Teachers who want to teach in Australia from Kenya on the points-tested visas need a positive AITSL skills assessment first. A positive skills assessment is required for the 189, 190 and 491 visas. That assessment asks for Academic IELTS scores of at least 7.0 in Reading and Writing and 8.0 in Speaking and Listening.
What does it take to teach in Australia from Kenya?
Four separate pieces fit together: a skills assessment, a visa, state teacher registration and a job. They do different work, and none replaces another.
The AITSL skills assessment serves migration, while state registration is the legal authorisation to teach, issued by the regulator in the state or territory where you work. The first does not directly lead to the second. A positive AITSL outcome also does not guarantee a visa.
Take a Kenyan teacher with a four-year university degree who wants a points-tested visa. AITSL comes first. Australian teacher registration is not needed to apply for the assessment.
What does AITSL check in your qualifications?
AITSL assesses each teaching role against its own checklist. For a secondary school teacher, meaning someone degree qualified to teach students aged 13 to 18, there are two criteria, and an application must meet both.
The first criterion is a minimum of four years of full-time university-level study, including an initial teacher education qualification at Australian Bachelor degree level or higher. That teacher education study must include at least one year of secondary teacher education and at least 45 days of supervised teaching practice with students aged 13 to 18 in a secondary school.
Other qualifications that make up the four years must be at least Advanced Diploma or Associate Degree level. Picture a teacher whose four years combine a diploma and a degree. The diploma can count towards the four years, but the teacher education qualification itself must still meet the Bachelor-level and 45-day rules.
AITSL does not assess short courses of under a year, non-academic qualifications, professional development programmes or incomplete qualifications. Other checklists exist for other roles. Special education, for example, adds a requirement of one year of full-time study in special education.
Which IELTS score do you need?
AITSL accepts an Academic IELTS Test Report Form showing these minimum scores:
| IELTS Academic skill | Minimum score |
|---|---|
| Reading | 7.0 |
| Writing | 7.0 |
| Speaking | 8.0 |
| Listening | 8.0 |
All scores must appear on a single Test Report Form, from a test taken within the three years before the application. AITSL can accept IELTS One Skill Retake tests, and it can ask an applicant to sit the Academic test if it is unsure about their English level.
The alternative to IELTS is at least four full years of university study, including a recognised teacher education qualification, in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States. Kenya is not on that list, so a Kenyan-trained teacher uses the IELTS route.
Suppose a teacher scores 7.5 in Speaking. That falls short of the 8.0 required, so the result does not meet the AITSL standard. (The scores in this example are illustrative.)
What documents does AITSL ask for?
The checklist asks for a valid passport identity page and the page opposite, plus two more identity documents such as a birth certificate, a national identity card or another photo-bearing document. Name-change evidence is needed if the name differs between documents.
For the teacher education qualification, AITSL wants the final award certificate, the final academic transcript for each year, and an official, signed and dated document from the awarding university confirming the supervised teaching practice. Other qualifications need their own certificates and transcripts.
Scans must be in colour at 300 dpi or higher, with a maximum of 20MB per upload, and multi-page documents go into one PDF. Documents not in English need an accredited English translation, and copies do not need to be certified. Submitting the wrong documents delays processing.
A TSC licence is not on the checklist. Picture a teacher who qualified years ago. The university must supply the signed teaching practice document, so a request to the registrar is worth making early.
What does the AITSL assessment cost?
From 7 September 2026 the AITSL skills assessment fee is AUD 1,198, up from AUD 1,154. The appeal fee rose from AUD 904 to AUD 938, and no GST applies.
AITSL accepts payment only through its Applicant Portal. A fee sent to an agent’s account is therefore not an AITSL payment. The fee is charged in Australian dollars, so the Kenya shilling cost moves with the exchange rate.
Which visas can a teacher use, and what are the age limits?
The 189, 190 and 491 visas carry an age limit of under 45 at the time of invitation. The 189 is points-tested, with a minimum score of 65 points. The employer-sponsored Skills in Demand 482 visa has no age limit, but it needs a job offer.
| Visa | Who starts it | Age rule |
|---|---|---|
| 189 Skilled Independent | The applicant, no sponsor needed | Under 45 |
| 190 and 491 | The applicant, with state or regional nomination | Under 45 |
| 482 Skills in Demand | An employer | No age limit |
The permanent 186 pathway that follows a 482 generally requires applicants to be under 45, with some exemptions. A 482 applicant needs at least one year of relevant work experience. The nominated occupation must be on the Core Skills Occupation List.
