Who needs to be registered in WA?

The Teacher Registration Act 2012 (Act) requires all teachers who are teaching in Western Australian schools and other educational institutions to be registered with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA).

Teaching means to undertake duties at an educational institution that:

a) includes any of the following:

  • the delivery of an educational program and the assessment of student participation in an educational program
  • leading the delivery and assessment of any such educational program, including managing others undertaking the delivery and assessment;

b) does not include:

  • assistance with the delivery and assessment of an educational program at an educational institution by a teacher's aide or a teacher's assistant at the institution
  • the delivery and assessment of an educational program at an educational institution by a student teacher on practicum placement at the institution;
  • duties undertaken by a person employed or engaged to provide care at a child care service but who is not employed or engaged to undertake the delivery, assessment or leadership of an educational program at the service;
  • the delivery and assessment of an educational program at an educational institution by an unpaid volunteer at the institution unless the volunteer is undertaking duties of a kind, or to an extent, prescribed for the purposes of this subparagraph;
  • duties undertaken by prescribed persons or in other prescribed circumstances 

 

An educational program means an organised set of learning activities designed:  

(a) to enable a student to develop knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes relevant to the student’s individual needs; and 

(b) to implement a prescribed curriculum;

An educational institution means any of the following:

(a) a school as defined in the School Education Act 1999 section 4;

(b) a kindergarten registered under the School Education Act 1999 Part 5;

(c) a child care service; 

(d) a detention centre; 

(e) a centre-based service; 

(f) any other prescribed institution for the purposes of this definition.

All teachers teaching in the above educational institution must be registered.

People not required to be registered

Generally teachers not teaching a prescribed curriculum or who are not teaching in an educational institution are not required to be registered with the TRBWA, although they may obtain registration if eligible.

Teachers in institutions not listed above, such as TAFE, universities, private coaching colleges, volunteer tutoring programs or providing home tutoring are not required to register, although they may obtain registration if eligible.

'Teaching' does not include the duties performed by:

  • a teacher's aide
  • a teacher's assistant
  • a student teacher on practicum placement
  • a care giver in childcare centre
  • teacher educators in universities
  • officers of employer/sector heads (Department of Education, Catholic Education Western Australia, the Association of Independent Schools of WA)
  • TAFE lecturers
  • education officers based in settings other than schools
  • officers of education unions or professional associations
  • tutors
  • home school moderators.

A person who tutors, coaches or teaches an extra-curricular subject is also not considered to be teaching for the purpose of the Act.

A person who is a trainer and assessor as defined within the Australian Quality Training Framework or the Commonwealth's Standards for National VET Regulation Registered Training Organisations (2011), delivering Vocational Education and Training courses is not required to be registered. This is also the case if they are working in a school.

The following guides provide further clarification for specific groups of people:

Guide for school psychologists

Guide for religious education teachers