The recent Teachers Agreement has brought with it a number of beneficial conditions for Tasmanian teachers, one of these being the introduction of a new level at the top of Band 1 – Level 13. Employees can gain access to this new level automatically if they have been working at Level 12 for at least 12 months (Full Time Equivalent) and have Full Registration with the TRB (provisionally registered teachers will not be able to access this level until they hold Full Registration).
Provisional registration and full registration are formal categories required under the Teachers Registration Act 2000. The process of transition from provisional to full registration is a requirement in all Australian state and territory Teacher Regulatory Authorities. In Tasmania, Provisional Registration is normally granted for a five-year cycle and whilst it is not compulsory for teachers to apply to change category, the expectation of the TRB is that teachers will seek to do this within their first cycle of provisional registration (i.e. within the first 5 years of registration). Your category of registration is not related to whether your employment is permanent or temporary, full time, or the number of years you have been employed as a teacher.
If an employee does not have full registration, then the TRB Change of Category process will need to be undertaken to obtain this. The following steps will need to be taken to complete the change of registration category process –
Step 1: Establish a workplace panel – this panel will guide and assess you at a workplace level
Step 2: Prepare evidence of teaching proficiency for the workplace assessment –
Required Evidence:
- Three observations of current or recent teaching
- Examples of current preparation and planning for students
- Evidence of your current or recent professional learning and development
- Evidence of recent or current employment as a teacher
Step 3: Undertake a workplace assessment of your teaching proficiency
Step 4: Submit the Change of Registration Category Application to the TRB.
As a background to the current state of play, the Teachers Registration Act 2000 came into force in 2002. At this point in time teachers who met conditions of competence and current service were deemed Full Registration under a grandfather clause. From 2002 until 2008 teachers applying for full registration had to have worked at least 1 full-time equivalent year and have a recommendation of satisfactory service from their Principal to be granted Full Registration. During 2006 the Tasmanian Teaching Standards were introduced, prior to this there were no reference points as to a professional standard. In 2007 the TRB, in consultation with stakeholders, developed the change of category process and trialled this in 2008. This process was implemented in 2009 and this marked the commencement of the process as we understand it now. In 2010 the Australian Professional Standards for teachers were introduced and these are the standards we now work to.
Teachers who have previously held Full Registration, but who have allowed their registration to lapse through breaks in service and now hold Provisional Registration, may discuss their individual circumstances with the TRB. Situations will be considered on a case by case basis (see contact details below).
The direct contact person at the TRB is – Meredith Phillips, Manager Registration and Professional Standards, TRB Tasmania, Ph: (03) 61655974, Email: meredith.phillips@trb.tas.gov.au
