Enrol in a high-quality teacher aide course to learn best practice skills and strategies such as small group work and cooperative learning – only at ITAC.

The CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support is the higher-level, nationally recognised teacher aide course. As with the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support, students learn best practice skills, strategies and techniques to support students’ learning, development and behaviour. The CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support, however, goes one step further and teaches you how to effectively support students with complex disabilities, disorders and difficulties.

At the Institute of Teacher Aide Courses you will learn how to support children with multiple disabilities and comorbidities as well as learning disorders, physical disabilities, serious mental health issues, and behavioural concerns. There is also an emphasis on the more common disabilities and disorders that teacher aides may come across in schools such as Autism, ADHD and FASD. This is why ITAC's popular teacher aide course is known as the ‘special needs course’. Graduates of this course have the skills and knowledge to effectively support students with a wide range of needs and are therefore sought-after by schools and are highly employable.

Once you have completed the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support you will be qualified to work in mainstream classrooms with non-disabled students as well as with students with special needs. You will also be qualified to work in special need’s schools or centres (also called education support centres and special schools) which attracts a higher salary. In other words, graduates of the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support are qualified to work in any education support position in an Australian School.

In addition, graduates of ITAC's CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support can take on higher-level responsibilities that require pedagogical decisions. This may include implementing and managing (or co-managing with the teacher) small-scale programs such as literacy and numeracy programs, remedial programs, planning and developing units of work, developing resources for Individual Education Plans, and other such tasks that require best practice pedagogical decisions to be made.

ITAC student on placement pictured outside her classroom. Could this be you soon?

There are several reasons for why the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support is recommended over the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support:

• You will learn the same basic skills and strategies from the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support.
• You will also learn more advanced strategies that will enable you to provide a higher level of service to students and your teacher.
• You will have a better understanding of how to effectively support students with disabilities and disorders such as Autism and ADHD.
• You are better equipped to work with students with complex needs.
• Schools prefer that staff hold the higher CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support in most cases.
• You will be qualified to work in every support position in a school.
• Your resume will look better with a higher qualification.

We have written a detailed article on the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support which you can read here.

Hint: While we recommend the Certificate IV above the Certificate III, ITAC's unqique Teacher Aide Combo is an even better option as it provides two qualifications to boost your resume and gives you a slight advantage in terms of knowledge and skills over someone who has completed a single qualification.

The exception to this, however, is Queensland funded students because the Teacher Aide Combo is not government subsidised at this stage. Queensland funded students are recommended to consider completing both courses - one after the other - to maximise your skills and employability.

No. The Institue of Teacher Aide Courses allows students to directly enter the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support without first completing the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support. For the majority of students, going directly into the higher-level teacher aide course is not a problem. Those with experience with children (including your own), previous study at any level or who have worked in related areas such as childcare, will find the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support very achievable.

ITAC do however recommend the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support to some students such as those who are still learning English and younger students such as those who are still attending high school. For accurate advice based on your individual situation please speak with one of our friendly student advisers.

Queensland students: If you are applying for a government funded place with ITAC (reside in Queensland and meet the criteria), we advise completing the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support followed by the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support. While not compulsory, this allows you to obtain two qualifications and gives you more experience and training than someone who has completed a single teacher aide course. If you intend on working in the industry long term, this is certainly the best approach.

Thinking about enrolling in the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support? Read our detailed guide about this course here.

ITAC offer classes for the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support in an adult-friendly environment.

For the reasons outlined earlier, ITAC recommend the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support over the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support so you are as highly qualified as can be. The CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support also gives you the skills and ability to more effectively work with students with special needs such as disabilities and disorders – something that schools very much look for and appreciate.

Generally, we recommend the following:

• If you are eligible for government funding, we recommend completing both teacher aide courses – one after the other. You will find the second course to be quite easy as you have covered most of the topics to some degree in the first course.
• If you only intend on completing one course, ITAC recommend the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support as it qualifies you to work in special needs and with students with a range of disabilities and disorders. The CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support only touches on working with special needs.
• The CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support is the introductory teacher assistant course that all Queensland schools require as a minimum. If you are not feeling confident enough to enrol in the higher-level teacher assistant course (CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support), then this course may be the right fit for you.
• The Teacher Aide Combo is the best option for anyone in Queensland seeking to become a teacher assistant and who is not eligible for funding.

There is not much of a difference in terms of difficulty or duration between the three programs. While the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support and the Teacher Aide Combo cover more complex topics, we find that the great majority of students have no issues studying at this level (it is not a difficult or technical course such as the likes of accounting, engineering or IT).

