Languages Education

Language assistants and language assistants programs

Language assistants in schools

Language assistants are education support staff who work in schools. They support qualified language teachers to deliver and develop languages programs by sharing contemporary knowledge of their language and culture. They help students develop fluency and confidence in the target language. Language assistants:

• provide opportunities for language teachers and students to increase their fluency and confidence in the target language
• provide information about current developments in the target language to inform the delivery of their schools’ languages program
• assist with the development of written and spoken forms of the language
• assist with the development of resources, including teacher professional learning
• participate in planning and delivering languages classes and activities
• participate in professional development activities provided by the department such as the Model UN program
• promote the target language and culture in the community.

Language assistants are supported by key staff from the school and department, including:

• school principals
• language assistant coordinators
• language teachers
• school business managers
• corporate (department) staff.

Funding for language assistants is available for selected schools through the Language Assistants Program.

Language Assistants Program guidelines

The Language Assistants Program (LAP) is a department-funded initiative that places language speakers from Australia and overseas in selected Victorian government schools. Under the LAP, each language assistant is supervised by a qualified language teacher and works across a school cluster. The cluster is made up of a ‘base school’ and one or 2 other schools located nearby.

LAP language assistants are employed as part-time (0.8 FTE) Education Support Staff (range 1.2.1). Their placement runs over 3 terms, commencing in April and concluding in December.

Language assistants work:

• 7.6 hours a day
• 4 days per week
• across all the schools in the cluster
• on a schedule agreed by the schools.

Language assistants are not a replacement for a qualified language teacher. Schools must have a VIT registered language teacher delivering a language program to be eligible for the allocation of a language assistant.

LAP eligibility and funding

To be eligible for the LAP, schools must employ a qualified language teacher who teaches the target language. Each school in the cluster must:

• have a qualified language teacher teaching the same language
• be able to demonstrate the delivery of a quality language program in that language
• commit to providing a statement of impact at the conclusion of the program.

Schools are encouraged to apply as a cluster of 2 to 3 schools. Preference will be given to clusters that include a secondary school.

A school cluster can apply for a local language assistant or a language assistant from overseas. Schools use the application form to do this, noting the following:

• Schools may only apply to the LAP for one language.
• One school must be nominated as the base school.
• The base school is responsible for administering the language assistant’s salary and placement.
• Applications must state a preference for either an overseas or locally-sourced language assistant.
• Recruitment of local assistants undertaken by host schools in accordance with an open merit-based selection process.
• Clusters will nominate whether the application is for full (100%) or partial (70%) subsidisation of the cost of employing a language assistant.

Language assistants are either fully or partially funded by the department through the Student Resource Package. Funding is provided to the base school.

• Full funding – the department pays 100% of the cost of employing the language assistant. The school cluster does not need to contribute. There are 12 of these positions available.
• Partial funding - the department pays 70% of the cost of employing the language assistant. The school cluster pays the other 30% of the cost. There are 25 of these positions available.

In allocating fully-funded places, the department will consider the cluster’s:

• level of socio-economic disadvantage (through the Student Family Occupation and Education (SFOE) index)
• bank balances (through a financial assessment of each school’s bank balance, operating reserves, existing financial commitments, and prior year SRP credit balances)
• history of compliance with the language education requirements set by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA)
• specific language or program needs (for example, schools without a native-speaking language teacher).

Applications will be assessed against the criteria for program eligibility. Successful clusters will be offered either a fully or partially funded language assistant depending on the preferences in their application.

The following are excluded from the LAP:

• designated bilingual schools
• language assistants for the Italian language
• language assistants for the Greek language.

Language assistants for Greek and Italian can be sourced and funded through other programs. Read Other language assistant programs below for more information.

Recruitment of overseas and local language assistants

Clusters opting for an overseas sourced assistant will be supported by the department to find and employ a suitable candidate. Only the department can appoint overseas sourced assistants. Schools are not permitted to offer employment to overseas sourced candidates until approved to do so by the department.

Clusters opting for a locally sourced assistant must identify their own candidate through an open merit-based selection process as outlined in Recruitment in Schools. Please see below for the selection criteria. The base school in the cluster undertakes the recruitment and onboarding.

Selection criteria for LAP language assistants

To meet the selection criteria for the LAP, language assistants must:

• have native-level proficiency in the relevant target language
• have a level of English proficiency equivalent to an IELTS score of no less than 6
• hold a valid Working with Children Check at the commencement of their role
• be prepared to work a minimum of 7.6 hours daily for four days per week.

In addition to the above, locally-sourced assistants must be either:

• a citizen of Australia
• a permanent resident of Australia
• a temporary resident of Australia on an appropriate visa that allows for working privileges for the duration of their employment.

