Finding teaching jobs in Australia through agencies comes down to three things: showing you’re qualified, proving you’re reliable through referees, and applying at the right time.
Education recruiters look for teachers with current state registration, clear evidence of classroom success, and references from principals or assistant principals who’ve directly supervised your work. When these elements are in place, you can move from the applicant pool to a school placement in weeks rather than months.
If you’ve been sending applications and getting silence or generic “we’ll keep you on file” replies, don’t worry. Agencies in Victoria and across Australia receive dozens of CVs every day and often skim each for no more than 30 seconds.
When your application doesn’t instantly show you meet the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers or highlight concrete achievements, it’s quickly set aside for candidates who present their experience more clearly.
This guide covers exactly what makes you stand out, how to format your CV for education sector recruiters, referee etiquette that gets you interviews, contract types to consider, and when to apply for the best opportunities.
What Makes You Stand Out in the Applicant Pool
Agencies look for teachers with diverse experience, current registration, and strong referees who can speak to your classroom performance.
When school recruiters call looking for qualified teachers to fill vacancies, agencies reach for candidates who tick specific boxes. Here’s what separates teachers who get contacted within days from those who sit in the applicant pool for weeks.
Experience in Early Childhood Through Secondary
Agencies value teachers who’ve worked across multiple year levels because it means you can fill more positions. Demonstrating your ability to switch between the Year 3 and Year 6 curriculum proves you’re ready for whatever school jobs come up.
What’s more, specialist skills in STEM, literacy intervention, or wellbeing make you even more attractive because primary and secondary teachers with niche expertise get matched faster.
Education Support Roles That Build Your Profile
Teacher aide or learning support experience shows you understand inclusive classroom practices beyond what’s taught in university courses.
Graduate teachers who’ve worked in education support roles have an edge because schools see them as ready for real classroom challenges. Also, extra-curricular involvement in sports, arts, or community programs demonstrates commitment that goes beyond contract hours.
For example, a teacher we placed ran a lunchtime coding club at their previous school, which helped them land a role at a tech-focused Melbourne school (and schools notice this more than you’d think).
Pro tip: Having your Victorian teacher registration current and accessible speeds up the entire placement process for both you and the agency.
CV Formatting That Education Recruiters Actually Read
Education recruiters mostly look for chronological listings with specific achievements instead of generic duty descriptions. But even with that, we’ve seen CVs that look perfect on paper but get passed over because they’re missing one small detail that tells the agency you’re ready for immediate placement.
So let’s look at how to format your experience so it actually gets read.
Highlighting School Jobs: Vic and Interstate Experience
Recruiters scan CVs in under 30 seconds during busy hiring periods, so you need to make every line count.
Start by listing your teaching positions chronologically with school names, exact locations including suburbs, year levels taught, and key subject areas you’ve delivered. This format works consistently because agencies search their databases by location and year level when schools contact them with urgent vacancies.
From our work with hundreds of teachers across Victoria and NSW over the past decade, we’ve also seen that concrete achievements, such as “Increased Year 3 NAPLAN writing results by 15%”, lead to far more interview-coaching callbacks than generic claims about being a dedicated educator. Numbers clarify the impact you had, rather than simply describing your daily responsibilities.
Finally, include your registration details for Victoria and any other states you’re open to working in, especially if you’re considering permanent or contract roles outside your local area.
Which brings us to something equally important: who vouches for your teaching ability.
Referee Etiquette for Teaching Jobs in Australia
Agencies contact your referees early in the hiring process, often before they invite you for an interview. This means your referees can make or break your application before you even get a chance to speak with the agency. This section will clearly explain how to manage your references.
Getting Your Referee Details Right
Always ask permission before listing someone as a referee and confirm their current contact details are accurate (let’s be real, no one wants to chase down a busy principal for updated contact details at 5 pm on a Friday).
The worst part is when an agency calls a disconnected number, which immediately makes you look unprofessional.
Choosing Referees Who Carry Weight
Choose referees who’ve directly supervised your teaching, ideally principals or assistant principals from your most recent roles.
These are the people agencies want to hear from because they’ve observed you in the classroom and can speak to your management skills and how you handle difficult situations with parents or students.
Preparing Your Referees for Agency Calls
Brief your referees on the types of roles you’re applying for so they can speak to what agencies need. When you give them this context, they’re able to highlight relevant experience when questions come up about your capabilities.
Understanding Fixed-Term vs Full-Time Opportunities
Once your application is strong and your referees are briefed, the next step is deciding which type of contract best suits your career goals.
What does this mean for you in particular, though? Well, it depends on where you are in your career and how much flexibility you want. Here’s how these contract types differ across Australia.
School Jobs Across Different States
Fixed-term contracts usually run for one to four terms. They are a good option for teachers who want to try a new location before committing long-term. A lot of graduate teachers also start with fixed-term roles, because they give you a natural exit point if the placement isn’t working out.
Similarly, permanent full-time roles offer job security, salary progression, and more chances for professional development. You’ll also get access to paid parental leave and long service leave that fixed-term contracts don’t always include.
These roles come with legal protections, so schools must have legitimate grounds to end your employment rather than simply opting not to renew a contract.
Quick tip: Each state has different employment structures. Victoria and New South Wales generally offer more permanent positions than Queensland or South Australia. The Northern Territory and Western Australia are somewhere in the middle.
When to Apply: Contract Timing in the Education Sector
The best times to apply are September for Term 1 positions and March for mid-year roles. Apply at these peak periods and you’ll have more options, better negotiating power, and faster placement turnaround.
Follow this section to understand when to register with agencies for the best opportunities.
Financial Incentives in the Northern Territory
Term 4 is the main hiring season for Term 1. Agencies process large numbers of applications from October through December, and schools move quickly because they want staffing confirmed before Christmas. If you register with an agency in September, you are ahead of the rush and have a wider range of school jobs available.
Mid-year roles open from April when teachers resign or take leave for personal reasons. These positions usually fill within a week because schools need someone who can start immediately.
Northern Territory schools also provide financial incentives for teachers in remote and regional areas. These include relocation allowances, housing subsidies, and retention bonuses. For example, a teacher we placed in Alice Springs received eight thousand dollars in relocation assistance along with subsidised accommodation for their first year.
What Ongoing Support Looks Like After Placement
Good agencies check in during your first week, mediate contract issues, and help with career advice throughout your placement. But since a few agencies disappear the moment you sign the contract, it’s good to know what to expect.
Quality agencies check in during your first week to ensure the school environment matches what was discussed. They’ll likely want to know if the year level changed, if behaviour management challenges weren’t mentioned, or if the principal’s leadership style doesn’t match your expectations.
They should also mediate any contract issues, clarify pay rates that seem incorrect, and answer questions about entitlements. The agencies that keep teachers long-term are the ones that treat you as more than just a placement number on their books.
Get Hired Faster in Education Jobs
You’ve got the knowledge about what agencies look for and how to position yourself effectively. Now it’s time to put these tips into action.
Start by registering with agencies that specialise in education rather than general recruitment firms. And make sure your CV and referee details are updated before the peak hiring periods in September or March.
It also helps to research schools and regions before your first agency call. If you can say something like, “I am interested in the Mornington Peninsula because I want a coastal lifestyle within an hour of Melbourne,” the consultant can focus on specific schools that align with your goals.
If you’re ready to find the right teaching placement, register with Francis Orr. We’ll connect you with education jobs across Australia and provide personalised support throughout your placement journey.