A career in teaching is a rewarding, challenging and exciting profession. The salary of a teacher depends on the level of their education and experience, as well as on where they teach. There are many factors that impact the total yearly pay for teachers including the size of their school; whether it’s public school or private school; whether they have any certification or degree; what state they live in (as each state has its own pay scale); and whether they have any prior teaching experience.
The minimum annual salary of a teacher in Australia is 14000-18000 AUD depending on the qualification and teaching location. To make an easy comparison between the salary in other countries, we have gathered all figures provided by our employees in this income guide for workplace benefits, taxes, deductions and more.
Salary For Teacher In Australia Overview
One thing that unites all Australians is their love for education. In fact, Australia has been ranked as having one of the highest rates of teacher pay in the world.
The average teacher salary in Australia is A$74,000 per year. This includes both public and private educators. While this number may seem high at first glance, keep in mind that teachers are paid more than most other professions in Australia—and they often receive additional benefits such as bonuses and extra paid leave days!
Teachers in Australia are paid a salary based on the number of hours they work, as well as the level of education they’ve obtained. The average teacher salary in Australia is $62,000 per year, but some teachers can earn up to $80,000 per year.
Teachers who have not obtained a bachelor’s degree may be paid less than those with a bachelor’s degree, but still more than those without any post-secondary education. Teachers who have obtained a master’s degree or higher may earn more than teachers with only bachelor’s degrees.
The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range
- Salary RangeTeacher salaries in Australia range from 36,700 AUD per year (minimum salary) to 117,000 AUD per year (maximum salary).
- Median SalaryThe median salary is 76,300 AUD per year, which means that half (50%) of people working as Teacher(s) are earning less than 76,300 AUD while the other half are earning more than 76,300 AUD. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
- PercentilesClosely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Teacher(s) are earning less than 50,800 AUD while 75% of them are earning more than 50,800 AUD. Also from the diagram, 75% of Teacher(s) are earning less than 98,500 AUD while 25% are earning more than 98,500 AUD.
What is the difference between the median and the average salary?
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary
How to measure a teacher’s pay
We should not fall into the trap of comparing Australia’s teacher salaries to other countries using dollar amounts, even after taking account of the cost of living. Australia is a rich country. Our incomes are relatively high, and our education system is competing with other industries to attract the best talent.
Chart 1 compares teachers’ pay with the pay of similar-aged professionals in Australia. Chart 2 shows how those numbers compare to other countries.
But average pay is not the only factor, so Chart 3 looks at what opportunity there is for Australian teachers to earn a very high income.
Young teachers are paid well, but expertise is not rewarded
The starting full-time salary for a classroom teacher in most Australian states is between $65,000 and $70,000, based on every enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) we examined.
That’s reasonably competitive with the starting salary of a graduate with an engineering, commerce, or law degree, and has been improving over the past 15 years.