Languages Teaching
Scholarships
Aspiring category
Round 2 General information
Overview
applicants who have been accepted into a
GET course with Languages (LOTE) as one
of their teaching methods.
The Victorian Government is striving for
world class languages education across all
schools and is committed to the study of an
additional language being part of every
government school learning program by
2025, starting with Prep in 2015.
Primary education applicants are required to
nominate the primary double method only in
their VTAC application. To be eligible for a
Languages Teaching Scholarship, primary
education applicants will also need to
undertake
a
Languages
(LOTE)
methodology, which is required to become a
qualified
Languages
teacher.
Before
applying through VTAC, applicants should
contact their preferred university to ensure
they can undertake Languages methodology
study as part of their primary education GET
course.
To meet the increased demand for qualified
Languages teachers the Government has
committed $6 million over three years
(2012-2014)
for
languages
teaching
scholarships.
Languages Teaching Scholarships under the
aspiring category are available for language
instructors or education support staff
working in Victorian government schools or
complementary
languages
education
providers
(the
Victorian
School
of
Languages and accredited Community
Languages Schools) who are proficient in
another language.
Scholarship benefits
Aspiring scholarships will provide:
Graduate entry teaching (GET)
courses
Languages Teaching Scholarships will be
awarded to successful applicants upon their
enrolment in a graduate entry teaching
(GET) course, i.e. Graduate Diploma of
Education or Master of Teaching, with
Languages as a teaching method. The GET
course can be for primary or secondary
education or a combination of the two (i.e.
P-12). Entry into these courses requires
completion of an appropriate undergraduate
degree (or equivalent). Information about
GET courses is available from the Victorian
Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) website:
www.vtac.edu.au

$6,000 paid to scholarship recipients
upon their enrolment in a Graduate
Diploma of Education, OR

$11,000 paid in two instalments to
scholarship recipients who enrol in a
Master of Teaching.
Where a scholarship recipient is employed in
a government school, the school will also be
eligible for up to $5,000 (for Graduate
Diploma students) or $10,000 (for Masters
students) to support the recipient’s course
attendance and study.
Eligibility criteria
All applicants must:
All applicants must apply through VTAC for
entry into a GET course before submitting
an online scholarship application to the
Department
of
Education
and
Early
Childhood Development.
Secondary education applicants are required
to nominate either two single or one double
method for each GET course preference in
their VTAC application. Languages Teaching
Scholarships will only be awarded to
1

be employed as a language instructor or
education support staff in a Victorian
government school, OR employed as a
language instructor in the Victorian
School of Languages or an accredited
Community Languages School

have
an
undergraduate
tertiary
qualification
(bachelor
degree
or
equivalent, as determined by VTAC) in
any discipline

be able to demonstrate their language
proficiency
through
a
university
languages major or a Statement of
Equivalence
Languages Teaching
Scholarships
Aspiring category
Round 2 General information

have applied through VTAC for entry into
a graduate entry teaching (GET) course

for secondary GET courses, have listed
Languages (LOTE) as one of their
teaching methods

for primary GET courses, have ensured
they can complete a Languages (LOTE)
methodology as part of their course

meet VTAC and university requirements
and timelines.
Scholarship selection
Applicants will be short-listed based on the
responses they provide in their online
applications. The selection process will
include a telephone and/or face-to-face
interview in November 2013. Short-listed
applicants will be required to provide an
academic transcript at the interview and
interview questions will relate to the
applicant’s aptitude for and interest in
Languages teaching.
Statement of Equivalence
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of
their interview in December 2013.
Applicants who have native or near-native
proficiency in a language, but do not have a
three year post-VCE or four year beginners
languages
major,
are
required
to
demonstrate their language proficiency
through a Statement of Equivalence. The
Statement
of
Equivalence
assesses
applicants’ oral and written language
proficiency and cultural literacy.
All scholarship applicants who meet the
eligibility criteria will be considered. Priority
will be given to applicants who:
A Statement of Equivalence, if required,
must be obtained before applicants submit
their VTAC application.
Further information about Statements of
Equivalence, including Victorian universities
that offer Statement of Equivalence testing,
is available at DEECD Professional Learning.
Teaching
confirm their language proficiency meets
the required criteria, including obtaining
a Statement of Equivalence if required

apply through VTAC for admission into a
graduate entry teaching course. VTAC
applications open Monday 5 August 2013

submit an online scholarship application
from
Monday
5
August
at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/r2lts
asp

are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
and/or are fluent in an Aboriginal
language

live or are willing to work in rural or
regional Victoria.
For further information regarding Languages
Teaching
Scholarships
email:
languages.scholarships@edumail.vic.gov.au.
Scholarship applications open Monday 5
August and close Friday 11 October 2013.

have previously worked in Languages
education
Further information
How to apply
To apply for a Languages
Scholarship, applicants must:

