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Special Education Teacher salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a special education teacher is $112,300 per annum, before tax, up $23,600 since 2018.
- Which school system employs you matters more than the subject you teach.
- Government schools pay under state and territory enterprise agreements, while Catholic and independent schools set their own scales, and many systems add a special education allowance on top of the base rate.
- Leadership roles, coordinator positions and remote placements lift the figure further, and relief or part-time work while you build experience sits below a full-time ongoing wage.
The median salary rose by $23,600 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 special education teacher
The largest typical pay rise is $13,700 a year, moving into Middle School Teacher.
- Middle School Teacher+$13,700/yr
- Secondary School Teacher+$8,400/yr
- Primary School Teacher+$3,500/yr
How to negotiate a higher special education teacher salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time special education teacher salary is $112,300; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Special Education 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 special education teacher experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Middle School Teacher pays a typical $13,700 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."
Special Education Teacher salary questions
How much do special education teachers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a special education teacher is $112,300 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is special education teacher pay rising or falling?
The median special education teacher salary is up $23,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than special education teacher?
Middle School Teacher pays a typical $13,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to special education teacher.
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- Primary School Teacher salary
- Secondary School Teacher salary
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- Middle School Teacher salary
- Teacher of the Deaf salary
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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.