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AUSTSWIM Accreditation and Licence Information

Who can I teach? What accreditations do I need? How long is my Licence valid? What’s my insurance cover?
Here are the answers to those ‘grey area’ questions and queries about AUSTSWIM’s suite of accreditation, licensing and insurance.

What is an AUSTSWIM Licence?
The AUSTSWIM Licence refers to the Licence as a whole, which has an expiry date and can contain one or more individual accreditations.

How is my accreditation best explained?
The term ‘accreditation’ refers to the individual components within the Licence, eg. TSW, TAI, WETS. Therefore, someone might, for instance, have an AUSTSWIM Licence and be TSW accredited, but would not have a TSW Licence.
 
 

I’ve gained my AUSTSWIM Licence – what do I need to know?

Validity of Licence
The AUSTSWIM Licence is valid for a period of three (3) years from the date of issue to the date of expiry. Note: your Licence expiry date will depend on whether you completed an AUSTSWIM extension course or completed an AUSTSWIM renewal application. See table below.


Expired Licence
An expired Licence also means expired accreditation – once a Licence has expired, the accreditations and insurance attached to it are invalid until renewed. The Licence must be renewed for the accreditation and insurance to be valid. Teaching should not be conducted until the Licence is renewed.

Renewal of Licence
An AUSTSWIM Licence holder is granted a three (3) month grace period for payment of renewal fees and submission of renewal forms. Note: This is not an extension of the Licence period. The Licence is expired and the holder is deemed unlicensed and uninsured until the Licence is renewed.
 
My AUSTSWIM Licence is current – who can I teach?
Please note the AUSTSWIM Licence and insurance can only be deemed current with evidence of:
  1. Current CPR
  2. Current Working With Children Check (WWCC) for the workplace state/territory in which the Licence holder works
  3. Compliance with AUSTSWIM Teaching Guidelines and Code of Conduct.
AUSTSWIM Accreditation Details
Teacher of Swimming and
Water Safety (TSW)
Accredited to teach students
from 4 years of age to adult		 This is the foundation area of study for TSW. This accreditation is required before other
extension accreditations can be gained. Teaching ratios include:
• 1:1
• small group eg. 2-3 students
• school group eg. 8-12 students
• regular class size group eg. 4- 6 students.
In order to be covered by AUSTSWIM Teacher insurance, anyone teaching swimming and
water safety is required to hold this AUSTSWIM accreditation, have a current CPR and WWCC
and follow the AUSTSWIM TSW Guidelines. 
Teacher of Infant and
Preschool Aquatics
Accredited to teach children
from 6 months of age		 A TSW accreditation is required before this accreditation can be obtained.
This extension accreditation covers infants from 6 months of age, where parents accompany
their children into the water in the early stages of development. Education is targeted
towards both the child and the parent/carer.
In order to be covered by AUSTSWIM Teacher insurance, anyone teaching infant and
preschool aquatics is required to hold this AUSTSWIM accreditation, have a current CPR and
WWCC and follow the AUSTSWIM Infant and Preschool Aquatics Guidelines.
Teacher of Aquatics - Access
and Inclusion (TAI)
Accredited to teach people
with disabilities, chronic
illnesses, medical conditions
and specifically targeted
Culturally And Linguistically
Diverse (CALD) communities		 Training may be undertaken by allied health/school teachers as professional development,
however, a TSW accreditation is required before this extension accreditation can be
obtained. This extension accreditation is required when teaching students in a 1:1 setting or
groups of students who fall within the scope of access and inclusion including:
• A group of students within a specific disability spectrum
• A group of students with a range of disabilities
• Students with chronic illness, medical conditions or disabilities in a 1:1 or 2:1 small class
• Specifically targeted CALD community students who, on assessment, are deemed to
require 1:1 tuition
• Specifically targeted CALD community groups who, on assessment, are deemed to
require additional support and assistance, e.g. additional teachers, aides, helpers or
assistants.
NOTE: The Teacher of Aquatics - Access and Inclusion extension accreditation is preferred,
but is not yet a mandatory insurance requirement when teaching students from the access
and inclusion spectrum in fully independent* and integrated, standard mainstream program
classes.
*Fully independent means there are no additional teachers, aides, carers, helpers or assistants in the
class.
Teacher of Adults
Accredited to teach adult
students (18+)		 A TSW accreditation is required before this accreditation can be obtained.
It is recommended that AUSTSWIM TSW teachers taking adult classes hold this extension
accreditation, however, this is not a mandatory industry or insurance requirement.
Towards Competitive Strokes
Accredited to teach students
of primary school age to adult		 A TSW accreditation is required before this accreditation can be obtained.
This extension accreditation is required when introducing students to the basics of
competitive swimming. It is not a coaching qualification (although some coaches also choose
to complete the course as professional development) rather a ‘bridging’ course between
teaching and coaching. AUSTSWIM teachers conducting ‘squad’ sessions of a preliminary
level are required to hold this extension accreditation for insurance purposes.
This extension accreditation does not qualify an AUSTSWIM teacher to coach at competition
level. Examples of the type of preliminary squads a teacher with the Towards Competitive
Strokes Licence extension accreditation may lead include:
• Beginner, Junior, Mini or Extension squad.
WETS Aqua Instructor
Accredited to teach students
of primary school age to adult
of all abilities and fitness
levels. See Aqua Guidelines for
further information		 This extension accreditation is required for teaching aqua and/or swim fit class formats. To
be covered by insurance offered by AUSTSWIM, aqua instructors must hold this AUSTSWIM
accreditation, hold current CPR, First Aid and WWCC and adhere to the AUSTSWIM WETS
Aqua Instructor Guidelines.
In cases where the Instructor holds a fitness industry registration with Fitness Australia see
Aqua Guidelines.
My AUSTSWIM Licence is about to expire – what do I need to do to renew it?
Whilst AUSTSWIM has procedures in place to contact teachers to advise them that their Licence is about to expire, contact
details may have changed and therefore our notification will not reach the licence holder. AUSTSWIM requests contact details
are always kept up to date; please inform info@austswim.com.au of any changes. All AUSTSWIM Licence holders who intend to
continue working in the industry are responsible for renewing their Licence whether they receive notification or not.
AUSTSWIM will keep licence holders informed of their renewal date via text, email and/or hard copy letters.
 
