NSW teacher salary 2025: where it sits against the national line
The NSW Department of Education publishes salary scales for public school teachers under the current teaching award. For 2025, a new graduate starts at $90,177 a year, rising to $129,536 for an experienced classroom teacher on the top step. These are annual salaries before tax.
On a 38-hour week, the graduate rate works out to about $45.60 an hour ($90,177 ÷ 52 ÷ 38). The experienced teacher rate is about $65.50 an hour. The site shows these as weekly and hourly figures alongside the national full-time average.
How it compares to the national full-time average
The national full-time adult ordinary-time average is $2,083.70 a week, or about $108,352 a year (ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026). This is the line on the site.
- A graduate teacher ($90,177) is $18,175 below the national average.
- An experienced teacher ($129,536) is $21,184 above the national average.
The NSW state full-time average is about $109,658 a year (from the same ABS release). So an experienced teacher also sits above the state average, while a graduate sits below.
Reading the same pay as a year, a week, and an hour
The site converts any salary into weekly and hourly figures using a 38-hour week. For example:
- Graduate: $90,177 a year → $1,734 a week → $45.60 an hour
- Experienced: $129,536 a year → $2,491 a week → $65.50 an hour
These are before tax. The 2026–27 tax rates (plus 2% Medicare levy) mean a graduate takes home roughly $70,000 after tax, while an experienced teacher takes home about $95,000, depending on deductions.
Leadership and casual rates
Teachers can move into leadership roles with higher pay:
- Assistant principal or head teacher: $149,059
- Deputy principal: $174,034
- Principal: $229,435
- Executive principal: $245,989
Casual teachers are paid a daily rate. From October 2025, a graduate-level casual teacher earns $466.44 per day, rising to $582.38 for an experienced casual. These rates are set by the award.
How the figures are set
The NSW teacher salary is determined by the Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award. It is negotiated between the department and unions. The national average comes from the ABS survey of employers, published twice a year (May and November). The site uses the May 2026 release.
Other benchmarks
For context:
- The full-time median earnings in Australia are about $90,532 a year (ABS Employee Earnings, August 2025). A graduate teacher is very close to that median.
- The all-employees median (including part-time) is about $74,100.
- The national minimum wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 an hour, or about $52,255 a year on 38 hours (Fair Work). Both teacher salaries are well above that.
State comparison
New South Wales has a full-time average of about $109,658. Teacher salaries in NSW are competitive with other states. For example, Victoria’s full-time average is about $106,137, and Queensland’s is about $106,064. An experienced NSW teacher at $129,536 exceeds all state averages.
Where to go next
- Place a salary on the line to see how any pay compares to the national average.
- States and territories to compare averages across Australia.
- How the figures are set for methodology on the ABS and Fair Work data.
Summary
The NSW teacher salary for 2025 starts at $90,177 for graduates and reaches $129,536 for experienced teachers. Both figures are published by the NSW Department of Education. The graduate rate is below the national full-time average of $108,352, while the experienced rate is above it. Leadership roles offer significantly higher pay. The site converts these to weekly and hourly amounts on a 38-hour week, making it easy to see where your pay sits on the line.