Education support salary: where it sits against the national line
When you place an education support salary on the line at Average line, the site compares it to the national full-time adult average of $2,083.70 a week, or about $108,352 a year (ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026). That figure is the average for all full-time adults across Australia. But education support roles—such as teacher aides, education assistants, and learning support officers—often fall well below that line. The most recent ABS data for the occupation group "Education Aides" shows a median full-time weekly earnings of $1,342, which works out to about $69,784 a year. That is a median, not an average, and it is for full-time non-managerial adult employees. The gap between the national average and the education support median is more than $38,000 a year.
Why the gap exists
Several factors push education support salaries off the national line. First, the workforce is heavily female—87% of education aides are women, according to Jobs and Skills Australia. Occupations with high female shares tend to have lower median pay, partly due to historical undervaluation and partly because many work part-time. Only 31% of education aides work full-time, compared to 69% across all occupations. The median age is 42, suggesting many workers are experienced but still earn less than the all-occupations median of $1,852 per week for full-time workers. The national full-time median is about $90,532 a year, so education support sits roughly $20,000 below that.
Second, the method of setting pay matters. The ABS Employee Earnings and Hours survey for May 2025 shows that across all occupations, 22.7% of employees are paid by award only, 34.6% by collective agreement, and 38.5% by individual arrangement. Education support workers are often covered by the Educational Services (Schools) Teachers' Aides Award or similar state awards. Award-only employees tend to have lower average weekly earnings—for example, in New South Wales the award-only average is $1,038.90, compared to $1,706.90 for collective agreement and $1,931.80 for individual arrangement. The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour, or $1,004.90 a week on a 38-hour week, but award rates for education support are typically higher. Still, many education support workers are paid at or near the award rate, which limits their earnings relative to the national average.
State and territory differences
Where you work also moves the salary. The national full-time average masks large differences between states. For example, the full-time average in the Australian Capital Territory is about $119,090, while in Tasmania it is about $96,008. Education support salaries tend to reflect these state patterns, though award rates are national. In practice, enterprise agreements in some states—especially in the public sector—can lift pay. The public sector full-time average is $2,263.10 a week ($117,681 a year), compared to $2,034.10 in the private sector. Many education support workers in government schools are public sector employees, so their pay may be closer to the public sector average than the private sector one. However, the median for education aides is still well below the public sector average, indicating that even within the public sector, education support roles are lower-paid.
To see how your own education support salary compares, you can place a salary on the line and see the week and hour on a 38-hour week, plus the distance from the national full-time average. You can also explore state and territory averages to see how your location affects the comparison. For a broader view of how different jobs stack up, check the job medians page.
The role of awards and the minimum wage
The Fair Work Commission's annual wage review increased award minimums by 4.75% from 1 July 2026. The national minimum wage rose to $26.44 per hour, but award rates for education support are higher. For example, the Educational Services (Schools) Teachers' Aides Award has classification levels with different rates. While we do not have the exact current award rates in this article, they are a floor. Many education support workers are paid above the award through enterprise agreements or individual arrangements. The ABS data shows that the median hourly earnings for education aides is $37, which is well above the minimum wage but still below the all-occupations median hourly earnings of $47.
What the figures mean for you
If you are an education support worker, your salary may be influenced by your state, your employer (public or private), and whether you are covered by an award or an enterprise agreement. The national full-time average is a useful benchmark, but it is an average of all full-time adults, including managers and professionals who earn much more. The median for education aides gives a more realistic picture of typical pay in the occupation. Remember that the median is for full-time non-managerial adult employees, so if you work part-time or are paid under a different arrangement, your actual pay may differ. The site uses the national full-time average as its line, so your salary will be compared to that. If you earn $69,784, you will be about $38,568 below the line. If you earn $80,000, you will be about $28,352 below. The distance can be reduced if you work in a high-paying state like the ACT or work under a generous enterprise agreement.
For more detail on how the figures are set, see the how the figures are set page. If you have questions about the methodology, the about this site page explains the sources and calculations. The guides section also has guides on interpreting salary comparisons.
Summary
The education support salary is typically below the national full-time average due to the occupation's demographics, the prevalence of part-time work, and the reliance on award rates. State location and sector (public vs private) can move the figure up or down, but the median for education aides remains well below the national line. When you use the Average line tool, you will see exactly where your salary sits and how far it is from the average.