The questions we get every week

Not to register with us. You do need VIT (Victorian Institute of Teaching) registration before you can teach in a Victorian classroom, and schools want to see it done or well underway before they make an offer. You can start from Ireland with VIT's pre-assessment of your qualifications, and you should, because it's the slowest part of the whole move. Our VIT guide walks through it.

No. Never. Schools pay us a fee when they hire a teacher we've introduced. You pay nothing to register, nothing when you're placed, and nothing comes out of your salary. If anyone asks you for money to find teaching work in Australia, walk away.

No. We're not registered migration agents, and in Australia only registered agents can legally give visa advice. The official information is on the Department of Home Affairs website, and you can find a registered migration agent through the Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority. What we will do is tell schools your work-rights status up front, exactly as you've told it to us, so there are no surprises at offer stage.

It depends on where the school year is. Melbourne schools do most of their hiring in October to December for late-January starts, and in May to June for July starts. Register inside one of those windows with your VIT sorted and things can move in weeks. Register outside them and we're preparing you for the next window, which is still the right move, because the prepared teachers get the roles. Our hiring calendar guide has the detail.

That's most people when they first talk to us, and it's fine. Register with us, tell us where you're at, and we'll point you at the right registration guide while we get your file ready. Just don't put VIT off: start it now so you're ready when a school says yes.

The Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) lets Irish citizens aged up to 35 live and work in Australia, and teachers do use it, including in schools. The visa normally limits you to six months with any one employer, and the Department of Home Affairs publishes the conditions, extensions and exemptions that apply, including one covering work for the same employer across different school locations. Read the official page at homeaffairs.gov.au, and for advice on your own situation speak to a registered migration agent. We'll always state your visa status to schools exactly as it is.

We work live vacancies across Melbourne: government, Catholic and independent schools, primary and secondary. We don't hold a fixed list of schools; we watch what's actually advertised and go to the school that has the right role for you. That's the point of us.

Yes, primary and secondary. If you teach secondary maths or science, register today, because Melbourne schools find those roles hardest to fill.