One of main reasons why people aspire to pursue a career in teaching is to make a difference in the lives of the youth. Teachers are directly influential in a learner's life, which is why many people choose to become teachers
If you want to join the teaching profession, there is one of two routes you can follow in order to get your teaching qualification in South Africa.
Prospective teaching students can either enrol in a four-year Bachelor of Education degree (B.Ed.) or a three-or four-year Bachelor’s degree, followed by a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).
Once you’ve completed your studies at a higher learning institution, both routes lead to classification as a professionally qualified teacher.
Upon qualifying, you will then be required to do a professional registration with the South African Council for Educators (SACE).
The council has several registration requirements that qualifying educators have to meet in order to successfully register and practice as a teacher in South Africa.
SACE requirements for professional registration as an educator are as follows:
- Candidates must have a satisfactory police clearance against the criminal record check with the South African Police Service (SAPS)
- A SAPS clearance certificate provided by the Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management of SAPS should state whether any criminal offences have been recorded against the applicant in the Republic of South Africa.
- In the case of an applicant with a criminal record, this is analysed in terms of the Fit-to-Teach Processes and, where necessary, must appear before the Fit-to-Teach Committee.
- Candidates must be screened and cleared against the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development's National Register of Sexual Offenders.
- Candidates must have been screened and cleared against the Department of Social Development's National Child Protection Register (Only employers have access).
- Candidates who hold foreign qualifications must be screened in an evaluation process that is genuine and not fraudulent.
- A candidate has to have their qualifications screened and verified by SAQA against the National Learner Record Database (Currently not happening due to financial constraints).
The educators council mainly aims to enhance the status of the teaching profession through appropriate registration, management of professional development and inculcation of a code of ethics for all educators.
According to SACE, the purpose of this is to register qualified educators and create sub-registers for particular categories, maintain and update the educator database, and enhance the quality of the registration of teachers by introducing standards.
An added benefit of working as a teacher is that you’ll be able to see the visible progress in your students’ abilities.
For more information on how to register, visit the SACE official website.