Some ITAC students however, such as those who are learning English, may be advised to consider the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support as a bridge to completing the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support at a later date.

In both teacher aide courses, you will learn industry best practice strategies and techniques including behaviour management techniques, operational and logistical skills to support the management of the classroom, support the needs of students with additional needs, and a range of research-based, best practice teaching and learning strategies such as:

• one-on-one instruction,
• cooperative learning,
• questioning skills,
• feedback skills,
• formative evaluation,
• play based learning,
• literacy strategies,
• numeracy strategies,
• intervention strategies,
• remedial instruction,
• guided and shared learning,
• scaffolding, and
• dozens of other teaching and learning strategies that will make you an invaluable and effective member of your school community.

Only by studying one of ITAC’s research-based teacher aide courses, will you learn a wide range of cutting-edge strategies and techniques that will make you an invaluable member of your school.

The CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support goes one step further and teaches you many additional skills such as those listed below:

• Advanced strategies such as Cognitive Load Theory and Metacognitive Skills.
• How to apply basic and advanced strategies to working with students with disabilities and disorders including multiple disabilities.
• How to work more independently to support busy classroom teachers.
• How to work with Individual Education Plans and Individual Behaviour Plans.
• How to research and apply knowledge of disabilities and disorders such as causes, signs, symptoms and known best practice strategies.

Could this be you soon? A happy ITAC student in her classroom soon after finishing the work placement for the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support in a local primary school.

Those with experience with children (including your own), previous study at any level or who have worked in related areas such as childcare, will find the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support very achievable.

ITAC's popular Teacher Aide Combo is the recommended and most popular course especially given that it doesn’t take much longer than a single course and costs only a fraction more than the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support – saving students over $1500 (compared to two separate courses).

At the Institute of Teacher Aide Courses, you will also learn some additional skills and knowledge above and beyond the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support. This means you are better prepared and able to provide a higher level of service to your students and your teacher.

Lastly, there is no doubt that two certificates on your resume looks much better than one – giving you a leg up in the job market, added confidence, and a higher level of employability. ITAC's research-based teacher aide coures are the industry standard, meaning ITAC students are sought after by schools.

As the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support with the Institute of Teacher Aide Courses is self-paced, the time it takes to complete the program varies from student to student. ITAC structure the course around a 26 week or 600-hour program. Many students however, complete the course in a much shorter period of time. This includes students who have:

• experience in schools,
• experience with children (including their own),
• worked in childcare or related fields,
• worked in caring roles such as aged care, and/or
• studied at this level or higher in the past.

Students who come into an ITAC course with previous experience bring with them a range of skills and knowledge that are applicable and useful to working in the education sector. Parents for example, tend to find that most of the course is relatively easy and move through it quicker than most. Those from industries such as childcare and aged care similarly have no issues with completing the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support.

Many of ITAC's students aim to complete their theory in about 3-4 months and then undertake the placement thereafter. This is more than achievable for the average adult learner who has many years’ experience with children albeit in an informal environment. The course helps them to re-contextualise and formalise that knowledge into the requirements of working in a school environment.

It should be noted however that many ITAC students decide to spread their studies out over a longer period of time such as 6-9 months. This is because they have other commitments and their studies are interrupted from time to time. The duration of your course is closely linked to the number of hours per week that you are able to devote to learning.

Lastly, there is no doubt that two certificates on your resume looks much better than one – giving you a leg up in the job market, added confidence, and a higher level of employability.

We prefer that students set aside at least 10-12 hours per week. This allows you to consistently move through the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support at a pace that ensures you maintain motivation and engagement. 10-15 hours is the sweet spot that seems to allow students to meet their goals by regularly submitting assessments without having to forgo other commitments such as work.

The longer the course is spread out, the higher the risk that you will lose motivation or be interrupted somehow. For this reason and where possible, studying less than 5 or 6 hours per week is not recommended (unless you also have regular blocks of study such as 25 hours in a week for 2-3 weeks every couple of months).

We do however acknowledge that some students are not able to study 10-12 hours per week and may not even be able to commit to a specific number of hours. As our courses are flexible, you can easily study when and where it suits you, and for as long or short a period as you like. This means that you could study for 2 hours one week and then 20 hours the week after. Some students study 5 hours per week but plan on completing the course over a longer period of time. All students are encouraged to make sacrifices and tough decisions to prioritise their studies however, and to aim for 10-15 hours per week as a minimum.

Hint: A telling factor of who is successful and who is not successful is routine – having a baseline routine is one of the first skills that we teach our students as it makes a big difference.

