Migrating to Australia as a secondary teacher begins with a skills assessment by AITSL for the occupation Secondary School Teacher (code 241411): a minimum of four years of full-time higher education including an initial teacher education (ITE) program, at least 45 days of supervised professional experience with students aged 13 to 18 in a secondary school setting, and satisfaction of the English language requirement. Once that is in place, the 189, 190, 491, 482 or 186 visa pathways can be considered.
This framework is precisely the roadmap that Dr Cyrus Ahmadi, Australian migration lawyer, MARA registration number 0854826, maps out for Iranian teachers — an approach grounded in the official wording of the AITSL checklist and the legislative instruments currently in force. The occupation Secondary School Teacher, code 241411, appears on the Core Skills Occupation List (row 159) with AITSL — Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited — as the assessing authority, and the relevant legislative instruments are listed on the Department of Home Affairs’ official page: LIN 24/089 for the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) and LIN 24/093 for the 186 visa.
The key point for your matter is that the AITSL assessment rests on two criteria, and both must be met. The first is a minimum of four years of full-time study (or the part-time equivalent) at higher education level; the professional experience criterion is then assessed separately. The age group of the students and the setting in which your practicum was completed determine which occupation you can nominate: an applicant for primary teaching must demonstrate supervised teaching practice with primary students, and an applicant for secondary teaching must demonstrate practice with secondary students. This means that someone whose practicum was undertaken in a secondary school is, in practical terms, not able to pursue the Primary School Teacher pathway. For the secondary level, the subject specialisation (teaching area) is also examined; where “sociology/social sciences” sits must be verified directly against the AITSL checklist and guidelines and with the relevant state registration body, such as VIT.
On the subject of your eight years of teaching experience, I need to be candid with you: the AITSL assessment is qualification-driven, and work experience cannot substitute for either the professional experience requirement or the qualification requirement. Experience carries weight at the visa points-test stage, not in satisfying the assessment criteria. Likewise, whether a Farhangian University qualification is equivalent to AQF 7 and counts as a four-year ITE program is not something that can be stated with certainty in advance — it requires a case-by-case assessment of your documents.
On English, the national standard for teacher registration in IELTS Academic is Speaking 8.0, Listening 8.0, Reading 7.0 and Writing 7.0, and the applicant must achieve the required score in each skill individually within a single TRF; IELTS Online is not accepted. This requirement applies to those who obtained their qualifications or experience outside Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada or Ireland. There is also an exemption pathway: if your teacher education qualifications comprise four full years of higher education with an approved ITE program, delivered in English in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States, the English language proficiency requirement is taken to be met. For teacher registration purposes, ISLPR at standard 4 in all four skills is also accepted (whether AITSL accepts ISLPR for its migration skills assessment must be verified separately).
At the visa stage, careful thought is equally important: the pathways are specifically 189, 190 and 491 (points-tested, requiring an invitation and, in most cases, state nomination) or 482 and 186 (requiring a sponsoring employer), and the mere presence of the occupation on a list is not in itself a guarantee of an invitation. The reassuring news is that with a professional, step-by-step assessment we can see exactly which requirements you already satisfy, which gaps need to be closed, and which visa pathway best fits your circumstances.
If you have your Farhangian University qualifications, your practicum records and your teaching service history to hand, those very documents can be the starting point for a personal and realistic review. To obtain advice tailored to your own case, please schedule a consultation with Dr Cyrus Ahmadi.
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This answer reflects the law and policy as verified on October 8, 2026. Immigration rules change frequently — confirm the current position before acting.
Dr. Sirous Ahmadi Registered Migration Agent 0854826
This article is general information only, current at the date shown, and is not legal advice. Do not rely on it for your own situation — immigration law and policy change frequently. Seek advice from a registered migration agent or immigration lawyer about your circumstances.