Steps to Renew
  1. Ensure all pre-requisites have been met – current CPR, Working with Children Check (WWCC) and First Aid (WETS Aqua
    Instructors only). Note: the submitted CPR Certificate must have a minimum of one month’s currency remaining, as, once
    time for processing the renewal application has been taken into account, the qualification may have expired.
  2. Professional Development – evidence of upskilling over the past three (3) years (conferences, lectures, educational
    seminars, etc.) (minimum 10 hours).
  3. Practical teaching competency – evidence of practical teaching experience undertaken in the previous three (3) years
    (minimum 40 hours).
  4. Complete the Renewal Form and submit with all documentary evidence detailed above.

My AUSTSWIM Licence has expired – can I continue to teach?
No. An expired Licence also means expired accreditation – once a Licence has expired, the accreditation and insurance are
invalid until renewed. The Licence must be renewed for the accreditation and insurance to be valid. Teaching or instructing
should not be conducted until the Licence is renewed.

My AUSTSWIM Licence has expired – what do I need to do to renew it?
An AUSTSWIM Licence holder is granted a three (3) month grace period for payment of renewal fees and submission of
renewal forms. Note: This is not an extension of the Licence period. The Licence is expired and the holder deemed not
accredited and uninsured until the Licence is renewed.
 
 
 
Renewal Application Form
Licence Expired Details Current Late Fee Late Fee as of 1 July 2017
Up to 3 months Cannot teach and not insured   May renew without
incurring late fee
3-6 months Cannot teach and not insured May renew with late fee of
$15.00		 May renew with late fee of
$20.00
6-12 months Cannot teach and not insured May renew with late fee of
$15.00		 May renew with late fee of
$40.00
12-24 months Cannot teach and not insured May renew with late fee of
$30.00		 May renew with late fee of
$60.00
24-36 months Cannot teach and not insured May renew with late fee of
$60.00
$60.00
May renew with late fee of
$80.00
36 months and over Cannot teach and not insured.
Required to complete Recognition of
Prior Learning (RPL)		 RPL Fee RPL Fee
Renewing via Renewal Application Form New Expiry Date
Renewed prior to expiry date 3 years from current expiry date
Renew after expiry date (up to 36 months post expiry date) 3 years from day the application is processed

 

Renewing via an AUSTSWIM Extension Course
Extension Accreditation
A candidate may only enrol and complete an extension course up to 36 months after expiry of Licence. Any renewal or
extension enrolment after this time can only be accepted once a candidate has a current Teacher Licence.
Enrols into an extension course and completes all
requirements prior to Licence expiry date		 • Can continue to teach the accreditations currently obtained within the current Licence
• Updated expiry date will be 3 years from date the extension accreditation is issued
Enrols into an extension course before current Licence
expiry date, but still completing course requirements when
Licence expires		 • Cannot teach and not insured
• Is able to complete industry training and is insured for training purposes only for up to 4 years from date of course
• New Licence will be valid from day and month of previous Licence plus 3 years
Enrols into an extension course after Licence expiry date • Cannot teach and not insured
• Is able to complete industry training and is insured for training purposes only for up to 4 years from date of course
• New Licence will be valid from day and month of previous Licence plus 3 years

 

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