Teaching Futures Pathway

teaching futures program

An employment-based route to a teaching career

Adelaide University, in partnership with the South Australian Department for Education, offers the innovative Teaching Futures Pathway (TFP), an initiative that provides the opportunity to study a Master of Teaching (Primary) or Master of Teaching (Secondary) while working in a paid role at a partner school. 

The Teaching Futures Pathway includes financial assistance, mentorship, and a collaborative community to prepare you to be part of the next generation of high impact teachers who can lead and innovate in their classrooms. 

The TFP is a 2.5 year employment-based pathway program. You’ll be employed by a school in the northern metropolitan suburbs of Adelaide for the duration of the program, while completing your two-year Master of Teaching (Primary) or Master of Teaching (Secondary) degree at Adelaide University. 

The program is structured as follows: 

  • In the first year you will be employed in a support role 

  • In the second year you will transition to employment as a Special Authority Teacher (subject to Teachers Registration Board approval processes) 

  • After two years you will be able to transition to employment as a Provisionally Registered teacher, pending successful progression through the program and meeting teacher registration requirements. 

You will also receive an additional $16,000 tax-free stipend during the first year of the pathway. 

Express your interest

The TFP is for motivated individuals who may have transitioned from other careers, particularly those with strong connections to low socioeconomic, rural, and regional communities. Those who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander are also encouraged to apply. Your unique perspectives and experiences can greatly enrich the teaching profession.

Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident 

You must be an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident. 

Working With Children Check 

You hold, or are eligible to hold, a valid Department of Human Services (DHS) Working With Children Check. 

Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect 

You must have completed, or be able to complete, Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect – Education and Care Masterclass training​.

Available transportation

You are able to ensure that you are able to attend the stipulated school site during the agreed hours of work.

South Australian northern suburb schools 

You acknowledge that your placements for your Initial Teacher Education program will be undertaken in a TFP Cluster school where possible.

Authority to Work 

You hold, or will apply for, an approved authority to work from the Department for Education (DfE) prior to commencing employment (for those aligned to DfE schools).

Willing to Accept Employment 

You are willing to accept employment in a school support role in a South Australian TFP Cluster school at 0.3FTE per school week in Terms 1 to 4 of the 2026 school year (Year 1 of the TFP program). Please note that employment arrangements may differ across school sites. 

Willing to Obtain Special Authority to Teach 

You are willing to accept a Special Authority to Teach (SAT)* (0.5 FTE) in the first half of 2027 (Year 2 of the TFP program) and transition to a provisionally registered teacher for the second half of Year 2 and the first half of Year 3 (1.0 FTE with a reduced workload of 0.9FTE). 

*The granting of a SAT is subject to approval by the South Australian Teachers Registration Board. 

A graduate with a completed degree, eligible to pursue a Master of Education 

You must be eligible to enrol or have been accepted into an Adelaide University Master of Teaching (Primary) or Master of Teaching (Secondary) commencing in 2026 on a full-time basis. 

If you aren’t sure whether you’re eligible to study a Master of Teaching, visit the Master of Teaching (Primary) or Master of Teaching (Secondary) degree webpages to check the entry requirements. 

Once you have received an offer into Adelaide University’s Master of Teaching (Primary or Secondary), you can: