Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia

Upon recently discovering other users dissatisfaction, I haven’t had any issues regarding the TRBWA. I received notice of my application efficiently and when I called to ask questions regarding other elements, the representative was helpful and insightful on the matter. It helps if you also have a supportive school, principal and business manager too.

Have been urgently waiting for the TRBWA to give permission for Victoria to register me as a teacher. They have had the email for quite some time but alas no one has made any effort to finalise. I will likely miss out on my job opportunity for 2023 due to this

Don’t ever waste your money getting advise from them as they would just say what’s on their website. They asked you to pay to get advice for your qualifications but it would take months for you to wait for their advice and you’ll only get the information that’s already on their website. They would just make u feel that your voice will be heard to make it look like their doing their job. Bye to my hard earned $320 advice fee, I was expecting to get the results faster as I paid for the service but it was the opposite. I wouldn’t doubt that in the future their would huge shortage of teachers.

My experience with TRBWA was very positive. I have been dealing with them since 2020 and found them very friendly and helpful.
I really don't understand why all these negative feedback.
They are flexible and assess the applications individually depending on each person's circumstances.
The only thing that annoyed me was the processing time. My application was finalised in seven months.
I wish they do something about this point.

Takes money, offers nothing in return, website doesn't work, can't contact via phone, makes you enter your own PD.

Haven't met a single teacher or principal who doesn't attest to the TRB being daylight robbery.
The consistent reply is "what are we paying for? "

Whatever you do, don't let your annual fee slip.
I've done it myself, lost thousands of dollars of work in the process, was misinformed by TRB on the telephone and not given the information I needed of an emergency registration, my school and my students were highly inconvenienced and during the head-ache I learned that the same has happened to many teachers and even principals alike!

Probably the most useless organisation in existence. I would really like to know what they provide teachers. They charge like wounded bulls, no longer issue membership cards and now they stop issuing invoices or reminders for mandatory memberships. We are expected to check their website ourselves otherwise we will be escorted from our workplace if our memberships have lapsed. Sick to death of having to pay for no visible benefit.
Edit: There are two fees to pay to this rubbish organisation- annual fees and also a renewal of registration (why? - every other organisation charges one fee- you don't pay, you aren't renewed). I would really like to know how I, as a teacher, actually personally benefits from this. This must be the only business that charges you twice! Take note of the generic response from the TRBWA below- doesn't address any benefits for already registered, hard working teachers. A legalised Ponzi scheme.

The TRBWA is a dreadful organisation, that treats teachers like cash cows. They have only just in recent months, started online invoicing. They have gained a very poor reputation. Here are some of the reasons.

1) Registration is fraught with red tape and insane bureaucracy.
2) Transferring registration from another state takes weeks to months and is frightfully expensive.
3) If you take a teaching position overseas for a few years and let your registration expire, you end up as a provisional teacher again.
4) They claim to wipe all knowledge and paperwork from previous registration, after a few years, so you have to submit everything once again from scratch.
5) The TRBWA doesn't recognise overseas teaching experience at all.
6) The fee structure is incredibly unfair. An inactive teacher pays $90.50 a year, just to keep registered. Many other state's teacher registrations, have a far cheaper annual fee for inactive teachers.

As a Primary teacher with 30 years experience, mostly in Australia and a previous registration, when I rejoined after a few years, I was offended to be classed as a provisional (beginning) teacher again.

In my opinion, they are just are just a stumbling block for teachers, are inflexible and illogical in their approach. The WA state government needs to return it to its previous state owned and run facility.

I spoke to someone on the phone and was so anxious about the process required, and the lovely lady on the phone (can’t remember her name) was so patient and walked me through the EXACT steps I needed to take to get my registration sorted. Won’t be so scared to call and ask for help again

I would like to congratulate the TRBWA on its ingenious business model here. Force customers to pay for a service which serves no real purpose, has little outlay and provides benefits that have already been offered to the customer. An absolutely brilliant yet cunning plan.

Let me explain. Firstly, TRBWA claim that their "national criminal record check" is independent and "more broader" than the Working With Children Check. Yes, more thorough than the check that the teacher has already been processed through.

How exactly is it better? This is the best part, it isn't better! In fact, the WWCC is a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check. It is regularly updated, unlike the TRBWA check which is only current on the day it is issued. TRBWA state that their check is superior as it looks at convictions for overseas offences. It's a great line, but so does the WWCC.

