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Early Childhood Teacher salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an early childhood teacher is $99,100 per annum, before tax, up $20,500 since 2018.
- The Children's Services Award or an enterprise agreement decides your rate, and a funded kindergarten program usually pays better than a long day care centre.
- Some services offer above-award pay to fill qualified teacher positions, particularly where qualified staff are hard to find.
- Ask whether programming and documentation time is paid or expected outside your rostered hours, and check whether a quoted salary is for a full-time load, since part-time and casual contracts are common in this sector.
The median salary rose by $20,500 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.
Roles that pay more than early childhood teacher
The largest typical pay rise is $26,900 a year, moving into Middle School Teacher.
- Middle School Teacher+$26,900/yr
- Secondary School Teacher+$21,600/yr
- Primary School Teacher+$16,700/yr
How to negotiate a higher early childhood teacher salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time early childhood teacher salary is $99,100; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Early Childhood Teachers are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Teaching and instruction and Curriculum and lesson design tend to command a premium over general early childhood teacher experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Middle School Teacher pays a typical $26,900 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- 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."
Early Childhood Teacher salary questions
How much do early childhood teachers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an early childhood teacher is $99,100 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is early childhood teacher pay rising or falling?
The median early childhood teacher salary is up $20,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than early childhood teacher?
Middle School Teacher pays a typical $26,900 a year more and draws on similar skills to early childhood teacher.
Related salaries
- Primary School Teacher salary
- Special Education Teacher salary
- Middle School Teacher salary
- Secondary School Teacher salary
- Childcare Centre Manager salary
- Early Childhood Educator salary
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.