Before applying for a scholarship, it’s important to understand the legal requirements and expectations of the Program.
On this page:
Scholarship Agreement
If your application is successful, you will be given a formal offer and asked to sign a Scholarship Agreement which sets out your requirements as a Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship recipient.
The Scholarship Agreement is a legal contract between you and the Australian Government, so it is important to understand the scholarship requirements.
A sample Scholarship Agreement can be found on the Resources page.
Accredited teaching degree
If you are awarded a scholarship, you must:
- complete a listed Australian accredited teaching degree
- study full-time for the full duration of your scholarship funding period (determined by the length of your degree)
- complete all requirements of your higher education provider to graduate and gain registration as a teacher in Australia
Part-time study at any stage of your accredited teaching degree is not allowed.
For more information about studying, course information and professional requirements, check out some of the websites below.
- Study Assist
- Your Career
- Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL)
- Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) or the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER)
Commitment to teach
As a Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship recipient, you will also be required to teach in government schools or government-run early learning settings in Australia, at the completion of your accredited teaching degree. This is known as your commitment to teach requirement.
The commitment to teach requirement will be up to four years full-time equivalent if you complete an undergraduate degree or up to two years full-time equivalent if you complete a postgraduate degree.
You will have up to 10 years to fulfil your commitment to teach requirement and this timeframe begins after your scholarship funding period ends. You can teach in any government school or government-run early learning setting, anywhere in Australia, to meet your commitment to teach obligation.
The Australian Government Department of Education does not employ teachers and cannot find employment or place scholarship recipients in schools. Education departments in each state and territory provide information on their websites on how to seek employment in their schools and early learning settings.
More information about this can be found in the Commitment to Teach Policy on the Resources page.