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Registration & Accreditation · South Australia
South Australia
Teacher
Registration Guide
Everything you need to know about TRB SA registration — Provisional and Full registration, fees, the transition process, CRT pathways, mutual recognition, and what interstate and overseas-trained teachers must do before teaching in SA.
Information is general in nature. Registration requirements, fees, and processes may change. Always verify current requirements with the Teachers Registration Board of South Australia (trb.sa.edu.au).
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South Australia Teacher Registration Guide
About this guide

To teach in any South Australian school — government, Catholic, or independent — you must hold registration from the Teachers Registration Board of South Australia (TRB SA). This guide is written for pre-service teachers approaching graduation, newly qualified teachers in SA, and interstate or overseas-trained teachers relocating to the state. It covers every stage of the registration process: initial registration, transitioning from Provisional to Full registration, the CRT pathway, renewal requirements, mutual recognition, and what overseas-trained teachers must do before applying.

Contents
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South Australia Teacher Registration Guide
01
Section one
Who registers SA teachers?
TRB SA, the ESB, and registration types

The Teachers Registration Board of South Australia (TRB SA) is the sole registration authority for teachers in the state. It operates under the Teachers Registration and Standards Act 2004 (SA). Contact: (08) 8253 9700 | info@trb.sa.edu.au | trb.sa.edu.au.

The Education Standards Board (ESB) is a separate body that regulates schools — not individual teachers. ESB Standard 2.8 simply requires that all teachers in SA schools hold current TRB SA registration. If you encounter ESB information, it concerns school compliance, not your personal registration. Every registered teacher has a registration number. Schools must verify current registration before employment begins.

Registration types
Type Who it's for Validity Key requirement
Provisional Graduates at APST Graduate career stage Up to 5 years Must transition to Full within 5 years (legal requirement)
Full Teachers at APST Proficient career stage Renewable 1–5 years 100 hours professional learning per 5-year period
Permission to Teach Unregistered persons in exceptional circumstances Limited Board discretion — not a standard pathway

2026 early childhood update. Teachers with a 3-year Birth–5 early childhood qualification can now register with a conditional registration, limited to EC settings (preschools, kindergartens, ECLCs, and OOSH). This change supports the rollout of universal 3-year-old education in SA. [Source: TRB SA, 2025]

When you first graduate, you will almost certainly receive Provisional Registration. Your university prepares you to the Graduate career stage — not Proficient. Transitioning to Full Registration is the central career milestone of your early years teaching in SA.

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South Australia Teacher Registration Guide
02
Section two
Applying for registration
Qualifications, steps, and fees
Qualification requirements

You need a teaching qualification meeting the 4-year total study rule, satisfied by one of two pathways: (A) an accredited undergraduate teacher education qualification of at least 4 years full-time, with supervised teaching practice; or (B) a non-teaching undergraduate degree (minimum 3 years) plus an accredited postgraduate teacher education qualification (minimum 1 year), with supervised teaching practice. Qualifications obtained after 2011 must meet nationally agreed ITE Accreditation Standards. [Source: TRB SA / SA DoE, 2025]

Application steps
1
Obtain a DHS WWCC for paid employment
Apply to the SA Department of Human Services Screening Unit. Allow up to three weeks. A volunteer WWCC is not valid for paid teaching. See Section 05 for full details.
2
Download and complete the application
Application for Teacher Registration from trb.sa.edu.au. Collect certified copies of your academic transcripts and teaching qualification documents.
3
Submit with the initial application fee
$213 initial application fee (1 Feb 2025–31 Jan 2026). Plus annual registration fee for the period you choose.
4
Pay the annual registration fee
$134 for 1 year or $668 for 5 years upfront. Paying multiple years locks in the current rate before annual CPI indexation each 1 February.
Fee schedule (1 February 2025 – 31 January 2026)
FeeAmount
Initial application$213
Annual fee — 1 year$134
Annual fee — 5 years upfront$668
Renewal$122
Overseas qualification assessment$158
Fees indexed to Adelaide CPI from 1 February each year. Verify current amounts at trb.sa.edu.au before applying. [Source: ABLIS / TRB SA, 1 Feb 2025–31 Jan 2026]
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South Australia Teacher Registration Guide
03
Section three
Transitioning from Provisional
to Full Registration

This is the most consequential step in the SA registration process. You have up to 5 years — and that is a legal requirement under the Teachers Registration and Standards Act 2004 (SA), not a guideline.

