Australian teaching opportunities are attracting qualified teachers from overseas, with teaching currently included among the sectors receiving priority in the processing of certain skilled visa applications.
For Kenyan teachers considering a move to Australia, the opportunity can be significant. Depending on the teaching role, state or territory, qualifications and experience, annual salaries can reach several million Kenyan shillings.
However, getting a teaching job in Australia is not simply a matter of sending an application to a school. Overseas-trained teachers generally have to go through a number of qualification, migration and registration requirements before they can begin teaching.
The process needs to be followed carefully.
How to Apply for Teaching Jobs in Australia
For a Kenyan teacher looking to work in Australia, the process generally involves the following stages:
1. Have Your Teaching Qualifications Assessed
Teachers migrating to Australia under a skilled migration pathway may need a formal skills assessment through the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL).
AITSL assesses overseas-trained teachers against requirements for nominated school-teaching occupations. Applicants must meet the relevant qualification and English-language criteria.
For teacher migration assessments, AITSL generally requires at least four years of higher education, including a relevant initial teacher education qualification.
2. Meet the Requirements for the Relevant Skilled Visa
The next step is determining which Australian visa pathway applies to you.
Australia has several skilled migration pathways, and eligibility depends on factors including your occupation, qualifications, English proficiency and other visa requirements.
For some skilled visas, teaching is currently among the sectors given priority in visa processing. The Department of Home Affairs says teaching is included in the first priority group under the current directions for certain temporary, provisional and permanent skilled visas.
This priority relates to visa processing. It does not guarantee a visa, nomination or employment.
3. Submit an Expression of Interest
For visas such as the Skilled Independent visa, Skilled Nominated visa and Skilled Work Regional visa, eligible applicants generally submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through SkillSelect.
The EOI includes information such as your qualifications, English test results, and skills assessment.
If invited, the applicant can proceed with the visa application. The Department of Home Affairs states that an invited applicant has 60 days to lodge the visa application.
4. Receive an Invitation or Nomination and Lodge Your Visa Application
Depending on the visa pathway, you may need an invitation or nomination before submitting the visa application.
For employer-sponsored pathways, the process can be different. For example, the Skills in Demand visa requires an approved employer sponsor to nominate the skilled position.
5. Apply for Teacher Registration
This is an important stage that overseas teachers should not confuse with the migration skills assessment.
Teacher registration in Australia is handled by the relevant regulatory authority in each state or territory.
AITSL states that its migration skills assessment is separate from teacher registration. A person may complete an AITSL skills assessment without already holding Australian teacher registration, but anyone wishing to teach in Australia must obtain registration with the relevant state or territory authority.
6. Find a Teaching Job and Move to Australia
Once the relevant migration and registration requirements have been dealt with, teachers can apply for positions with schools and education employers.
The exact employment requirements can vary depending on the state or territory, school system, teaching level and position.
Who Should Pay Attention?
The Australian teaching pathway may be particularly relevant to qualified Kenyan teachers such as:
- Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) teachers
- Primary school teachers
- Secondary school teachers
- Special needs education (SNE) teachers
- Teachers with a subject-specific degree and a recognised teaching qualification
AITSL’s migration assessment framework includes occupations such as Primary School Teacher, Middle School Teacher, Secondary School Teacher and Special Needs Teacher.
The Next Step: How Does a Kenyan Teacher Get Registered to Teach in Australia?
This is where the process becomes particularly important.
Having a teaching degree does not, by itself, mean that an overseas teacher can immediately walk into an Australian classroom.
Teacher registration is administered by the individual Australian states and territories, and applicants must satisfy the relevant registration authority’s requirements. These can include qualifications, English-language proficiency, and suitability requirements.
English Requirements for Teachers
English proficiency is one of the key requirements Kenyan teachers need to understand.
Under the national teacher-registration framework, the IELTS Academic requirement is at least 7 in each of the four components, with at least 8 in Listening and Speaking.
That means the commonly quoted target is:
- Listening: 8.0
- Speaking: 8.0
- Reading: 7.0
- Writing: 7.0
However, applicants should not assume that the same English requirement applies identically to every visa pathway. Visa English requirements are determined by the specific visa, while teacher registration and AITSL skills assessment have their own rules.
AITSL also updated its policy in July 2026, extending the validity period for Academic IELTS results used for its assessment from two years to three years.
Don’t Rely on Agents Alone
Kenyan teachers considering Australia should verify requirements directly with the relevant Australian authorities before paying an agent or making major financial commitments.
AITSL handles the skills assessment for teacher migration, while the Department of Home Affairs handles visa requirements and the state or territory authorities handle teacher registration.
The requirements can also change, so applicants should check the current rules before submitting an application.
What Kenyan Teachers Should Have Ready
Before starting the process, prospective applicants should begin organising their:
- Academic certificates and transcripts
- Teaching qualification documents
- Evidence of supervised teaching practice
- Identity documents
- English-language test results where required
- Employment evidence where applicable
- Teacher registration documents, where applicable
- Other documents required for the specific visa and assessment pathway
The exact documents required depend on the nominated occupation, visa pathway and registration authority.
Bottom Line
Australia’s current skilled-migration framework places teaching among the sectors receiving priority for certain skilled visa applications, creating an important opportunity for suitably qualified teachers.
But the journey from Kenya to an Australian classroom involves several separate stages: qualification assessment, English-language requirements, migration eligibility, visa processing and teacher registration.
For a Kenyan teacher, the first step should therefore be understanding the requirements before spending money on applications, agents or travel.
Series 3 will look at the teacher-registration process in greater detail, including what Kenyan teachers need to prepare before applying to teach in Australia.
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