← Certificate IV qualifications
Certificate IV in School Based Education Support
CHC - Community Services
Education-support qualification for teacher's aide and integration-aide roles in schools. Includes literacy and numeracy support modules.
Entry requirements
- Working With Children Check
- Police Check
What you will learn
The CHC40221 prepares teacher's aides, education assistants and integration aides to support classroom teaching in primary, secondary and special schools. Core units include working with diverse students, supporting students with disability and additional needs, supporting literacy and numeracy development, supporting behaviour management using positive discipline, working within school protocols and ethics, and meeting health, safety and child protection obligations. You also study the Australian Curriculum context, student wellbeing frameworks, and the role of the education support worker in inclusive education.
Skills you build
- Supporting literacy and numeracy intervention programs
- Behaviour support strategies aligned with school policy
- Supporting students with disability and additional needs
- Helping with classroom organisation and resource preparation
- Documenting student progress for the teacher
- Building rapport with families and carers
- Working safely within mandatory reporting frameworks
How the course runs
Most students study full-time over 12 months or part-time over 18 to 24 months. Around 480 hours of formal training plus a mandatory minimum 100 hours of supervised work placement in a school. Theory and practical split roughly 50/50. Many students do the course while working as a school volunteer or casual teacher's aide.
How you will be assessed
- Workplace observation by a classroom teacher
- Lesson support planning portfolios
- Written knowledge tests per unit of competency
- Case study assessments on supporting individual students
- Child protection and mandatory reporting scenarios
Workplace and placement
Minimum 100 hours of supervised work placement in a primary, secondary or special school is required. Placements arranged through RTO partnerships with state education departments and Catholic or independent school systems. You hold a Working With Children Check and Police Check before placement begins. Education support wages are set under the relevant state Education Support Persons Award or Catholic schools enterprise agreement.
Typical employers
- State government public schools
- Catholic education systems (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane archdioceses)
- Independent and private schools
- Special schools and disability units
- After-school care and tutoring services
- Aboriginal Community Controlled education settings
Pay after this qualification
$55,000 - $72,000 per year
Source: https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/explore-careers/occupation/teachers-aides. Last reviewed 2026-05-21.
Is this the right course for you?
You probably thrive here if
- You can work patiently with children who need extra support
- You can take direction from classroom teachers
- You can document student progress clearly
- You can pass a Working With Children Check
- You enjoy school term work with school holidays off
It is probably not for you if
- You cannot tolerate the noise and energy of a classroom
- You struggle with shift hours during the school day
- You react impulsively to challenging student behaviour
- You cannot accept casual school-term-only income
After you finish
After Cert IV you can progress to the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50121) if moving into pre-school settings, or enrol in a Bachelor of Education (Primary, Early Childhood, or Special Education) at ACU, Charles Sturt, QUT and many other unis. The Cert IV is recognised as part of a teacher pathway portfolio for mature age entry. Many education assistants progress into teacher registration with AITSL after completing a degree.