All teachers working in NSW schools or approved centre-based early childhood services must be accredited with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to be eligible to teach in NSW.
Your maintenance period
· Full-time teachers: 5 years
· Casual or part-time teachers: 7 years
Check you have approval to teach
If you have been approved by the department to teach in NSW public schools, you will have been issued with an approval letter stating that you have satisfied all the requirements for approval.
The letter confirms your teaching/personnel ID number, the type of approval you have been granted (i.e. permanent, casual or temporary) and the subjects you're approved to teach.
Your approval to teach is valid for five years from the date of issue, provided you have current accreditation with NESA and a current Working with Children Check clearance for paid employment.
Not meeting requirements
If you do not achieve Proficient Teacher accreditation within the timeframe, your accreditation may be ceased. If your accreditation is ceased you will not be able to teach in a NSW school or approved centre-based early childhood service.
Teachers whose accreditation has ceased can apply for re-accreditation to teach in NSW. If granted re-accreditation, ceased teachers are given a two-year period to meet the Proficient Teacher accreditation requirements.
Reasons for losing your accreditation
NESA can revoke accreditation if the teacher:
is disqualified under the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012
is found guilty of:
an offence punishable by imprisonment of 12 months or more an offence under the Teacher Accreditation Act 2004 more than one offence in the 5 years immediately before the revocation of any other type of offence involving an act or conduct that would reflect adversely on a teacher’s professional standing or integrity or suitability or competence to teach is dismissed from employment or included on the NSW Department of Education’s ‘Not to Be Employed’ List under the Teaching Service Act 1980 for misconduct that would reflect adversely on a teacher’s professional standing or integrity or suitability or competence to teach has failed to comply with any accreditation condition and any requirements of the professional teaching standards has not met the requirements for maintaining accreditation at Proficient level. Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers can return to the Proficient Teacher level if they lose their accreditation at the higher level.