Teacher Obligations

What does it mean to be a registered teacher in Tasmania?

Like members of other professions which occupy a position of trust and responsibility, teachers are legally required to be registered to practice their profession.

Teacher registration responds to community expectations of anyone who is employed to teach Tasmanian students. It promotes community confidence in the work of Tasmanian teachers and recognises teachers as highly skilled professionals.

Registration sets benchmarks for the teaching profession in terms of:

• Qualifications
• Teaching competence
• Skill and knowledge
• Character
• Fitness to teach

Code of Professional Ethics and Professional Teaching Standards

As a registered teacher, you have been assessed to be a person with appropriate qualifications, who is competent, of good character, and fit to be a teacher. You must satisfy a standard of behaviour that is generally expected of a teacher.

The Board has developed a Code of Professional Ethics for the Teaching Profession in Tasmania. The Code describes the ethical commitments, practices, and aspirations that underpin the teaching profession in Tasmania. As a registered teacher, the Board expects that you will adhere to the principles contained in the code.

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Teacher Standards) define the work of teachers and make explicit the elements of high-quality, effective teaching in 21st-century schools. The Teacher Standards provide a framework that makes clear the knowledge, practice, and professional engagement required across teachers’ careers.

Your obligations as a registered teacher

As a registered teacher, you are legally obliged to:

• Ensure that you have current registration before you are employed or engaged to teach
• Advise the Board if you are charged with a prescribed or other offence*
• Advise the Board if you are convicted of a prescribed or other offence*
• Notify the Board if you change your name, address or qualifications
• Assist the Board in holding an inquiry if required to do so

When giving information to the Board, you must not knowingly make a statement that is false or misleading or omit any matter knowing that without that matter the information is misleading.

Finding work

You can apply for teaching roles in Tasmanian schools once you have been granted registration to teach in Tasmania.

Tasmania has several teacher employer groups, including:

• Department for Education, Children and Young People (government schools)
• Catholic Education Tasmania
• Christian Schools Tasmania
• Independent Schools Tasmania

The best time to apply for teaching positions is from early September to the start of the next teaching year. However, there are many teaching positions, including fixed-term, relief, and permanent roles, that become available throughout the year.

Please note: Questions about work conditions, hours or pay rates should be directed to your potential employer.