"Must I have IELTS 7788 for a primary school teacher skills assessment?"

Before aiming to replicate the path of secondary teachers in waiving the IELTS 7788 requirement for an AITSL skills assessment, there is one crucial issue to confirm first!

Verify the practicum duration (a common issue for many Early Childhood/Primary Master's degrees is whether the practicum days meet the requirement, so this needs to be checked in advance).

The primary teaching practicum requires at least 45 days, and AITSL stipulates that it must correspond to the student age group of 5 to 12 years old.

Some Early Childhood/Primary Master's programs include a practicum placement that may be in a Primary School's Preschool (or similar setting). Since Preschool includes students aged 5, this practicum period can be counted towards the primary teaching practicum requirement.

Once you confirm the 45-day primary teaching practicum is met, you can proceed with the pathway of using teacher registration to waive the English requirement for the skills assessment. The principle is the same as for secondary teachers:

Possess at least a Bachelor's degree or higher totaling 4 years of study (not all required to be in an English-speaking country) (this includes the duration of the teaching qualification).

Complete an Australian compliant teaching course (e.g., Master of Teaching (Early Childhood and Primary) or Master of Teaching (Primary)). (Note: An Australian qualification directly meets this requirement. Overseas qualifications may have a chance but require case-by-case assessment.)

Fulfill the requirement of at least 1 year of study in an English-speaking country (an Australian Teaching qualification satisfies this).

Complete the mandatory teaching practicum specified by the course (45 days for primary).

No need to take additional IELTS or ISLPR tests.

If you meet all the above conditions, you can apply for Primary Teacher registration in Western Australia (TRBWA).

After obtaining WA teacher registration, apply for the Primary School Teacher skills assessment through the teacher registration pathway, which waives the IELTS 7788 requirement. (If you wish to teach in another state, you can use the WA registration for mutual recognition to gain registration in your state of residence.)

Once you have the Primary School Teacher skills assessment, you can submit an EOI for state nomination (190/491). Please note: Primary School Teacher is on the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL), so only state-sponsored pathways (190/491) are available, not the independent 189 visa.

Who is this pathway suitable for?

Those currently studying or who have completed a Master of Teaching (Early Childhood and Primary) and wish to switch tracks due to high competition in early childhood education (e.g., difficulty finding employment).

Those whose practicum includes at least 45 days of teaching practice with students aged 5–12.

Those who want to save time to focus on finding primary teaching jobs instead of spending time on IELTS preparation.

Those whose goal is to obtain a Primary School Teacher skills assessment and pursue a state-nominated migration pathway.