Primary School Teacher 241213: age range, training and registration
Primary School Teacher covers teaching and coordinating a range of curriculum subjects for primary-school students. For AITSL migration assessment purposes, the occupation is tied to teaching children across the 5-to-12-year age range, not simply to an employer's use of the word primary.
Early childhood, middle school, secondary and special education teaching have separate occupation criteria. A teacher should match the initial teacher education, supervised practice and actual teaching setting to the nominated occupation rather than choosing a code from the preferred visa list.
What the occupation covers
- planning and delivering a range of primary curriculum subjects;
- assessing work and recording student progress;
- managing classroom learning and student wellbeing;
- communicating progress and learning needs with parents and colleagues; and
- participating in school planning, activities and professional development.
AITSL assesses qualifications and English proficiency
AITSL's Primary School Teacher checklist requires at least four years of university-level study resulting in qualifications. This must include a relevant initial teacher education qualification and supervised teaching practice in a primary-school setting across the required student age range. The current checklist specifies at least 45 days of supervised practice.
The assessment also has an English-language criterion that can be met through an eligible study option or the accepted test pathway. Applicants should use the current AITSL checklist because the evidence and test rules can change. AITSL migration assessment is also separate from teacher registration with the state or territory where the person intends to work.
List access does not remove the teaching-specific criteria
The STSOL result supports state-nominated subclass 190 and subclass 491 occupation-list access, but not subclass 189. The CSOL result supports the displayed 482 and 186 employer-sponsored pathways, while the ROL and training sources relate to subclasses 494 and 407.
A list match does not make early-childhood, secondary or tutoring employment acceptable as primary teaching. It also does not provide AITSL assessment, state registration, employer sponsorship or state nomination.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Counting short courses or professional development toward the required university-level study.
- Submitting supervised practice that does not cover the primary-school setting and age range.
- Assuming a migration skills assessment is the same as Australian teacher registration.
- Using primary teaching employment to claim a different school-teacher occupation without checking its criteria.