Editorial illustration: Qualifications: recognition is different from a practising licence

Original AI-generated editorial illustration. Fictional people.

Keep the official award name

Use the qualification and institution written on your certificate. Do not rename a short course as a diploma or treat a partly completed programme as an awarded degree. Mark studies in progress clearly.

Use the relevant recognition authority

TCU explains recognition of foreign university qualifications through its assessment process. NACTVET publishes guidance for foreign technical and vocational awards. Check which authority applies to your award rather than assuming one process covers every certificate.

Check professional requirements separately

An academically recognised award does not by itself authorise practice in a regulated profession. Read the advert’s registration and licence requirements and consult the relevant professional body. Keep the document status and expiry dates distinct.

Plan around the application deadline

If recognition is pending, describe that status accurately and check whether the employer accepts it. Do not assume a receipt is equivalent to approval. Keep a copy of the authority’s decision and the documents submitted.

Sources and checks

Reviewed 23 September 2026. Follow the original source for amendments.

General guidance. Confirm the employer’s current requirements and your own pay arrangements before making an application or accepting an offer. Report a correction