At the beginning and throughout your course, you will have the opportunity to discuss your goals, routines, availability and circumstances with your trainer who will offer suggestions and advice.

The Institute of Teacher Aide Courses have chosen the electives for you based on industry consultation with hundreds of schools, principals, teachers, graduates and fellow teacher aides working in schools across Australia. Our expert curriculum developers have carefully analysed the feedback we get from industry compared to the elective units available (there are not that many to choose from anyway). What this means is that you don’t need to worry about the electives – we do the worrying for you so you can spend your energy working through your course.

Also note that ITAC courses are based on a clustered design. This means that units are combined and merged to save you time (about 50% of the time it takes to complete the course on a unit by unit basis). What this means is that unit selection is not that important – we teach you how to be an effective teacher aide by giving you a range of best practice, research-based tools to deploy in your classroom.

You can view the units in this course and other teacher aide courses, as well as the unit descriptors, at this page.

There are 17 units in the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support. The number of units, however, is only relevant if you are enrolling in a course that is delivered on a unit by unit basis. A unit by unit course is considered poor practice by many in the vocational education and training (VET) community as it costs you (the student) unnecessary time and money.

For this reason, the Institute of Teacher Aide Courses design each program, including the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support, using a clustered and holistic (also called integrated) approach. This is a unique approach that you will only find at ITAC and it means that there is almost no duplicate content (for example, ‘safety’ is a component of almost every unit – imagine being assessed on safety 17 times!). Because of this, it’s probably more important to know about the clusters in your course rather than each individual unit. The current clusters in ITAC's CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support are below.

Safety – learn to keep children safe by studying concepts such as risk assessment and duty of care.

Behaviour – learn cutting edge behaviour management techniques such as proximity, with-it-ness and motivational strategies.

Literacy and numeracy – learn best practice strategies for supporting the development of literacy and numeracy skills.

Disabilities and disorders – learn about the disabilities and disorders that you are likely to come across in a school and how to support learning, development and behaviour in the most effective way.

Diversity – learn how to work with students and colleagues from a range of backgrounds and abilities including advanced (gifted and talented) students, indigenous students and migrants.

What this means is that unit selection is not that important – we teach you how to be an effective teacher aide by giving you a range of best practice, research-based tools to deploy in your classroom.

ITAC student displaying the activities her students completed during her placement. The placement is designed to improve your professional skills and the site visit by your trainer is vitally important – ensure that you enrol with a provider who visits you while on placement.

Students who study the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support can expect to complete at least 5 theory assessments (one from each cluster) and a series of assessment related to the work placement.

Theory assessments are mainly comprised of short answer questions of between 50-100 words. There are some longer answers of up to 250-350 words however we provide scaffolds to help students who are not initially confident with longer responses.

The workplace assessments consist of a portfolio, a series of scenarios completed verbally with your trainer, and a series of workplace demonstrations. While some students get stressed about the assessments, there is really no need to worry – your trainer is there to help you every step of the way.

In other words, graduates of the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support are qualified to work in any education support position in an Australian School.

While the site visit is an important part of your course, unfortunately not all providers visit students in the workplace. We believe a site visit is essential as the trainer will observe and provide recommendations (or even demonstrate) in order to help you to perfect your professional practice. Many teachers are too busy and simply do not have time to provide regular feedback and advice.

You can learn more about this topic at the following links:

Sample resources and materials from our courses

Teacher aide courses online: is it right for me?

Teacher aide courses: 18 things you need to know

The current cost of the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support is $2160. We also offer the very popular Teacher Aide combo for $2500 - saving over $1500 compared to two single courses. All of our courses come with interest free payment plans.

Queensland students may be eligible for a government funded place under the Higher-Level Skills program thanks to the Queensland government. For eligible students, a subsidised course fee is $50 for concession holders and $100 for standard enrolments – the government pays for the rest!

There is a concession rate for students in Queensland enrolled with a government subsidised fee. The concession fee in this case is $50 for the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support under the Higher-Level Skills program thanks to the Queensland government.

As the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support focuses on disabilities and disorders, you will need to work with a student with a disability or disorder at some point during your placement. The easiest way to achieve this is to complete a placement in a special needs school or an inclusive classroom that supports one or more students with diagnosed disabilities or disorders.

You do not need to work with students with a disability or disorder for the whole placement, however. Where there are no students with a disability in the classroom, students are advised to seek permission to spend a portion of their placement in a second room with students with special needs. In some cases, we are able to assess students with case studies and role plays where there were limited opportunities to work with students with special needs.

