Registration Decisions

How long does it take for my application to be assessed?

Following receipt of your application, the Office of the Board will review your application to ensure it is complete. If complete, your application will be accepted and the assessment process to determine whether you meet the eligibility criteria for registration will commence. This assessment process generally takes 2 weeks, however the assessment of complex applications, such as those from applicants holding qualifications from overseas, may take longer. To avoid processing delays, please ensure that you provide all documents required to support your application.

The Board has up to 90 days to decide an application for registration, including for registration renewal. The 90 day period commences from the Board's acceptance of your application.

In deciding whether an applicant is eligible for registration, the Board may need to seek further information. This means that the Board may, with your permission, seek information about you from a referee and consider this information in deciding your application. In addition, the Board may require you to provide any further information it considers necessary to inform its decision.

Can I teach while the Board makes a decision about my application?

A person must not work as a teacher in a school in the Northern Territory without registration, an authority to employ or an interim certificate of registration.

If you are applying for registration and have secured employment, you may apply through the Office of the Board to the Director for an interim certificate of registration. An interim certificate of registration is a document issued to a teacher that allows that teacher to teach in a school until the Board decides the application. An Interim Certificate of Registration may be issued once an application is complete, and where the Director of the Board reasonably believes the Board will grant registration to the applicant. An interim certificate of registration is not a guarantee that the Board will grant registration, and the Board maintains its discretion in deciding applications for registration.

Please note that Interim Certificates of Registration are not issued to applicants who are already registered in another jurisdiction and are applying for Northern Territory registration under the Mutual Recognition Principle.

When is registration granted?

If you are eligible for full registration, the Board will grant you full registration for an initial period of 5 years. If you do not have the prescribed professional experience and currency of practice for full registration, but you are otherwise eligible for full registration, you will be granted provisional registration for an initial period of 3 years. You will be advised in writing of the decision of the Board, including information on accessing your online services account and registration certificate.

When is registration refused?

If you are not eligible for registration, your application may be refused by the Board. If your application for registration, including registration renewal, is refused by the Board, you will be advised of the decision in writing and the Board must fulfill its obligations under the Teacher Registration (Northern Territory) Act. Specifically, the Board must:

• Return to you, all documents that you provided to the Board for the application;
• Refund any registration fee that accompanied the application (but not the application fee); and
• Notify each registration authority in Australia and New Zealand of the refusal

Am I able to request a review of the Board's decision?

If you wish to have the decision about your registration reviewed, you may wish to first contact the Office of the Board to clarify the decision of the Board. You are also able to apply for an independent review of the Board’s decision about your registration. Refer to Review of Board decisions for more information on this process.