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Secondary School Teacher salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a secondary school teacher is $120,700 per annum, before tax, up $25,300 since 2018.
Pay is set by the industrial agreement covering your employer. State and territory education departments negotiate their own agreements, and Catholic and independent schools have theirs, so the same qualification and years of service can pay differently across sectors. Within a system, pay rises with years of service and classification, and allowances apply to promoted positions such as head of faculty and to remote or hard-to-staff schools.
Roles that pay more than secondary school teacher
The largest typical pay rise is $5,300 a year, moving into Middle School Teacher.
- Middle School Teacher+$5,300/yr
How to negotiate a higher secondary school teacher salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time secondary school teacher salary is $120,700; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Secondary School 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 secondary school teacher experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Middle School Teacher pays a typical $5,300 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."
Secondary School Teacher salary questions
How much do secondary school teachers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a secondary school teacher is $120,700 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is secondary school teacher pay rising or falling?
The median secondary school teacher salary is up $25,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than secondary school teacher?
Middle School Teacher pays a typical $5,300 a year more and draws on similar skills to secondary school teacher.