2
Languages Teaching
Scholarships
Aspiring category
Round 2 Frequently Asked Questions
Am I eligible for a Languages Teaching
Scholarship?
Are some languages or GET courses given
priority over others?
To be eligible for a Languages Teaching
Scholarship under the aspiring category,
applicants must:
Priority will not be given to any particular
language,
GET
course or university.
However, current demand from schools for
teachers of particular languages will be
taken into account during the selection
process.

be employed as a language instructor or
education support staff in a Victorian
government school, or as a language
instructor in a complementary languages
education provider (the Victorian School
of Languages or accredited Community
Languages Schools)

be proficient in a language other than
English, evidenced by a three year postVCE or four year beginners languages
major, or a Statement of Equivalence

meet
the
VTAC
and
university
requirements for the GET course. See
VTAC’s entrance requirements page

How and when do I obtain a Statement of
Equivalence?
Applicants without an advanced level
languages
major
are
required
to
demonstrate their language proficiency
through a Statement of Equivalence.
Applicants are responsible for arranging and
paying for their Statement of Equivalence.
The cost of a Statement of Equivalence
varies from $150 to $500 depending on the
language and provider.
Successful applicants will be reimbursed for
the cost of their Statement of Equivalence
once they enrol in their course and present
a receipt from the provider.
meet the Victorian Institute of Teaching
(VIT)
minimum
academic
study
requirements for Languages (LOTE)
methodology study. See the VIT
Specialist Area Guidelines.
I’m not an Australian Citizen, am I eligible?
Applicants who need to obtain a Statement
of Equivalence must do so before submitting
their VTAC application.
Languages Teaching Scholarships are only
available to Australian or New Zealand
citizens or Australian permanent residents.
For a list of Victorian universities that offer
Statement of Equivalence testing see:
DEECD Professional Learning.
I completed my undergraduate
overseas, can I still apply?
How do I know if I have completed an
advanced level major in a language?
degree
An advanced level major is usually six units
of language study in a post-VCE stream or
eight units in a beginners stream.
Applicants who completed their studies
overseas may apply for Languages Teaching
Scholarships. VTAC will assess overseas
qualifications to determine whether they
meet the entry requirements for a Graduate
Diploma of Education. These applicants may
also need to obtain a Statement of
Equivalence to demonstrate their language
proficiency.
When will I commence my studies if I
receive a Round 2 scholarship?
Applicants who apply for Round 2
scholarships must commence their GET
course at the beginning of the 2014
academic year.
3
Languages Teaching
Scholarships
Aspiring category
Round 2 Frequently Asked Questions
Can I study part-time?
I’m
currently
completing
a
teaching
qualification, am I eligible for a Languages
Teaching Scholarship?
Applicants may study part-time. However
their scholarship payment will be split over
the period they are studying. Part-time
students may be required to pay tax on
their scholarship payment. See Will I have
to pay tax on my scholarship?
Students currently completing a teaching
qualification are not eligible for this
scholarship. They may be eligible to
participate in other DEECD Scholarships and
Incentives.
Can I defer my studies?
What do I have to do if I am awarded a
Languages Teaching Scholarship?
Scholarship recipients must commence their
GET course in the year their Languages
Teaching Scholarship is awarded. Only
applicants who are ready to commence their
course in 2014 should apply for a Round 2
scholarship. Applicants who wish to study in
2015 should apply in the final round in
2014.
Following provisional offers in December
2013, applicants will be notified of the
outcome of their application following VTAC
Round 1 offers in January 2014. Scholarship
recipients will be required to provide proof
of their GET course enrolment, including
enrolment
in
a
Languages
(LOTE)
methodology before they receive their
scholarship payment.
Can I choose a primary or secondary
graduate entry teaching (GET) course?
Why is the scholarship payment higher for a
Master of Teaching than for a Graduate
Diploma of Education?
Applicants can choose a primary, secondary
or P-12 GET course, however they must
ensure
that
they
meet
the
entry
requirements for that course. It is the
responsibility of applicants to ensure they
can
complete
a
Languages
(LOTE)
methodology if they choose a primary GET
course, as not all universities permit this.
This may also involve additional university
course fees.
The scholarship payments for a Master of
Teaching ($11,000) and a Graduate Diploma
of Education ($6,000) differ to reflect the
equivalent full-time study load (EFTSL) for
each course.
What if I don’t complete the teaching
course?
Which teaching methods can I nominate in
my VTAC application?
Applicants
secondary
Languages
methods
Applicants
they are
method.
Any scholarship recipient who fails or
discontinues their course at any point in the
course will be required to repay the amount
of their scholarship in full.
who wish to undertake a
level course must nominate
(LOTE) as one of their teaching
in
their
VTAC
application.
may select any other method
qualified for as their second
Will I have to pay tax on my scholarship?
Aspiring teacher scholarship recipients may
be required to pay income tax on their
scholarship payment. Applicants should seek
independent
financial
advice
when
considering applying for a Languages
Teaching Scholarship.
Applicants applying for a primary level GET
course are required to nominate the primary
double method on their VTAC application
and must ensure they are able to study
Languages (LOTE) methodology as part of
their course.
4