Hint: A disability or disorder does not have to be officially diagnosed. There are students in every class that exhibit signs and symptoms of a range of needs (such as language needs, social development needs, behavioural needs etc.). Supporting students that exhibit elements of a disability or disorder contributes to your experience and can be used for the purposes of your assessments in many cases.

Your trainer will provide more detailed advice based on your situation, the school and your career goals closer to the time of your placement.

Yes. See the response to question 14.

An ITAC student employs a series of best practice teaching strategies such as modelling, worked examples and scaffolding. Could this be you?

10-15 hours is the sweet spot that seems to allow students to meet their goals by regularly submitting assessments without having to forgo other commitments such as work.

We advise students to begin their placement once they have completed most of their assessments. This is so students learn the background knowledge first and then can implement and practice their new skills in a real-world environment under the supervision of a teacher.

For example, you will learn and be assessed on a range of teaching strategies such as explicit instruction, questioning techniques and providing feedback. Once you have learnt these skills ‘on paper’, you can then practice them in the classroom! Towards the end of your placement, we come and observe you implementing these skills to assess you against the unit requirements and to provide advice to improve your practice.

Only by studying one of ITAC’s research-based teacher aide courses, will you learn a wide range of cutting-edge strategies and techniques that will make you an invaluable member of your school.

The 100-hour placement is an opportunity for you to practice the skills and strategies that you have learnt so far in your course and to observe and learn from an experienced classroom teacher. You will be provided with many opportunities to work with individual students and with small groups. During this time, you will implement a range of best practice teaching and learning strategies, and behaviour management techniques. You will also assist the teacher with the operational and logistical management of the classroom.

The placement is a structured, safe and enjoyable challenge that prepares you for the tasks and responsibilities that lay ahead in your future career as a teacher aide in an Australian school.

An ITAC student on placement in a local primary school preparing to deliver number activities to her students. Could you do this?

The placement is where you will complete a series of assessments including a portfolio to showcase your experiences. We will also attend the school to observe you working with a small group of students. This service is vital to your professional development (something few providers offer). We also collect evidence from your teacher in the form of a Supervisors’ Report (also commonly called a TPR or Third Party Report). The assessments are nothing to worry about – they merely reflect the tasks and activities that teacher aides at this level complete in their day to day work.

Learn more about your course by viewing the sample resources and materials for the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support here.

Usually you will not need to complete a separate placement however it does depend on whether the school, class and daily activities are compatible with the assessment and other government requirements. If you are working in a k-12 class with a registered teacher that follows the Australian Curriculum you will most likely not need to do a separate placement. All students must provide evidence of 100 hours of recent experience as this is a government requirement. We recommend contacting our office for clarification if you are unsure of whether you will need to do a placement.

Note that early childhood centres such as long day care, family day care, outside of school hours services and kindergartens do not meet the requirements for the placement under the current government rules (and do not enable us to assess you against certain units such as the literacy and numeracy units that require you to implement certain types of activities).

Read more about the placement by reading our FAQ here.

Yes, however you will need to get the school’s permission. We do not recommend completing the placement in your child’s classroom, however. While technically allowable under the government rules, experience tells us that working in the same room as your child can lead to issues.

The CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support (or the Teacher Aide Combo which includes this qualification) enables you to work in every support position available to teacher aides in Australian Schools. You will be able to find work in a range of schools including:

• pre-primary and primary schools,
• high schools,
• k-12 or combined schools,
• special needs schools,
• specialist programs such as advanced or remedial literacy programs,
• behavioural programs such as suspension schools,
• specialist schools such as Hospital schools, and
• alternative schools such as Montessori schools.

After you have completed the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support, you are also qualified to work in non-government schools such as religious-based schools and non-denominational schools.

You can learn more about the schools in your area by searching the following links:

• WA
• SA
• NSW
• Queensland
• Victoria
• Northern Territory
• ACT
• Tasmania

You can also search for Independent schools in your state (including Catholic schools) which can be found at the following links:

• Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia
• Association of Independent Schools of South Australia
• The Association of Independent Schools of NSW
• Independent Schools Queensland
• Independent Schools Victoria
• Association of Independent Schools of the Northern Territory
• Association of Independent Schools of the ACT
• Independent Schools Tasmania

We have published an extensive blog on this question which you can access here and part of which is below:

Teacher aides work in the classroom environment under the supervision of the classroom teacher. They support students by implementing a range of teaching and learning strategies such as one-on-one instruction, co-operative learning, scaffolding, modelling and worked examples. They support the teacher by assisting with behaviour management as well as the general day to day operations or logistical needs of the classroom.

