What factors influence my teacher salary?
Your salary as a qualified teacher depends on where you teach and your place on the pay scale.
Experience, what state or territory you work in, whether your school is urban or rural, or remote or inner city, can all affect what band or level you are on the pay scale.
Read on to find out what you could, or should, be earning as a teacher in Australia in 2021.
This article covers state schools, which the majority of children in Australia attend.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, on 7 August 2020, 65 per cent of students in Australia were enrolled in government schools, followed by 20 per cent in Catholic schools and 15 per cent in independent schools.
Find more info on teacher salaries in your state:
Teacher salary in Victoria
Teacher salry in NSW
Teacher salary in Queensland
How much can I earn as a teacher in Australia?
The amount you are paid as a teacher will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and depend on which band you are in.
Which band you fit into will depend on your level of experience For example, graduate teachers start off in band one, moving from 1-1 to 1-2 in their second year of teaching.
In most states and territories, to move from band one (graduate) to band two (proficient) you will need to complete a portfolio which meets the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) standards for proficient teaching. This is done through the teaching registration board for the state or territory where you are registered to work.
First-year teachers can earn between $70,000 and $74,000 annually. For example, for the school year starting 1 January 2020, a newly graduated teacher in Victoria would have earned $72,058 and in Queensland they would have earned $73,629.
For principals, the pay scale is based on a similar structure to the main teacher system, with different levels offering different pay according to experience.
It is also dependent on the school’s Government funding allocation. For example in New South Wales, a principal’s salary can vary from a base level of $135,092 on the P1 level, up to $185,242. Executive principals can then have a starting salary of $204, 697.
For additional information on state-specific teacher salaries visit these links:
ACT
Northern Territory
South Australia
Tasmania
Western Australia
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