. If you’ve lived outside Australia for 12 or more consecutive months at any point in the past 10 years since turning 18, you’ll also need an overseas criminal record check from a provider recognised by the Department of Home Affairs.

Teacher salary in Victoria (and the pay dispute unfolding in 2026)

Victorian government school teachers are paid under classifications called Range 1 (graduate and early career, five salary levels), Range 2 (established, proficient teachers, six levels), and Range 3 (Leading Teacher and Learning Specialist positions, which require an application and selection process rather than simply accruing years of service).

Under the salary scale that has applied since the last agreement, a graduate teacher in Victoria starts on $79,589 per year, rising to $118,063 at the top of the classroom (Range 2) scale.

However this is resolved, it’s worth knowing the argument driving it: the AEU has publicly compared Victoria unfavourably to New South Wales, noting that under the old scale a Victorian graduate teacher earned around $13,000 less per year than an equivalent NSW graduate, and an experienced Victorian teacher up to roughly $15,000 less annually than their NSW counterpart – a central plank of the union’s case for a larger increase.

Scholarships and financial support

The Victorian Government has run several scholarship programs to attract people into secondary teaching, and it’s easy to find outdated information about them online, so here’s the current 2026 status specifically:

• Secondary Teaching Scholarships (STS) – this earlier program, which could cover a substantial portion of course costs plus employment-phase payments, is now closed. It only applied to students who enrolled and commenced in 2024 or 2025; if you started under STS you may still be eligible for its employment-phase payments once you begin teaching, but the study-phase intake is no longer open to new applicants.
• Teach the Future Fellowship (TFF) – the current 2026 program, replacing STS for new applicants. It offers $10,000 total across a four-year (full-time equivalent) ITE degree: $8,000 in your first year, and $2,000 on completing your Teaching Performance Assessment while placed at an eligible school in a rural or regional area, or a designated growth corridor. Only 200 fellowships are available in 2026, restricted to students specialising in STEM subjects, English as an Additional Language (EAL), or special education, and open only to Victorian (or designated border community) residents who are Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents, New Zealand citizens living in Victoria, or Australian permanent humanitarian visa holders. The Semester 1 2026 application portal has already closed at the time of writing – if this applies to you, watch for the next intake round.

Because these programs are restricted to Australian citizens, permanent residents, eligible New Zealand citizens or humanitarian visa holders, international students on a student visa generally won’t qualify for either – budget your teaching degree the same way you would any other Victorian university course, and check directly with your chosen provider about standard Commonwealth Supported Places or international fee structures instead.

Frequently Asked Questions