What is the Victorian Institute of Teaching?
The Victorian Institute of Teaching is the independent regulatory body for the teaching profession.
Established by an Act of Parliament in December 2001, the Institute is a statutory authority operating along similar lines to other regulatory bodies, such as the Legal Services Board and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
The Institute registers teachers working in Victorian government, independent and Catholic schools. As with other professions occupying positions of trust and responsibility, teachers are required to be registered in order to practise their profession. All practising Victorian school teachers must be registered by the Institute.
Where has teacher registration been implemented?
Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia all have teacher registration bodies for government, independent and Catholic school teachers.
From 2005, all graduate teachers entering the profession in New South Wales have been required to be accredited with the NSW Institute of Teachers.
Where can I get a copy of the Act?
Read the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (PDF - 1.86 MB).
Education and Training Reform Amendment Act 2010
Education and Training Reform Further Amendment Act 2010
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Who runs the Institute?
The Institute is governed by a twelve member Council, the majority of whom are practising teachers from government, Catholic and independent schools.
Six members of the Council are elected by registered teachers.
Five members of the Council are nominated by the Minister for Education. They include the Chairperson and representatives of key stakeholder groups such as parents, teacher employers and teacher educators.
The Secretary of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (or a nominee of the Secretary) also sits on the Council.
What does the Institute do?
The Institute:
- registers all teachers to ensure only qualified people are employed in Victorian schools
- celebrates the achievements of teachers
- works to raise the standing of the profession in the community
- works with teachers to develop high professional standards
- provides advice to teachers to assist their professional learning
- approves teacher education courses that qualify future teachers for entry to the profession
- investigates and makes findings on instances of serious misconduct to protect the integrity of the profession.
Industrial and employment matters are not within the Institute's jurisdiction. These are matters for the education unions and teacher employers.
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Who funds the Institute?
The Institute was established as an independent statutory authority with registration fees as its funding base.
Teacher regulatory bodies funded by teachers' registration fees operate in Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia. This is also the case with statutory bodies established for the regulation of professions such as medicine, architecture, law or physiotherapy.
The annual registration fee is determined by the Minister for Education on the recommendation of the Institute Council. The fee is tax deductible.
A range of payment options is available, including online payment. Please note that by selecting this link, you are about to enter a secure environment.
Schedule of fees 2011-12
The Victorian Government requires that fees and charges are regularly reviewed to allow for increases to the Consumer Price Index. Under s.2.6.21 of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, the fees are fixed for 12 months by the Minister Responsible for the Teaching Profession. The Minister has approved a new Schedule of Registration Fees for 2011-12 (see below). These increases were published in the Victorian Government Gazette of 3 June 2011.
A late payment processing fee of $30 will apply if a teacher hasn't paid their invoice by the due date. Please also note that if a teacher requires a replacement registration card a processing fee of $22 will apply.
The fees are for a period of 12 months.*
|
Initial registration - applicants with Victorian qualifications |
$140** |
|
Initial registration - applicants with interstate or overseas qualifications |
$160** |
|
Annual registration |
$74 |
|
National Criminal History Record Check (NCHRC) |
$29 |
|
Late payment processing fee |
$30 |
|
Replacement of registration card processing fee |
$22 |
|
Assessment of qualifications |
$100*** |
*Where a fee payable is for a period less than 12 months it will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
**includes the cost of an NCHRC
***fee for service outside normal initial registration application
The Victorian Institute of Teaching will only accept payment in AUD.
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What are the categories of registration?
Applicants for teacher registration in Victoria may be granted registration in the following categories:
- Full Registration - for teachers who are qualified and are able to provide evidence that they have sufficient teaching experience to demonstrate the standards of professional practice required for full registration
- Provisional Registration - for teachers who are qualified but have less than one years teaching experience. The teacher will be fully registered upon achieving the standard of professional practice required for full registration. Under the terms of the Act, provisional registration would normally continue for one year
- Permission to Teach - for teachers who do not meet the requirements for full or provisional registration.
- Mutual Recognition Registration - for teachers who are currently registered with a teacher registration authority in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory or New Zealand.
Teachers must be registered or hold Permission to Teach before beginning teaching duties.
Privacy of information respected
The Information Privacy Act 2000 applies to the operations of the Institute. The initial Institute register was made up of data obtained from the then Department of Education & Training's Human Resource Management System and the Registered Schools Board register. Only data related to the Institute's operations was transferred to the Institute. No data relating to leave or payroll was transferred.
Please take the time to read the Institute's Privacy Statement.
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