Teach what you love.

You can choose from a few Specialist teaching areas including Careers Advising, English as a second language, School Counselling, Special Education,  and Teacher Librarian.

Become a Careers Advisor
Several higher education institutions offer an approved course of study, such as a graduate certificate in career education, which prepares secondary teachers to be careers advisers.
Become an ESL Teacher
Become A School Counsellor

To become a school counsellor, you must have:

• completed training as either a primary or secondary teacher
• a current approval to teach with NSW DET
• undertaken a psychology major approved by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) at a level that is required by Universities for entry into postgraduate study in psychology
• demonstrated at DET interview with DET personnel successful teaching experience and the personal, professional and academic suitability to work as a school counsellor
• cleared probity checks to work with students in a school setting
• completed a DET and APAC approved postgraduate school counsellor training program which includes psychological assessment of school aged students, child and adolescent psychology and a DET approved practicum in schools
• eligibility for registration (full or provisional) as a psychologist in NSW.

Find out more about retraining as a school counsellor.


Become a Special Education Teacher
The Department also offers retraining programs in special education for suitably qualified and experienced teachers 


Become a Teacher Librarian
Teacher librarians must be qualified as either a primary or secondary teacher and have completed an approved course of study in teacher librarianship. This may be undertaken through either undergraduate studies or a combination of undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
There is no mention of retraining at this point in time.


Vocational Education and Training (VET) 
Secondary teachers may obtain approval to teach VET courses by completing specific industry accredited training. Find out more about VET teacher trainingat the Department's intranet site.
. Find out more about VET teacher training at the Department's intranet site.