Teacher Aide Salary: Where It Sits Against the National Line
If you're looking up a teacher aide salary, you're probably trying to work out how it compares to the typical Australian full-time wage. The short answer is that teacher aide pay sits well below the national full-time average, but the exact figure depends on where you work, who employs you, and whether you're full-time or part-time.
The National Full-Time Average
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) publishes Average Weekly Earnings twice a year. In May 2026, the seasonally adjusted average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults was $2,083.70. Multiply by 52 weeks and you get about $108,352 a year. That's the line this site uses as the benchmark. For men the average is about $113,412; for women about $100,594. The full-time median (the middle point, less affected by very high earners) is about $90,532 a year, and the all-employees median (including part-timers) is about $74,100.
Where Teacher Aides Sit
The most specific data for teacher aides comes from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, published by Jobs and Skills Australia. For the occupation group Education Aides (4221), the median full-time weekly earnings are $1,342. That's about $69,784 a year before tax. The median hourly rate is $37.
That's a long way below the national full-time average of $2,083.70 per week. Even the all-employees median of $74,100 is higher than the teacher aide full-time median. Only 31% of teacher aides work full-time hours; the average full-time week is 39 hours. Most teacher aides work part-time, so their weekly pay is even lower.
Why the Figure Moves Off the Line
Several factors push teacher aide pay away from the national average:
- Award coverage: Most teacher aides are covered by the Children's Services Award 2010 or the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2020. These awards set minimum rates that are lower than the national average. From 1 July 2026, award minimums increased by 4.75%, but they still lag behind the average.
- State and territory: Teacher aides employed by state government schools are often paid under enterprise agreements that vary by state. The state full-time averages (all occupations) range from $96,008 in Tasmania to $119,090 in the ACT. A teacher aide in the ACT or Western Australia is likely to earn more than one in Tasmania or South Australia, reflecting the broader state wage patterns.
- Public vs private sector: Public-sector teacher aides (in government schools) tend to earn more than those in private childcare or non-government schools. The ABS data shows public-sector full-time average weekly ordinary time earnings of $2,263.10, compared to $2,034.10 in the private sector. For teacher aides, the gap may be smaller but still exists.
- Part-time work: Because most teacher aides work part-time, the median weekly earnings for all teacher aides (including part-timers) would be lower than the $1,342 full-time figure. The ABS all-employees average weekly total earnings is $1,579.20, but that's for all occupations; teacher aides likely fall below that.
How to Compare Your Pay
You can place a salary on the line to see how it compares to the national full-time average. If you're a teacher aide working full-time, your weekly pay of $1,342 is about 64% of the national average. If you work part-time, the gap is even wider.
State averages give a rough guide, but teacher aide pay doesn't always move in lockstep with the state average. For example, Western Australia has a high state average ($115,825) partly due to mining wages, but teacher aides there may not benefit from that. The states and territories page shows the full-time average for each state, but for a specific occupation you need occupation-level data.
The Minimum Wage Context
From 1 July 2026, the national minimum wage is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week on a 38-hour week, about $52,255 a year. Award rates for teacher aides are above that, but not by a huge margin. The median hourly rate of $37 is about 40% above the minimum, which is typical for a role that requires some training but not a degree.
What the Figures Don't Tell You
The ABS Average Weekly Earnings figure is an average of all full-time adults across all industries and occupations. It includes CEOs, doctors, and miners, which pull the average up. The median for all full-time adults is lower ($90,532), but still above the teacher aide median. The teacher aide median is based on a survey of employee earnings and hours, which is the best source for occupation-specific pay.
Remember that the $1,342 figure is for full-time non-managerial adult employees paid at the adult rate. It excludes managers and part-timers, so it's the best comparison for a full-time teacher aide. If you're a casual or part-time teacher aide, your hourly rate may be higher (casual loading) but your weekly pay will be lower.
Next Steps
If you're negotiating a teacher aide salary or considering a move, check your award or enterprise agreement. The Fair Work Ombudsman has pay calculators. You can also compare your pay to the national line using our job medians page, which has data for hundreds of occupations. For a broader view of how your state compares, see the states and territories page.