Blue cards for private teaching, coaching or tutoring

You will need a blue card if you are providing teaching, coaching, or tutoring to children on a commercial basis.

Employees and volunteers

If you are paid to provide teaching, coaching or tutoring children on a commercial basis you will require a blue card.

You don't need a blue or exemption card if you are conducting private teaching, coaching or tutoring through an education provider, including a registered training organisation.

Examples

A blue card is needed for a:

• person (including someone under the age of 18) employed by a private tutoring company to tutor children. For example, a maths tutor that provides tutoring for year 10 students.
• personal trainer who offers training to children.
• driving instructor who offers lessons to children, even if they are supervised.
• language teacher who teaches French to children.
• music teacher who provides private music lessons to children.
• boxing coach who provides one-on-open boxing advice to a 16 year old.

A blue card is not needed for a:

• volunteer (a person who does not receive a payment or reward)
• registered school teacher—provided that they are performing their role as part of the school curriculum. For example, if a school teacher is required to coach a sports team as part of Wednesday school sport, a blue card is not required. However, if that same teacher wished to do one-on-one boxing with children at their local boxing club on a Saturday morning, this falls beyond the scope of their professional duties as a school teacher, and they will be require to hold an exemption card.
• person employed by an education provider—including a registered training organisation (RTO). For example, a person employed by a university or TAFE who lectures at the university would not require a blue card. However, if the person employed by the education provider is required to provide services within a regulated environment (such as a kindergarten or school) a blue card will be required.
• parent volunteering in their own child’s activities.

For volunteering or paid coaching at a sporting club see the churches, clubs and associations category.

For other sport or recreational activities, such as yoga, dance, meditation, or martial arts see the sport and active recreation category.

Business owners and operators

You will need a blue card if the usual activities of your business include teaching, coaching or tutoring children on a commercial basis.

Examples

A blue card is needed for a:

• self-employed driving instructor who offers lessons to children
• self-employed personal trainer who coaches children
• person who runs their own business providing private maths tutoring to children.

A blue card is not needed for a:

• business owner of an education provider
• self-employed person who runs adult personal training sessions.