Teaching in a centre-based education and care service

​​​​The Teacher Registration Act 2012 requires that all teachers who teach from early childhood to Year 12, in an educational institution in Western Australia, must hold teacher registration with the TRBWA.

This includes those who are teaching in centre-based education and care services such as long day care and child care centres.

For those early childhood teachers intending to teach in a school, please refer to the 'Becoming Registered' section of the TRBWA website.

Do I need to be registered as a teacher?

If you are teaching, as defined by the Teacher Registration Act 2012, in an education and care service, you will require registration as a teacher if you either:

(a) hold an Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) approved early childhood teaching (ECT) qualification, or

(b) are enrolled in an approved ECT qualification, and hold an approved diploma level educator qualification or have completed at least
     50 per cent of the ECT course.

Note that for the purposes of teacher registration with the TRBWA you are considered to be teaching, if in your role, you:

• undertake duties that include the delivery of an educational program as part of the Early Years Learning Framework, or another prescribed early years curriculum, and the assessment of student participation in that educational programme in a centre; or
• have responsibility/oversight for the development and implementation (the administration) of the educational program delivered in a centre.

Note also that, in an early childhood context, you are not considered to be teaching and therefore do not need to be registered as a teacher if:

• your role only involves assisting in the delivery of a program but not assessment; or
• your sole responsibility is to provide care and support to the children.

Teacher registration requirements

The following categories of registration enable a person to teach in an educational institution  :

• Full Registration
• Provisional Registration (Graduate Teacher)
• Provisional Registration (Returning Teacher)
• Limited Registration

If you require teacher registration, but have not yet completed your early childhood teaching qualification, it is unlikely that you will be able to meet the registration requirements for Full, Provisional (Graduate Teacher) or Provisional (Returning Teacher) at this time.

Your employer, therefore, will need to apply to the TRBWA on your behalf for Limited Registration. On completion of your early childhood teaching qualification you may be eligible to apply for Provisional Registration.

More information about the requirements for teacher registration, the different registration categories and how to apply may be found on the TRBWA website through the requirements for registration page.