# U.S. Teacher, any chance in Australia?



## Varulfr (Mar 14, 2012)

Hello everyone! 


I'm new here and hoping someone can give me a bit of advice, or at least give me an idea of my chances, on moving to and teaching in Australia.

I am a U.S. trained teacher of Social Studies with a BA in History, an MA in Teaching, and certification to teach grades 4-12. I have three years teaching experience at the secondary level.

Here's where things get tricky: for a while I've actually been trying to get to New Zealand. I have gone through the New Zealand Qualifications Assessment and came out with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Teaching at level 7. Using this, I acquired a provisional teaching certification in New Zealand. Unfortunately, secondary teachers were taken off the skills shortage list recently and I do not believe it will be possible for me to enter NZ at this time. 

Now I would like to go to Australia. Specifically I am looking at Victoria and other regions in the SE. Thanks to my NZ certification I should be able to transfer and register in Victoria under Mutual Recognition. What I don't know is whether or not I actually SHOULD. Will the fact that I haven't actually taught in New Zealand be considered if I look for a job with this kind of teacher registration? Should I go the route of "foreign trained teacher" instead? Or is registration registration, no matter the process?

Moreover, do I even have a chance in Australia right now? I'm being offered a position in Cambridge, UK right now but I would much rather go to Australia if there will be opportunities waiting for me.

I'm good at my job and I love to teach but I'm very unsure of what I'm doing at this point. In New Zealand I applied to nearly 100 different teaching positions without so much as an interview to show for it, but I'm chopping that up mostly to being out of the country and not being on the skills shortage list anymore.

I WILL be moving out of the U.S. by July. My choice of destination is determined by my opportunities: will I have any in Australia?

If anyone could help me I'd be very appreciative. Additionally, if it's possible for someone to take a look at my CV and give me pointers or their opinion of my chances I would be even more appreciative.

My thanks!


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## jb12 (Jan 27, 2012)

Hi Varulfr,

In reading your email, it sounds like there wasn't a lot of teaching positions available and for it to be removed from NZ's short list.

It's hard to predict what your chances are in Australia. After you get all the registration or requirements figured out, do you qualify for any of the Australian visas? Like in most occupations, we can send out our resumes and probably not hear anything back especially for overseas applicants. I think only if you have the skills/education/work experience that they are looking for in the current job posting, HR rep might try contacting you for an interview. You can be proactive in contacting the company or organization that is posting the job with the HR rep information sometimes posted. But if they find out you currently don't have a visa to authorize you to work in Australia, that HR rep might not be so helpful. I did it once asking this one HR rep a question and she didn't seem very nice saying we are not sponsoring applicants. When I responded that I already had a PR visa, her tone in the email changed. 

You only have about 3-4 months before you start your new job in UK. Have you even attempted to apply to any job postings in Australia to see if you will get any potential interviews? The fastest way for you to get to Australia for a teaching position is to get sponsored. If not, you can apply for a skilled visa if you meet the requirements. Unfortunately, there is a major change happening with the skilled migration in Australia that is called SkillSet starting this July 2012. Check out more information about the different visas in immi.gov.au From what others have posted on this forum, it will similarly follow how NZ has it set up for applying for Expressions of Interests. An applicant can apply for a visa only if they are invited.

I found this article from someone that wrote about their perspective in teaching in Australia titled "Australia: My life as a teacher down under". The comments below sound like questions that you are asking about. It can be a perspective of what others have already experienced trying to find teaching jobs in Australia. There are also weblinks provided that might be useful in regards to teaching and schools.
Australia: My life as a teacher down under - Career - TES

I think at this time, you need to follow what opportunity you are being provided which is the UK job. It is a very difficult decision to decide to not take it and pursue something that you are unsure of. Unless you are financially stable to decline the UK offer and wait and see what happens to getting a job in Australia?


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