Can I sponsor a teacher aide or education assistant in Australia? Aide no, teacher yes

Education roles, side by side

Verify by code on the Department’s current Core Skills list. Teachers trained in the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada and New Zealand meet AITSL’s English requirement by qualification; others sit the test. The hiring sequence for schools and services: teaching sponsorship.

Why the aide cannot be sponsored

The Core Skills list starts, with few exceptions, at skill level 3; education support sits at level 4, and the Department treats aide shortages as a state training and funding matter. Nominating an aide as a teacher without the teaching qualification and registration is refused and is the kind of nomination that draws a sponsor bar. The regional DAMAs are the only sponsored route where one lists the occupation.

Aides already here

The role does not have to wait for a visa. Three groups can work for you today without sponsorship, and schools and services already run on them:

• Working holiday makers (417 and 462): any role, six months per employer; register with the ATO for the 15 per cent rate and pay super. Employing working holiday makers.
• International students: 48 hours a fortnight in term, unlimited in breaks. Employing international students.
• Partner, graduate (485) and bridging visa holders: full work rights, a VEVO check and nothing else. Who can work for you now.

SponsorTalent lists candidates by occupation, visa and city, so you can see who can start on Monday before you make contact; search is free and a contact unlocks for A$30.

Education is a large international student field at postgraduate level, and a Master of Teaching graduate on a 485 visa who has worked as an aide while studying is the teacher you nominate when the visa runs out; schools that hire students as aides and keep them through registration have the cheapest pipeline there is. Sponsoring an existing employee.

Do not nominate the role under an occupation it is not. An education assistant nominated as a Special Needs Teacher without the teaching qualification is tested against the duties, the qualification, the award classification and the pay, and a mismatch is refused, can bar the business from sponsoring for years, and exposes the worker to cancellation. If the person genuinely does the listed job and holds its qualification, nominate that job at its rate; if not, use the routes above.

Frequently asked questions

Is teacher aide on the skilled occupation list? No. Teacher aide, education assistant, learning support officer and integration aide are on no Australian skilled list, so the 482, 186 and 494 are not available.

Can a school sponsor a teacher? Yes. Primary, secondary, middle school, special needs and early childhood teachers are on the Core Skills list, with an AITSL or ACECQA assessment, state registration, and priority processing for education nominations.

Can a TAFE or RTO sponsor a trainer? Yes, as Vocational Education Teacher (242211), on the Core Skills list, with a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment plus the vocational competency, assessed by VETASSESS or TRA depending on the field.

Who works as teacher aides without sponsorship? Education students and graduates on student and 485 visas, and partner and bridging visa holders with full work rights, after a Working with Children Check and a VEVO check.