Don't wait until the final year. Building an evidence portfolio and securing an evaluator takes significant time. Contact TRB SA before your registration expires if you are approaching the deadline without having transitioned.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible to apply for Full Registration you must have: (1) completed at least 200 days (one year full-time equivalent) of satisfactory teaching service in Australia or New Zealand within the five years before you apply; and (2) evidence demonstrating the APST Proficient career stage across all 7 professional standards, including direct observations of your teaching.

The transition process
1
Accumulate 200 teaching days
All teaching in Australian and New Zealand schools counts — permanent, contract, and relief teaching days all contribute.
2
Choose an evaluator
A person at your school or site who can directly observe your teaching, assess your evidence portfolio, and recommend you for Full Registration.
3
Build your evidence portfolio
Demonstrate Proficient-level practice across all 7 APST domains. The evaluator must observe you teaching in person — this cannot be skipped.
4
Complete and sign the application
Fill out the Application to Transition from Provisional to Full Registration with your evaluator. Both the evaluator and the site's approved endorser sign the form.
5
Submit within 6 months
Send to TRB SA by email (PDF) or post within 6 months of the evaluator's recommendation date. [Source: TRB SA, 2025]
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South Australia Teacher Registration Guide
04
Section four
CRT pathway & renewing
your registration
CRT and TRT pathway to Full Registration

Relief teachers follow exactly the same transition requirements as permanently employed teachers. The three practical differences:

1
Count your days across all schools
Relief teaching days across multiple schools all count toward the 200-day requirement. Request a Statement of Service (total days per year) from each employer or school.
2
Find an evaluator at a regular host school
A principal or deputy who sees your teaching regularly. Start this conversation early — evaluators need time to observe your practice across multiple sessions before they can make a recommendation.
3
Collect evidence from day one
Start annotating artefacts from your first relief days — lesson plans with reflections, student work samples, feedback notes. Reconstructing evidence retrospectively is much harder.

Tip for CRTs: Once you have 200 days and a willing evaluator, the portfolio and application process is identical to that of permanently employed teachers. The challenge is logistics, not standards.

Renewing Full Registration

To renew Full Registration, you must complete a minimum of 100 hours of professional learning per 5-year registration period. Learning must be referenced to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST), but you do not need to cover all 7 domains. TRB SA defines professional learning broadly: formal courses, conferences, workshops, peer observation, professional reading, and collaborative planning all count, provided they go beyond day-to-day teaching responsibilities. [Source: TRB SA, 2025]

Record all professional learning in the TRB SA Teachers Portal (online.trb.sa.edu.au). Teachers who have not completed 100 hours may be refused renewal. Renew for 1 to 5 years at a time — paying multiple years upfront avoids the annual CPI fee increase each 1 February.

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South Australia Teacher Registration Guide
05
Section five
Interstate teachers & Working
with Children Check
Mutual recognition for interstate teachers

If you are currently registered as a teacher in another Australian state or territory, you can apply for mutual recognition under the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 (Cth). Teachers registered with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand are eligible under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997. Use the mutual recognition application form from trb.sa.edu.au. Standard application fees apply.

Your interstate WWCC is not recognised in SA. Regardless of which state you are coming from, you must obtain an SA DHS Working with Children Check for paid employment.

Working with Children Check (DHS WWCC)

All SA teachers — for initial registration, mutual recognition, or renewal — must hold a current WWCC conducted by the SA Department of Human Services (DHS) Screening Unit.

