Teaching Jobs

How to apply

Interstate and local teachers

To teach in the Northern Territory you must:

Apply to Northern Territory Department of Education

The Department of Education is the employing body for teachers in Northern Territory Government schools. After you apply, individual school principals will be able to view your application.

Apply to Safe NT for a Working with Children Clearance Notice

As of March 2011 all Northern Territory teachers will be required to have a Working with Children Clearance Notice.

You do not need a Working with Children Clearance Notice to apply for a teaching job. However, we strongly recommend that you apply for a clearance notice at the same time as applying to teach in the Northern Territory to ensure your application is considered in a timely manner.

If you are applying for a Working with Children Clearance Notice and intend to register with the Teacher Registration Board of the Northern Territory, it is recommended that you authorise Safe NT to forward a National Police Certificate containing your criminal history to the TRB. To do so, you must sign the authorisation statement under Section D – purposes of check of the Working with Children Employment Application.

Register with Teacher Registration Board

The Teacher Registration Board (TRB) registers teachers and is not an employing authority. Under the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Act, you must register with the TRB to work as a teacher in Northern Territory Government schools. You do not need TRB registration to apply for a teaching job; however, we strongly recommend you register with the TRB to ensure your application receives priority consideration.

It can take up to eight weeks for the TRB to process a registration application.

If you are an overseas teacher, you must comply with additional requirements before you are eligible to register yourself as a teacher and apply for a teaching position.

How to submit a general application to teach in a remote community

You can submit a Remote Teaching Service application, or apply for a specific position as advertised on the website. To be considered for these positions, you need to apply for a password and log-in on this website and fill in all sections of the online application form.

Your application will stay current for one month to the date you submit it or update it, unless the department has employed you or you have asked for your application to be withdrawn.

If there is no activity after one month, your application will be archived and is automatically restored the next time you log in. You may also apply for positions in other urban, provincial and remote schools that are not part of the Remote Teaching Service via the teaching vacancies application, however, your application under the Remote Teaching Service will be considered first.

The recruitment process

All applications will be assessed and shortlisted by our team of recruitment consultants. If you are shortlisted you will be invited to attend a facilitated group interaction session and complete a personality profile to assess the most suitable remote positions for you.

All applicants will be assessed according to their suitability for remote contexts before being interviewed by school principals for specific positions. Once principals have made their selection our recruitment team will send formal offers of employment to successful applicants.

During an interview with a principal, take the opportunity to ask questions specific to the school and community. Suggested questions to ask principals during interview (pdf 27 kb)

Please note that your preferred region will be taken into account but final offers will depend on where vacancies are and your suitability for the role.

Documents you will need to provide

If you are selected for the facilitated group interaction session you should bring the following documents with you:

• Copies of completed qualifications (degree award and transcripts)
  • A four-year tertiary qualification with an education major is required for employment as a teacher in the Northern Territory. If you are currently studying, you should forward your academic record to date, and your final semester transcript indicating you have completed the course as soon as it is available
• Evidence of Australian residency or visa status. This documentation is necessary to show you are entitled to residency and your ability to take up paid employment, and can include a birth certificate or current passport
• Copies of official statements of previous teaching service, or for new graduates, copies of the most recent practicum reports.

For fax, email and postal information go to the contacts page.

Note: You should not make any arrangements towards relocating to the Northern Territory until you have a formal offer of employment from the Department of Education's Recruitment Unit. School principals do not make offers of employment to applicants but they can recommend an applicant to the Recruitment Unit, whose role is to make formal offers of employment.

Overseas teachers

If you are a teacher from outside Australia, you must hold a teaching qualification assessed as comparable to a minimum of four years recognised teacher training.

The Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations can assess your qualifications.

The Northern Territory Department of Education only considers applicants who can provide satisfactory evidence of Australian citizenship, residency status or an Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship work permit.

If you are interested in migrating to Australia you should initially approach the nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate. They will be able to give you information on migration criteria, qualification assessments and procedural requirements. You may wish to ask for information about the General Skilled Migration program.

Other options for teaching work within Australia may be available through an International Teacher Exchange. These generally last one year. To participate in an international teacher exchange program you will need to have completed five years of teaching experience and must also provide appropriate accommodation for your exchange partner.

We have agreements with education authorities in New Zealand, the United Kingdom - including Northern Ireland - the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, as well as Colorado and Minnesota in the United States of America. If you are interested in a working holiday, you may apply for a 12-month visa, with approval to work for six months at a time with any one employer. The Northern Territory Department of Education may consider offering relief teaching or a short-term contract.

The Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme is designed to help employers in regional or low population growth areas of Australia who are unable to fill skilled vacancies from the Australian labour market. Employers may nominate people from overseas or temporary residents already in Australia, to fill vacancies that are full-time, skilled and available for a minimum of two years.