Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ANZSCO 249311)

On the Short-term Skilled Occupation List

From the official Home Affairs skilled occupation lists, as at 2026-08-12. Lists change at each government update — always confirm on the official page before acting.

Which lists is Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages on?

STSOL — Short-term Skilled Occupation List. Occupations on the STSOL can access state-nominated and regional skilled visas (190/491), but not the Skilled Independent 189.

Visas this occupation can access

Being on a list makes the occupation nominatable for these visas — each visa still has its own requirements (points, age, English, a positive skills assessment, and for sponsored visas a willing employer or state).

Processing priority

Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages isn't in any of the ANZSCO groups that Directions 121 and 122 list for the priority sectors. Some of the first group is defined by the job rather than the code: a nominated position directly involved in agriculture, aquaculture or fishing, one that directly supports mining, oil and gas or coal production, or one related to defence. Otherwise the application is processed after the priority sectors. For the permanent and provisional skilled visas, applicants who were in Australia when they applied come next, then those who applied from outside Australia. For the 482, Specialist Skills stream applications come before both.

Priority changes the order in which lodged applications are looked at, not whether they are granted. Who is invited to apply through SkillSelect is decided separately. See all 202 occupations in the priority sectors.

Skills assessment

A positive skills assessment for Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages comes from:

What the assessment actually involves

VETASSESS defines TESOL by subject and audience, not by setting: teaching classes in English to students whose first language is a language other than English. The occupation is reached either through a highly relevant degree with one year of post-qualification employment, or through any Bachelor degree combined with a TESOL Certificate IV or CELTA add-on qualification and three years of relevant employment. It sits on its own, separate from both the private-tuition codes and Private Tutors nec.

Where these applications come unstuck

The deciding fact for this code is the audience, not the classroom setup — someone privately tutoring native English speakers in reading comprehension is a nec case, however similar the lesson structure looks, because the students being taught are not speakers of another language. Confirming the actual student population before nominating this code matters more than the subject matter itself, and matters more still given how closely a general English tutoring role can resemble genuine TESOL work on paper without meeting VETASSESS's actual definition.

An honest read on this pathway

STSOL placement only, with no CSOL — reaching 190, 407, 491 and 494 but not the 482 or 186 employer-sponsored routes that Music Teacher or the nec code carry. A well-defined occupation with clear eligibility criteria and two distinct pathway options depending on the applicant's degree, but narrower employer-sponsorship reach than several of its private-tuition relatives despite serving a genuinely distinct population of learners.

VETASSESS assesses qualifications and employment separately. Both need documentation that agrees with itself. The Employment History Builder and Document Vault organise each trail before you lodge.

Talk it through with a registered agent

Whether nominating Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages is your best route depends on your points, experience evidence and timing — exactly what a MARA-registered agent works through in an initial consultation. Describe your situation once through Migratio and compare real consultation quotes from registered agents, free.

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