Teacher aides spend most of their time supporting students in one-on-one or small group activities. They predominantly work with students with special needs which includes students with neurological and learning disorders, physical disabilities, and behavioural disorders. Many teacher aides work in special needs schools. Approximately 30% of school staff are teacher aides according to government reports.

There are four key roles and responsibilities of all teacher aides in Australia:

• support learning by implementing teaching strategies such as scaffolding and questioning techniques,
• support behaviour management by implementing techniques such as rapport building and proximity,
• support students with disabilities, disorders, and difficulties, and
• a range of other tasks to support the day to day operations of the classroom.

In a typical classroom, the teacher aide will circulate from group to group or work one-on-one with a particular student. They are not expected to teach the whole class as that is the role of the classroom teacher.

They support students by implementing a range of teaching and learning strategies such as one-on-one instruction, co-operative learning, scaffolding, modelling and worked examples.

The amount teacher aides earn in Australia depends on various factors such as your state or territory, the position and your qualifications. Generally, however, we advise our students that the average teacher aide earns $30 per hour, around $1000 per week for a 5-day week, and 25% loading for casual work (what is known as relief). Most teacher aides work 32.5 hours (per 5-day working week).

We have written a detailed article on this question including a state by state breakdown and answers to many other questions related to pay and allowances for teacher aides in Australia.

Note that holders of the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support are qualified and able to seek work in special needs centres – these roles attract the highest salary for teacher aides, usually in excess of the $30 average (especially after a few years’ experience).

Read more about Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) by reading our FAQs or download our RPL flyer.

In most cases, to be eligible (and successful) with an RPL application for the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support you will need:

• to be currently working in a school as a special need’s teacher aide or at the least with a range of students with diagnosed or undiagnosed disabilities and disorders,
• have 5 years’ experience full time equivalent (FTE) (sometimes less than five years is acceptable but we tend to advise five years as the basis unless the applicant has additional and relevant experience before the current position), and
• have completed ongoing learning and training such as attending professional development, short courses and conferences.

It is generally preferred that the applicant has completed a relevant course such as the CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support or a similar level course in childcare.

Holding a qualification in childcare, early childhood, outside of school hours care or another similar sector does not automatically qualify an applicant for admission to an RPL program. Recognition of Prior Learning requires the applicant to be working in a school first and foremost (so we can complete the necessary RPL assessments such as observations and to allow you to collect evidence for your application). While childcare and education support are similar, they are actually very different in many ways:

• schools follow a different curriculum,
• schools have very different policies and procedures,
• school students are older and have different needs and behavioural challenges,
• school students study very different topics and do not follow a predominantly play-based learning or enquiry-based learning curriculum,
• the pedagogical knowledge requirements for working in a school is vastly different to childcare (the approach to teaching, planning, strategies etc.), and
• the overall approach and philosophy are different: schools talk about managing behaviour for example, while the early childhood sector ‘guides behaviour’.

Most students who come from childcare are not eligible for RPL (technically anyone can apply but that is no guarantee of being successful and would therefore be a waste of money and time).

The good news is that your childcare qualifications are similar enough that once enrolled you will work through the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support much faster and easier than the average student (significantly faster in some cases).

You could apply for credit if you have completed the exact same unit (must be the exact same unit code and title). However, while legally we are required to process any credit application, due to the nature of our course structure (clustered approach), credit is generally not relevant unless you have completed 10 or more units from the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support.

This is because we do not structure the course on a unit by unit basis. This means that even if credit was granted, the relevant assessments still need to be completed to meet the requirements of all other units. It is still faster to complete a course that follows a clustered and integrated approach than to get credit for a course that uses a repetitive unit by unit approach.

Read more about RPL by reading our FAQs or download our RPL flyer.

The good news is that your childcare qualifications are similar enough that once enrolled you will work through the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support much faster and easier than the average student (significantly faster in some cases).

Unfortunately - no. The requirements for the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support are not met by completing university units alone. University units are theoretically based and rarely cover all of the practical teaching skills and knowledge that is required of the units in a vocational education and training (VET) courses. They are pedagogically different in many respects (mainly because teachers do a very different job to teacher aides).

There is currently no credit arrangement between the university sector and the VET sector in Australia as units are not compatible. University units have no or very little practical aspect (excluding the placement which is a specific unit) which is required by all VET units.

There are some exceptions however, but they are very rare and usually require extensive additional evidence (for RPL).

The good news is that your previous experience will mean that you are able to move through the course much faster than most students; if you come across sections that you are familiar with, you can complete them in no time!

Read more about RPL by reading our FAQs or download our RPL flyer.

Learn more about the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support by accessing our library of articles on our blog page here.