Without a job offer, the 189 and 190 visas are the routes an applicant can start alone. A teacher aged 46 cannot be invited under the points-tested visas, but an employer can still nominate that teacher for a 482.
What does state teacher registration add?
The national registration framework sets a minimum qualification of at least four years of higher education including an accredited initial teacher education programme, or an overseas qualification assessed as equivalent. Each state or territory has its own regulator, and Western Australia, for one, requires its own registration.
English proficiency assessment is not required where all qualifications were taken in English in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or Ireland. In Western Australia, a teacher whose qualification was not completed in those countries must submit IELTS Academic results.
Western Australia also has a Limited Registration category that lets a person teach once an employer or school applies on their behalf, with English requirements still applying. Picture a teacher offered a post in Perth. That teacher must register with the Western Australian board, and the board sets the English evidence it wants.
What do teachers earn in Australia?
Each state sets its own scale. In NSW public schools, a new graduate earns AUD 90,177 on the current seven-step scale, rising to AUD 129,536 for an experienced teacher. Casual teachers are paid daily rates, from AUD 466.44 to AUD 582.38 depending on experience.
Eligible NSW public school teachers can also use salary packaging, which turns part of pre-tax pay into benefits. These are base salaries in Australian dollars before tax. A teacher starting at Step 1 in NSW would see AUD 90,177 as the annual base.
Common claims, checked against AITSL’s checklist
- Band 8 in every IELTS skill. AITSL asks for 7.0 in Reading and Writing, and 8.0 only in Speaking and Listening.
- Any education degree qualifies. The checklist requires four years of university study with a teacher education qualification and 45 days of supervised practice.
- A job connection is needed. Applicants lodge the assessment themselves through the portal. The visa route decides whether a job offer is needed at all.
- A positive assessment settles it. AITSL’s outcome does not guarantee a visa, and it does not give registration.
Quick answers
Do I need a TSC licence to apply to AITSL?
The AITSL secondary checklist asks for identity documents, qualification documents and English evidence. A TSC licence is not on it, and AITSL says Australian teacher registration is not needed to apply either. Teaching in a school later requires registration with the state or territory regulator.
Which IELTS score does AITSL want?
For Kenyan applicants, AITSL’s English test option is Academic IELTS: at least 7.0 in Reading and Writing and 8.0 in Speaking and Listening, on one test report form taken within the past three years. IELTS One Skill Retake results are accepted. The checklist names no other test.
How much does the AITSL assessment cost?
From 7 September 2026 the AITSL skills assessment fee is AUD 1,198, up from AUD 1,154, and no GST is charged. The fee is paid in Australian dollars through the applicant portal before the application is submitted. Appeals cost AUD 938 from the same date.
Is there an age limit?
Yes for the points-tested 189, 190 and 491 visas, which require applicants to be under 45. The employer-sponsored Skills in Demand 482 visa has no age limit, but the permanent 186 pathway that follows it generally requires applicants to be under 45, with some exemptions. Check the age rule for the exact visa you want.
Can I go without a job offer?
The 482 visa is employer-sponsored, so it requires a job offer and an approved employer nomination, plus at least one year of relevant work experience. Without an offer, the points-tested 189 and 190 visas are the routes an applicant can start alone. Either way, teaching in a school needs state registration.
Read Also: TSC Free T-Learn Courses for Kenyan Teachers (2026 Guide)
What to do next
- Request your final degree certificate and each year’s transcript from your university.
- Ask your university for a signed, dated letter confirming your supervised teaching practice.
- Book Academic IELTS and aim for 7.0 in Reading and Writing and 8.0 in Speaking and Listening.
- Open the AITSL fees page before applying, and pay only through the Applicant Portal.
- Read the registration rules of the state where you hope to teach.
- Check the age rule for the visa you plan to use.
Last updated: October 2026. This post is guidance only; please confirm every requirement, fee and visa rule with AITSL, the Department of Home Affairs and the state teacher regulator before acting.