Teachers in South Africa are in high demand, this article will provide you with all the information you need to get a teaching license in South Africa.
Be it a South Africa citizen or a foreigner, there are some requirements you must meet to become a teacher in South Africa. Having a teaching degree is considered to be a key requirement to teach in SA.
If you want to teach in South Africa, this article will provide you with all the requirements you need. Below you will see the steps you need to follow to be qualified for a teaching profession in SA.
REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A TEACHER IN SOUTH AFRICA
1. NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE (NSC)
Education is very important to South Africa Government, the standard of education in the country is high and teachers are put to undergo rigorous training.
To be considered for a teaching degree course, you must possess a National Senior Certificate, the details of the certificate depend on the university you are applying to. The requirements also depend on the class you want to teach.
The subjects passed in NSC is not that important for those that want to teach primary school pupils. However, you must meet the pass mark of the subject if you want to teach the older student.
The above statements means, you will need to obtain a degree in the subject you want to teach if your aim is to teach secondary school; e.g. you must have a degree in chemistry to be offered a chemistry teaching job.
2. TEACHING DIPLOMA
A teaching diploma is one of the fastest and latest means of becoming a professional teacher in South Africa. You can apply to a vocation or teaching school to get a diploma teaching certificate to become a professional educator.
The duration to obtain a teaching diploma in South Africa is 18 months. Students can specialize in the subject they want to teach from the beginning of their education.
3. BACHELOR OF EDUCATION DEGREE
A Bachelor’s degree in education for a period of 4 years will automatically qualify you to become a teacher in South Africa. This is actually the best way to become a professional teacher in South Africa. However, if you want to teach in tertiary institution, you will need to back it up with a two year’s honours, masters and a doctorate degree.
4. THREE TO FOUR (3-4) YEARS DEGREE AND A 1-YEAR PGCE
If you want to specialize in teaching a particular subject, this is the most preferred method. The Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) you obtain must be in the subject you choose in your 4-years degree course. This method qualifies you as a professional high school teacher in a particular subject.
Having any of the four above is not all you need to become a teacher in South Africa. You need to get a teaching license that will allow you to work in a designated area.
WHAT IS A TEACHING LICENSE?
A teaching license is a credential that gives you permission to work legally as a teacher within a designated area (province, home state or country)
The teaching license is given by the appropriate governing body in your home state, province or country. Most times, the teaching license is a primary requirement for teachers by international schools or programs looking to hire International teaching candidates.
There are requirements that the holder must maintain for the license to be valid. Your teaching license will expire after a certain period and you will have to renew it.
Below is the governing body you need to register under to get a license to teach in South Africa.
REGISTER WITH SOUTH AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATORS (SACE)
Are you an Educator?, Did you want to register under the South African Council for Educators, SACE? This article is going to put you through on how to register with SACE to enhance your status as an educator.
The South Africa Council for Educators is the professional body for educators in South Africa. The aim of the council is to enhance the status of the teaching profession through the management of Professional Development, Registration and the promotion of the teaching profession Code of Ethics among educators.
Meaning, before anybody can be allowed to teach in South Africa, he/she must register with the South Africa Council of Educators (SACE). If you want to be a qualified teacher, it is a must-do for you. Those that have a foreign qualification will have to be evaluated by South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA) first before they can register with SACE.
You should note that SAQA does not evaluate qualifications for employment in some work areas. Before you can be offered a teaching job in South Africa, your qualification and academic transcript should be submitted to the Department of Basic Education, DBE where it will be evaluated for employment in Education. After the evaluation, you will be informed in writing the outcome of the evaluation. If your qualification is recognized for employment, you can register with SACE where you will receive a registration certificate after successful application.
How to Register with SACE
You have to complete the SACE application form, attach the following certified document and submit:
- Professional diploma(s) and/or degree certificate(s)
- Identity document
- Registration fee
Non-South African citizens are to include the following:
- SAQA evaluation report
- Evaluation report for employment in education from the Department of Basic Education
- Work permits that indicate you can teach in South Africa
- Evidence that you are a permanent resident and non-South African identity document
- Evidence of employment or pending employment by a South Africa school.
Read the details on how to register with SACE
CRITERIA FOR REGISTERING ACADEMICALLY QUALIFIED AND PROFESSIONALLY UNQUALIFIED PEOPLE
SACE will award professionally unqualified persons provisional registration and they will be given the condition to produce proof of completion of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and a complete academic record indicating that the qualification has been completed (refer to the SACE website for the registration), the validity period for this is within two years.
If the candidate did not complete the PGCE within the two years, SACE will add one more year grace for the applicant. If the candidate did not complete the PGCE at the end of the third year, there will be no more extension for completion for such candidate. The candidate information will then be removed from SACE registered educators.
PROCESSING TIME
- It takes six weeks for your registration to complete if you are a South Africa citizen.
- For non-South Africa citizen, the registration will take three months.
It is compulsory for all educators working in South African public and independent schools, or GET or FET(further education and training) bands, must be registered with SACE (the South African Council of Educators).
Nobody is allowed to teach in South Africa without SACE accreditation. A teaching license is a must-have for all educators.
Why you need a teaching license as an Educator:
There are many reasons why an educator should consider having a teaching license. A teaching license will increase the earning potential of its holder. Teachers with teaching license will automatically qualify you for a high salary in school. When teachers are hired, most schools do give a broad salary range for the teachers. Teachers salary scale is based on the total years of experience, however, your formal teaching credential is a great advantage to get high salary.
The high end of the salary is reserved for teachers with formal teaching credentials while teachers without license get a low salary. This is one of the major importance of getting a teaching license. If you want to be paid high for your service as a teacher, you must get a teaching license.
Another advantage of a teaching license is the number of job opportunity available. If you want to teach in an international school, you will need a teaching license. Many large percentages of international school in South Africa will not employ you if you did not have a teaching license.
It is very important to have a teaching license if you want to teach in South Africa, it gives you varieties of job options to pick from. With the license, you can teach in any school of your choice. You should also know that schools that use teaching license as a criterion for employment do pay a high salary.
The teaching market is very competitive, having a teaching license will give you an advantage over others. It is quite easy for foreigners to obtain a teaching license in South Africa so far they meet the requirements.
CONCLUSION
As you can see getting a teaching license will put you a step above others even as a foreigner. The process of getting a teaching license will put you through great experience even if you have been teaching for years. If you want to enjoy a good salary, have many teaching options, teach in an international school, you should consider getting a teaching license.
A teacher without a license is limited to so many opportunities, getting a license put the limit away and open you to doors of opportunities home and abroad.
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