Candidates on a Permanent Partner visa (subclass 801) or Temporary Partner visa (subclass 820) are eligible to work as a locally-sourced assistant.

Overseas-sourced assistants hold a Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408) for the duration of their employment. Age requirements apply to 408 visas – for more information, read Immigration and Citizenship – Special Program Eligibility(opens in a new window).

Cluster school LAP responsibilities

Principals at base schools must:

• nominate a school staff member as the language assistant coordinator
• onboard the language assistant through orientation and induction at school
• ensure that the language assistant completes staff child safety training(opens in a new window)
• ensure that the language assistant does not take on the role of a qualified language teacher or undertake teaching duties
• oversee the language assistant’s welfare and wellbeing, and respond to any issues in a timely manner
• provide the language assistant with an appropriate workspace at the school.

Principals or business managers must:

• collect and verify the language assistant’s Working with Children Check
• record the details of the language assistant’s WWCC in line with the school’s Working with Children Clearance and Procedure policy(opens in a new window)
• provide the department with information about locally-sourced language assistants so that they can be approved for recruitment
• recruit and onboard approved locally-sourced language assistants using the usual Recruitment in Schools processes.

Principals and business managers must note that overseas-sourced language assistants are employed through the department’s central office. This enables them to be sponsored for a Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408). Base schools will be advised once their language assistant’s employment paperwork has been finalised so that they can finalise onboarding using their typical recruitment and onboarding procedures.

For queries relating to recruitment, leave and payroll, contact Schools Recruitment via schools.recruitment@education.vic.gov.au or on 1800 641 943.

Language assistant coordinators must:

• supervise and guide the language assistant throughout their placement
• help the language assistant to apply for a Working with Children Check if they don’t have one already
• provide the language assistant with information about the school cluster and its communities
• create a timetable for the language assistant that works for them and all schools in the cluster
• coordinate the day-to-day work activities of the assistant
• ensure the language assistant can attend lesson planning and preparation with a language teacher, on a weekly basis
• communicate with teachers at other schools in the cluster to ensure the language assistant is receiving support to perform their role
• facilitate opportunities for the language assistant to integrate into the broader school community. This could include invitations to functions and excursions outside of scheduled language lessons
• support the assistant’s wellbeing and welfare, and respond to any issues in a timely manner
• provide feedback to the department at the end of the placement.

Apply for the LAP

To apply for the LAP, schools must:

• fill out the LAP application form (DOCX)(opens in a new window)
• email the completed application form to languages.query@education.vic.gov.au by Tuesday 20 October 2026.

Other language assistants programs

CO.AS.IT. Italian Language Assistants Program (Funded)

The Italian Language Assistants Program places approximately 25 assistants in Victorian schools. Placement is for a school year, beginning Term 2. The Italian assistants are funded by CO.AS.IT. (Comitato Assistenza Italiano) and the Italian Government, with support from the department.

CO.AS.IT. manages the Italian Language Assistants Program. This includes:

• school application processes
• recruitment of the assistants
• payment of salaries
• professional learning support for the assistants during placement.

The school application and allocation process happens each year between October and December.

For information about the CO.AS.IT. Italian Language Assistant Program, go to CO.AS.IT. Italian Language Assistants Program(opens in a new window).

Greek Seconded Teacher Program

The Greek Seconded Teacher Program seconds qualified Greek teachers to work in Victorian schools and universities to support the teaching of Greek. The program is funded by the Hellenic Ministry of Education. It is administered by the Greek Consulate in Melbourne.

Greek seconded teachers are allocated by the consulate. They support the teaching of Greek in:

• government schools
• non-government schools
• Greek community language schools.

For information about the Greek Seconded Teacher Program, contact the Consulate General in Melbourne – Greece in Australia(opens in a new window).

Tertiary student assistants

The University of Melbourne offers the subject 'School Experience as Breadth'. This allows university students to complete a placement of up to 20 hours in a Victorian school. University students with intermediate or higher language levels can participate. The following languages are on offer:

• Chinese
• Japanese
• Indonesian
• French
• German
• Italian.

For more information, go to School Experience as Breadth(opens in a new window).

Volunteers

Schools may wish to engage parents, community members or former students as volunteers to support their languages programs. To do this, schools must ensure that the volunteer:

• has appropriate cultural understanding
• has appropriate language proficiency
• receives Volunteer child safety induction(opens in a new window) or annual training(opens in a new window)
• holds a valid Working with Children Check.

Schools must be aware of child safety requirements when engaging volunteers. Schools must follow:

• the Volunteers in Schools policy
• the school’s local Volunteers policy(opens in a new window)
• the Working with Children Checks and other Suitability Checks for Schools Volunteers and Visitors policy
• the school’s local Working with Children Clearance Procedure and Register(opens in a new window).