Secondary Teacher Help

[LostInCuba]

Hello, I am in a predicament on choosing the appropriate visa as a Secondary Teacher(History/. My goal is to get PR. I am open to doing a 491 visa because a 189 seems impossible with the 75 points I have. I’m open to any state that would sponsor me as it would give me 90 points. The concern I have is that I am lacking in terms of experience as I only have 2 years of teaching experience. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions what my best options are?

[wrussell]

To be awarded points for work experience you need at least 3 years relevant overseas, post-qualification work experience or 1 year of Australian experience. 

Currently no states or territories are nominating  secondary teachers in your discipline. Mathematics, science and IT teachers have better prospects, if they have completed a qualification in Australia, or at least reside in Australia. 

Employer sponsored visas are not points tested.

[Marisawright]

How old are you and where are you from?   If you are under 30, your best bet is to apply for a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) as soon as the current travel restrictions are lifted.  Then you can get a year (or possibly two) working in Australia.  If your qualifications are suitable and you can get registration, then you can work as a teacher while on the WHV, which would count towards getting Australian experience for a future visa. 

 

[starlight7]

Do you only teach history? What about English? You might have more chance with that, even ESL or something like that.

[LostInCuba]

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

How old are you and where are you from?   If you are under 30, your best bet is to apply for a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) as soon as the current travel restrictions are lifted.  Then you can get a year (or possibly two) working in Australia.  If your qualifications are suitable and you can get registration, then you can work as a teacher while on the WHV, which would count towards getting Australian experience for a future visa. 

 

I was thinking about that since I am 25 and am an American. I would like a more permanent option though but I can’t be too picky. 

[LostInCuba]

1 hour ago, starlight7 said:

Do you only teach history? What about English? You might have more chance with that, even ESL or something like that.

I am certified in Social Studies(Humanities) so I can teach History, Economics, Psychology, and Sociology. 

[Marisawright]

9 minutes ago, LostInCuba said:

I am certified in Social Studies(Humanities) so I can teach History, Economics, Psychology, and Sociology. 

You may be certified to teach in the US bUt that doesn’t mean you’re automatically qualified to teach in Australia. It’s a different standard plus you need to get registration 

[PickledRic]

On 13/06/2020 at 18:15, LostInCuba said:

Hello, I am in a predicament on choosing the appropriate visa as a Secondary Teacher(History/. My goal is to get PR. I am open to doing a 491 visa because a 189 seems impossible with the 75 points I have. I’m open to any state that would sponsor me as it would give me 90 points. The concern I have is that I am lacking in terms of experience as I only have 2 years of teaching experience. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions what my best options are?

I got a 491 nomination from Queensland as a history teacher granted so it’s definitely possible, although I have over 5 years experience on my side so that helped points wise and their nomination criteria was for 3+ years at the time - I don’t think they cared so much about the topic I teach though.

[starlight7]

I reckon if you really wants to get here in the end you will - just don't give up because the hurdles are many . Sometimes I think they are there just to test you and make sure it is really what you want, if you know what I mean. 

[LostInCuba]

7 hours ago, PickledRic said:

I got a 491 nomination from Queensland as a history teacher granted so it’s definitely possible, although I have over 5 years experience on my side so that helped points wise and their nomination criteria was for 3+ years at the time - I don’t think they cared so much about the topic I teach though.

Thanks for sharing. Would you mind telling me how many points you had and when you applied?

[LostInCuba]

6 hours ago, starlight7 said:

I reckon if you really wants to get here in the end you will - just don't give up because the hurdles are many . Sometimes I think they are there just to test you and make sure it is really what you want, if you know what I mean. 

Thank you for the encouragement. I have been working towards this for a while now and it seems that when I’m getting close there is a change in policy or a personal event that pushes it back. 

[PickledRic]

16 hours ago, LostInCuba said:

Thanks for sharing. Would you mind telling me how many points you had and when you applied?

I had 95 points for the 491 but I think Queensland made it clear they weren’t nominating based on points anyway, as long you have enough to apply they would consider it.

The current circumstances are rubbish for everyone but things will recover soon enough and I wouldn’t give up hope. Definitely make a start on getting your skills assessed etc. And then you can be ready to apply once the states open their programmes up again.

Happy to chat more if you want to send me a message

[LostInCuba]

On 16/06/2020 at 02:17, PickledRic said:

I had 95 points for the 491 but I think Queensland made it clear they weren’t nominating based on points anyway, as long you have enough to apply they would consider it.

The current circumstances are rubbish for everyone but things will recover soon enough and I wouldn’t give up hope. Definitely make a start on getting your skills assessed etc. And then you can be ready to apply once the states open their programmes up again.

Happy to chat more if you want to send me a message

Thank you for sharing. I will be reaching out more as I get closer to applying. I have a further question, did you have a job offer when you applied? 

[Marisawright]

5 hours ago, LostInCuba said:

Thank you for sharing. I will be reaching out more as I get closer to applying. I have a further question, did you have a job offer when you applied? 

I asked earlier but didn't get a response, so just want to check again.  Have you double-checked that your American teaching qualifications will be recognised, both for the purposes of migration and for teaching?  A lot of British teachers find that theirs aren't, even though our education systems are very similar.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Marisawright

[LostInCuba]

1 hour ago, Marisawright said:

I asked earlier but didn't get a response, so just want to check again.  Have you double-checked that your American teaching qualifications will be recognised, both for the purposes of migration and for teaching?  A lot of British teachers find that theirs aren't, even though our education systems are very similar.

Sorry I didn’t respond. I am in contact right now with the Victorian government about my qualifications. 