WWCC key requirements
Type Must be for paid employment. A volunteer WWCC issued after 1 July 2019 is NOT valid for paid teaching work.
Transferability Interstate and overseas WWCCs are not recognised in SA. Teachers from other states must obtain a fresh SA DHS check.
Validity Valid for 5 years. Apply to renew 6 months before expiry.
Processing Typically within 3 weeks; complex cases take longer. Apply well in advance of your start date.
Volunteer → paid If you move from volunteer to paid teaching, apply for a paid-employment WWCC within 28 days of starting paid work.

The WWCC is paid separately from TRB SA registration fees. Apply through the SA Department for Child Protection (DHS Screening Unit).

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South Australia Teacher Registration Guide
06
Section six
Overseas-trained teachers
Qualification assessment & English proficiency
Stage 1 — Qualification assessment ($158)
1
Complete the Application for Assessment of Qualifications
A separate form from the registration application. Download from trb.sa.edu.au. Fee: $158.
2
Gather certified documents
Certified copies of all academic transcripts, plus a signed letter from the awarding university confirming the qualification (or a copy of the relevant course syllabus for your year of graduation).
3
Translate all non-English documents
Documents not in English must include certified English translations. All copies must be certified.
4
Submit by post or in person — not email
TRB SA does NOT accept emailed applications for this stage. Allow up to 6 weeks for assessment. Once you receive your report, proceed to apply for registration.
English language proficiency

Required if your qualifications were not from Australia, Canada, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, United States, or the United Kingdom — and you did not complete at least 4 years of higher education in those countries. [Source: TRB SA English Language Proficiency Requirement Policy]

TestMinimum scores required
IELTS Academic 8.0 Listening, 8.0 Speaking, 7.0 Reading, 7.0 Writing; overall band 7.5
ISLPR Accepted — an Australian-developed alternative to IELTS; contact TRB SA for minimum ratings

The test must be completed within 2 years of submitting your registration application. If you miss one IELTS component score, you may retake that one skill within 60 days of your original test. You must also obtain an SA DHS WWCC for paid employment (see Section 05).

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South Australia Teacher Registration Guide
07
Section seven
SA government schools &
Frequently asked questions
Additional requirements for SA government schools

TRB SA registration is mandatory for all sectors, but SA DoE also requires for government school employment: RRHAN-EC training (full-day certification); current first aid certificate; Australian residency documentation; and an Employable Teacher Registration (ETR) application via jobs.education.sa.gov.au. These are employment requirements — not TRB SA registration requirements. Catholic and independent schools set their own employment checks.

Frequently asked questions
1. What is the difference between Provisional and Full Registration in SA?
Provisional Registration is for graduates at the APST Graduate career stage, valid up to 5 years. You must convert to Full Registration within that time — it is a legal requirement. Full Registration requires demonstrating APST Proficient career stage via an evidence portfolio and evaluator assessment.
2. How long do I have to transition from Provisional to Full Registration?
5 years from the date Provisional Registration is granted. You need 200 days (one year FTE) of satisfactory teaching in Australia or New Zealand within the five years before applying. Don't wait until the final year — finding an evaluator takes time.
3. Can I teach in SA with interstate teacher registration?
Yes, through mutual recognition under the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 (Cth). However, you still need a new SA DHS Working with Children Check — your interstate WWCC is not recognised in SA.
4. Does relief teaching count toward the 200 days needed for Full Registration?
Yes. All teaching in Australian or New Zealand schools counts, including casual relief teaching days. Request a Statement of Service from each employer and establish contact with an evaluator at a regular host school early.
5. How many professional development hours do I need to renew SA teacher registration?
100 hours of professional learning per 5-year registration period, referenced to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Record your hours in the TRB SA Teachers Portal (online.trb.sa.edu.au). Teachers who have not completed 100 hours may be refused renewal.
6. I trained overseas — what do I do first?
Start with a qualification assessment ($158, allow up to 6 weeks). Submit by post or in person at the TRB SA office — emailed applications are not accepted. Once you have your assessment report, apply for registration. If your qualifications are not from a listed English-speaking country, you also need IELTS Academic with an overall band of 7.5.
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