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Driving Instructor salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a driving instructor is $115,600 per annum, before tax, up $24,500 since 2018.
- Most driving instructors are self-employed or franchisees, so what you take home depends on how many lessons you run, what you charge locally, and what the car, fuel, insurance and any franchise fees cost.
- Instructors employed by a driving school trade some of that upside for a steadier wage and a supplied vehicle.
- Lesson rates vary by state and city, and they tend to sit close to what other instructors nearby charge.
The median salary rose by $24,500 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
How to negotiate a higher driving instructor salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time driving instructor salary is $115,600; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Teaching and instruction and Driving and transport operations tend to command a premium over general driving instructor experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Driving Instructor salary questions
How much do driving instructors earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a driving instructor is $115,600 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is driving instructor pay rising or falling?
The median driving instructor salary is up $24,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
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Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.