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, LostInCuba said:

Sorry I didn’t respond. I am in contact right now with the Victorian government about my qualifications. 

There are two authorities that you need to check with.  Firstly, what is required by Immigration and secondly, what is required by the registration body in the state you're aiming for.  

If your qualifications aren't acceptable to Immigration, you can't get the visa.  If you can't get registered, you won't be allowed to teach. They are two completely separate things.

I'm not an expert on Immigration's requirements, but I know that many British teachers fail because in the English system, you're qualified to teach once you've completed a three-year degree, whereas Australia demands a four-year degree, including a minimum of 45 days supervised teaching practice.  

If you're aiming for Victoria, the registration body is the Victorian Institute of Teaching:

https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/

However, I did a quick Google, and Victoria is not accepting History teachers for a 190 visa.  You could get a 491 visa, but you'd need a job offer - which is another argument for getting a Working Holiday Visa.  You've got no chance of getting a job offer while you're overseas, but you could well get an offer once you're in Australia.   But like i said, first thing is to check your qualifications are acceptable.

 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Marisawright

[LostInCuba]

11 hours ago, Marisawright said:

There are two authorities that you need to check with.  Firstly, what is required by Immigration and secondly, what is required by the registration body in the state you're aiming for.  

If your qualifications aren't acceptable to Immigration, you can't get the visa.  If you can't get registered, you won't be allowed to teach. They are two completely separate things.

I'm not an expert on Immigration's requirements, but I know that many British teachers fail because in the English system, you're qualified to teach once you've completed a three-year degree, whereas Australia demands a four-year degree, including a minimum of 45 days supervised teaching practice.  

If you're aiming for Victoria, the registration body is the Victorian Institute of Teaching:

https://www.vit.vic.edu.au/

However, I did a quick Google, and Victoria is not accepting History teachers for a 190 visa.  You could get a 491 visa, but you'd need a job offer - which is another argument for getting a Working Holiday Visa.  You've got no chance of getting a job offer while you're overseas, but you could well get an offer once you're in Australia.   But like i said, first thing is to check your qualifications are acceptable.

 

Yes, I am aware of that at the moment. I am not planning to head over until next summer but I was just trying to get some ideas. I have taken your suggestion about a Working Holiday Visa. I am working with an organization that is helping me to get my skills assessed and they offer placement for working holiday workers as casual teachers in Victoria. They also said this is probably my best option as it gets my foot in the door and will allow me to possibly get a contract from one of the schools. I have also seen that Secondary Teacher goes on and off some states lists, so I will also keep my eye on that as well since I am not planning to go for at least a year. I have another question for you if you wouldn't mind answering. My fiance is a primary school teacher and she has 4 years of teaching experience. When Primary-Teacher got taken off of the Long-Term list, I figured I was our better option into Australia but that was before the change to the 189 visa. Do you think she would be better at obtaining a 491 if states open it up to Primary Teachers? 

[PickledRic]

23 hours ago, LostInCuba said:

Thank you for sharing. I will be reaching out more as I get closer to applying. I have a further question, did you have a job offer when you applied? 

No, for the 491 Queensland you didn’t need a job offer they just wanted you to be registered with the QLD teaching board and have 3+ years of experience.

I think the starting point is getting your skills assessed and then consider your options from there as like others have said; each state has its own criteria so you’ll have to pick which ones you’re eligible for. 

[LostInCuba]

18 minutes ago, PickledRic said:

No, for the 491 Queensland you didn’t need a job offer they just wanted you to be registered with the QLD teaching board and have 3+ years of experience.

I think the starting point is getting your skills assessed and then consider your options from there as like others have said; each state has its own criteria so you’ll have to pick which ones you’re eligible for. 

Just to be clear, get my skills assessed with AITSL then with a state thereafter? Do you need the skills assessed by the state before an EOI or just with AITSL?

[PickledRic]

1 hour ago, LostInCuba said:

Just to be clear, get my skills assessed with AITSL then with a state thereafter? Do you need the skills assessed by the state before an EOI or just with AITSL?

Just with AITSL, the states don’t assess your teaching qualification, but they require you to have the certificate from AITSL. But before you lodge an EOI, provided you’re successful with AITSL, you need to check you meet the other specified criteria given by whichever state you’re applying to otherwise there’s no point lodging the EOI.

[LostInCuba]

8 minutes ago, PickledRic said:

Just with AITSL, the states don’t assess your teaching qualification, but they require you to have the certificate from AITSL. But before you lodge an EOI, provided you’re successful with AITSL, you need to check you meet the other specified criteria given by whichever state you’re applying to otherwise there’s no point lodging the EOI.

Great, thank you!

[Marisawright]

8 hours ago, LostInCuba said:

. I am working with an organization that is helping me to get my skills assessed and they offer placement for working holiday workers as casual teachers in Victoria. They also said this is probably my best option as it gets my foot in the door and will allow me to possibly get a contract from one of the schools.

Yes, that's exactly what I was suggesting.  However I'm a little surprised that there's an agency which can get you work as a teacher in Australia. Do they help you get your registration, too?  Even casual teachers must be registered. 

[wrussell]

Do not take migration advice from a party who is not a registered migration agent.

[Quoll]

And even at the end of it, don’t expect to find a job as a teacher! Not in a place that anyone wants to live in anyway. 

[LostInCuba]

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Yes, that's exactly what I was suggesting.  However I'm a little surprised that there's an agency which can get you work as a teacher in Australia. Do they help you get your registration, too?  Even casual teachers must be registered. 

It is called Leading Out, they help Canadian and American teachers get placement as casual teachers in Melbourne. They look over my credentials and then I apply myself.