TRBWA also pride themselves of their assurance to the concerned community that they only allow qualified teachers to be employed to teach in WA schools. Thank goodness someone is checking on this, I say. Imagine if this was left to the schools or the Department to handle? One word, chaos.

But how do they check on qualified teachers? Or is it better to ask the question, what makes a quality teacher? Do they check for skills in communication, listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy and patience? Or maybe other characteristics of effective teaching like creating an engaging classroom presence, value in real-world learning, exchange of best practices and a lifelong love of learning?

Well.not exactly. It would appear a quality teacher in the eyes of TRBWA is foremost, one that pays their fees on time. Hey, don't blame them. The mafia started that idea! But they do go deeper.

Every now and again, they ensure the customer has a bunch of teaching hours up their sleeve. Teaching what you ask? Who cares! It's irrelevant but more importantly, it sounds good. The teacher just needs to be proficient at filling in a bunch of paperwork which may or may not include how well they can write a good story about the "Professional Standards for Teachers in Western Australia" - in first person mind you.

Not that TRBWA actually check these hours or verify these statements made by teachers. No, of course not. That's the job of the teacher's school principal.

Didn't I say this was a brilliant business model? Getting paid and having someone else do the work!

Yeah but, TRBWA must check something, right? Of course they do. They check that the principal signed the documents. Well.it could be anyone's signature actually but they DO check that it was scribbled on the right line. Oh, and of course, don't forget about the extra fee check.

You mean the annual fee? Hell no, that would be unbusinesslike. Why pay one annual fee when you can charge another fee for registration renewal.

But advice is free though isn't it? Sure it is! You just need to pay $313.50 for that free advice.

It's funny though. These cheeky teachers are constantly asking the same question; couldn't the employer, the school principal, with the support of the Department of Education and compulsory screening strategies, such as the WWCC, manage the professional conduct of their teachers?

The answer is, well, yes! But then, what would they do with the seven board members at TRBWA?

23000 teachers*$90 = $2070000 …that’s a heap of coin that no teacher actually knows where the money goes toward. Please don’t say it’s to ensure child safety either like previous replies…that’s what we pay the WWCC for. Transparency of where the money goes would be greatly appreciated.

I believe it to be the job of the employer to ensure that teachers are properly qualified to do the job. They've outsourced this to a company who charges hefty fees. I have no idea how this money is used to benefit those in the profession.

Reregistration webform is easy to use, and I have had a conversation with one person who was very helpful. Otherwise, I generally expect emails and enquiries to go unanswered.

Be honest with yourself. This is a fantastic business model. Charge clients a yearly fee otherwise they can't make a wage. In return give them absolutely positively nothing.
Let that sink in. You have to pay money and get nothing out of the company.
Most businesses there is some sort of exchange of money and services but here it is you give them money to do what you could do without this business even existing. The only thing you could liken this to is the mafia

The TRBWA do absolutely nothing for the $90.50 COMPULSORY fee! What on earth do they do with it?
thseveral million dollars tgey collect per annum

45,000 registered teachers paying $90 every year to maintain registration = $4,050,000 per year.
Where is this money going? What do we get in return? Their annual report isn't transparent. It's concerning that teachers get told nothing about what their money is being used for.

All of my interactions with this institution have been positive in the past, and they were lenient and supportive with members during the COVID pandemic.

Honestly a pleasure to deal with in person and have been efficient and prompt in their replies to me via email.

What a horrible organisation to deal with. The simplest follow-up was too hard for them, despite the money I had paid year after year.

My story is that I was de-registered after moving house. They had my correct email addres and telephone number, but I had neglected to update my postal address. So, what did they do - call or email to confirm I really wanted to be deregistered? No, they simply went ahead and did it - and were no help as I had to go about re-registering, losing my useful foundation-member status in the process.

They have improved their systems somewhat recently, but I was still not reinstated as a foundation member, and believe I was treated poorly; I never received anything like an apology.

I think you all know why this institution as 1 star.
What I want to know is how does it justify its existence? Most other boards of professional bodies serve some function or purpose or value ad to their respective profession, whereas this group serves no benefit to its members and is nothing but obstacle that has to be unnecessarily navigated.