Leave of Absence
Teachers may be able to take leave from teaching and put their accreditation on hold. Discover how to apply for a Leave of Absence in eTAMS, what you can do during this time and how to return to teaching.
What is a Leave of Absence
If you are taking a break from teaching between 6 consecutive months and 5 years, you may apply for a Leave of Absence. This will put your accreditation on hold.
It means the time you spend away from teaching is added to your accreditation timeframe.
You cannot work as a teacher in a NSW school or service while you are on a Leave of Absence.
How to apply
Leave from an employer is different from taking a Leave of Absence with NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). Follow your employer’s internal procedures first.
Apply for a Leave of Absence from your accreditation in advance in your NESA online account (eTAMS).
You need to select your:
- start date (the current or a future date — you cannot backdate the start of your leave)
- end date (minimum of 6 months from your start date).
You can amend your end date in your NESA online account (eTAMS) as long as the total time away remains between 6 months and 5 years. You can also cancel your Leave of Absence at any time if you return to teaching within 6 months of the start date.
NESA regularly reviews Leave of Absence applications. NESA may request further documentation from you or cancel a Leave of Absence application if it does not meet the requirements.
Teachers who have conditions on their accreditation, or whose accreditation is being reviewed by NESA must contact NESA before applying for a Leave of Absence.
How long you can put your accreditation on hold
A Leave of Absence can be taken between 6 consecutive months (minimum) and 5 years (maximum).
If you return to teaching less than 6 months after your leave started, you can cancel your Leave of Absence in eTAMS. Your accreditation due date will revert to the original date before the Leave of Absence.
If you plan to be away from teaching for more than 5 years, or are leaving the teaching profession, you can apply to voluntarily cancel your accreditation. You can apply for re-accreditation should you wish to return to teaching.
Teachers accredited at Proficient Teacher or above may also consider Non-practising teacher accreditation.
During your Leave of Absence
While on a NESA-approved Leave of Absence:
- you are not required to complete professional development (PD) (if you choose to, you can continue to engage in and log PD)
- your name will not appear on the NSW Public Register of Teachers
- you cannot teach in a NSW school or service.
You can be an Accreditation Supervisor or HALT Assessor while on a Leave of Absence. However, you cannot make accreditation recommendations or HALT maintenance verifications.
Fee waivers
We may waive your annual fee if you meet the requirements.
Find out if you qualify for a fee waiver.
Returning to teaching
When your Leave of Absence ends:
- your accreditation timeframe is reactivated
- your name appears on the NSW Public Register of Teachers again
- you will receive an invoice if you are liable for any outstanding accreditation fees.
If you wish to return to teaching prior to your Leave of Absence ending, you must:
- have a current Working with Children Check (WWCC)
- enter your WWCC clearance number in eTAMS, if this requires updating
- pay any outstanding NESA fees.
If you are maintaining your accreditation at Proficient Teacher, you can check your PD hours in eTAMS and make a plan to meet your requirements by the end of your timeframe.
You can use your Teacher Summary Report as evidence that your accreditation is active and that you are eligible to teach. Follow the instructions on how to download the Teacher Summary Report.
If you are not ready to return
You may apply to voluntarily cancel your accreditation if you:
- are not returning to teaching
- have taken the maximum Leave of Absence (5 years).
You can apply for re-accreditation at a later date should you wish to return to teaching.
You may also consider Non-practising teacher accreditation.
To apply for a second Leave of Absence, email evidence of your return to teaching, such as a statement of service or service history from your employers to PTenquiry@nesa.nsw.edu.au.
If you didn’t apply for a Leave of Absence before taking your leave
You can’t apply for a backdated Leave of Absence.
If you have had limited opportunities to meet your accreditation requirements, you can apply for an extension in the final 6 months of your accreditation timeframe.
Complete the Application for extension of accreditation timeframe (PDF 223.05KB).
We will ask you to supply evidence of your time away from teaching to support your application.
Applying for a Leave of Absence when suspended
If you are suspended due to failure to provide an updated WWCC clearance and/or due to outstanding fees, you may apply for a Leave of Absence (if eligible). Apply using the using the NESA application for leave of absence for suspended teachers (PDF 699.77KB).
Teachers with an interim bar on their WWCC and/or are the subject of a misconduct investigation, will not be able to apply for a Leave of Absence.
You cannot apply for a Leave of Absence if your accreditation is suspended due to:
- failure to complete maintenance of accreditation by the end of your timeframe (you should apply for an extension instead)
- an interim bar or bar on your WWCC
- a decision that your practice does not meet the relevant Standards
- misconduct.