Once you finish university and are granted your provisional registration, you have three years (minus 28 days) to transition across to full registration with the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia (TRBWA). To do this, you’ll need to show evidence to your principal (or their delegate) that you’re working at the proficient career stage of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Standards.

There’s no need to rush into this process straight away, but it’s worth knowing what’s involved. A good first step is to download the Guide to Evidencing the Professional Standards at the Proficient Level from the TRBWA website. As well as outlining the entire process, it’s full of examples that might give you ideas about what you can use as evidence.

Next, set up a meeting with your principal (or their nominated delegate) early on. That way, you know what’s expected and you can be clear about the kind of evidence they’ll be happy to sign off on when you’re ready to apply.

If you are in your first 30 months of teaching, you can also opt into the In-Class Coaching Program. It’s completely free, and you’ll be paired with a coach who gives you personalised, confidential support. That could include lesson observations, reflection, putting your graduate modules into practice and building towards full registration. To apply, just search “In-Class Coaching” on Ikon.

Even if you’re not planning to apply for full registration just yet, do your future self a favour and start collecting evidence early. Snap a photo of a great assessment you designed, keep a copy of quality feedback you’ve written, or screenshot a record of a parent phone call.

It’s also smart to log your professional learning as you go. In the Department of Education’s (DoE) HRMIS (Human Resources Management Information System), you can update your professional profile by adding entries to the external training log (your DoE learning will show up automatically).

For SSTUWA training, you’ll find records in your member info hub on our website and app.

While there is no set number of hours required to transition to Full Registration, professional learning can be valuable evidence for many of the AITSL standards.

Other examples of evidence could be things like trying a new teaching approach based on self-reflection, handling a tricky situation with a student or family, joining a committee or running an after-school club.

However you choose to record evidence – notes on your phone, the back page of your planner, or a Word doc on your desktop – future you will be very thankful for that record when it’s time to apply.

One last thing: make sure you submit your application at least 28 days before your provisional registration runs out, so that you leave adequate time for processing. Without valid registration, you cannot teach.