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Primary School Teacher salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a primary school teacher is $115,800 per annum, before tax, up $24,400 since 2018.
- Your salary comes from a state or territory industrial agreement, so it rises with each year you teach and with the band you're placed on.
- Taking on a lead teacher, literacy coordinator or year level role adds an allowance, and Catholic and independent schools set their own scales.
- Ask what a quoted figure covers: the classification, any extra duties, and how relief days are paid.
The median salary rose by $24,400 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 primary school teacher
The largest typical pay rise is $10,200 a year, moving into Middle School Teacher.
- Middle School Teacher+$10,200/yr
- English Language Teacher+$7,200/yr
- Secondary School Teacher+$4,900/yr
How to negotiate a higher primary school teacher salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time primary school teacher salary is $115,800; 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 Curriculum and lesson design tend to command a premium over general primary school teacher experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Middle School Teacher pays a typical $10,200 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."
Primary School Teacher salary questions
How much do primary school teachers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a primary school teacher is $115,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is primary school teacher pay rising or falling?
The median primary school teacher salary is up $24,400 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than primary school teacher?
Middle School Teacher pays a typical $10,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to primary school teacher.
Related salaries
- Secondary School Teacher salary
- School Principal salary
- Middle School Teacher salary
- Special Education Teacher salary
- English Language Teacher salary
- Teacher Aide 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.