Accredited online and on-campus courses from leading Australian universities, TAFEs and colleges
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About Teaching
You'll become
Average Salaries
Teaching workers may earn between $45,000 and $92,000 per year
Do you get enjoyment out of watching people learn and grow? Gain a well-rounded education in teaching, so you get the confidence and understanding needed to impart your knowledge, and help in the development of others.
Teaching Courses range from early education right through to primary and high school teaching.
All Teaching Courses generally cover curriculum planning, understanding how to deal with a variety of behaviours, language, literacy and numeracy, theories of teaching and learning and inclusion.
Start a rewarding new career shaping tomorrow’s best thinkers by studying a teaching course.
As a teacher, you’ll play a critical role in supporting the social, emotional, and intellectual development of your students, and coach them to engage meaningfully in all aspects of society.
With a growing population and ever-emerging inequality, strong support for young people at all stages of development is more important than ever. As a teacher, you’ll be uniquely placed to support and mentor your students.
You may choose to study a teaching course in early childhood learning, primary education, or secondary education, and may undertake your study as a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and in some states of Australia, as a graduate diploma, complementing your existing undergraduate studies. After completing a teaching course, you’ll likely seek employment as a teacher in a school, but may also pursue a range of roles in the education sector, including working as a teacher’s assistant, in school administration, or in educational policy and curriculum development.
Challenging and rewarding, a career in teaching is a unique opportunity to transfer skills and knowledge, and to make a real impact on other people’s lives. If you want to help people to unlock their potential, a teaching course is for you.
What do teaching graduates do?
Most teaching course graduates pursue employment as a teacher, in either an early childhood, primary school or secondary school classroom setting. As a teacher, your tasks will vary depending on your setting, but you may be expected to perform work like:
- Preparing lessons, exercises and activities according to a curriculum;
- Teaching a subject, or multiple subjects, to a class of students;
- Presenting and describing topics using a range of teaching techniques and materials;
- Developing students’ interests, abilities and coordination using creative activities;
- Supervising class work;
- Guiding class discussion and participation;
- Preparing and marking tests, projects and assignments to record students’ progress;
- Managing behaviour and conflict in the classroom, using a range of disciplinary techniques;
- Supervising activities like school sports, carnivals, detentions and duty;
- Discussing individual student progress with other teachers, school administrators, parents and students;
- Liaising with school counsellors, parent and community groups; and
- Participating in staff meetings, planning meetings and workshops.
You may also choose to seek employment assisting other teachers with their classroom management, special needs students, or their own professional growth, and may conduct meetings and evaluations to monitor progress.
Career Outcomes
Career Outcomes
With further or complementary study, you may also choose to specialise your teaching practise and work as a:
- Special needs teacher
- English as an additional language teacher
- Curriculum development consultant
Graduates of teaching courses usually pursue employment in schools, and may work as a:
- Choreographer
- Dance Teacher
- Community Wellness Officer
- Dance Instructor
- Dance Teacher (Secondary school)
- Dance Coordinator
- Physical Health and Education (PE) Teacher
- Recreation Officer
- Sports Development Officer
- Specialist PE Primary School Teacher
- Education Support Worker
- Education Officer
- Special Needs Support Worker
- Teacher's Aide
- Teaching Assistant
- Education Assistant
- Learning Support Assistant
- Special Needs School Assistant
- Program Coordinator
- Trainer and Assessor
- Instructional Designer
- Vocational Education Teacher
- Training Needs Analyst
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Is teaching right for you?
You’ll find teaching enriching and enjoyable if you:
- Are curious
- Enjoy working with people
- Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Can work independently
- Like problem-solving
- Have strong organisational and time management skills
- Are a confident public speaker
- Are empathetic
- Are committed to supporting others
- Enjoy fast-paced work
Job opportunities
The Australia Government’s Job Outlook projects strong growth in employment opportunities for both primary and secondary school teachers over the next decade. After growing modestly for the past 10 years, the primary education sector is expected to open over 50,000 new jobs by 2019, and educators will be able to find employment all over Australia. New job openings in secondary education are expected to grow at a similar rate; however, Job Outlook notes that growth in the profession has contracted over the past decade, and describes the projected growth in the sector as moderate.
Average Salaries
Salaries differ between primary and secondary teachers. According to PayScale, a primary school teacher can expect to earn a salary between $40,000 and $90,000 per year, with an average of approximately $60,000. PayScale notes that while there is a strong correlation between years of experience and earning potential, 45 per cent of primary teachers have less than five years’ experience in their roles.
A secondary school teacher can expect to earn between $45,000 and $92,000 per year, with an average salary of $64,000, according to PayScale. A positive relationship also exists between experience and salary in secondary education, with more experienced teachers earning higher wages, but salary isn’t as dependent on experience in secondary education as it is in primary education, with PayScale reporting entry-level secondary teachers can expect to earn an average salary of $61,000 per year.
Industry Bodies
- Australian Teacher Education Association
- Australian Professional Teachers Association
- Early Childhood Australia
- Australian Education Union
- Independent Educators Union of Australia
As teaching is legislated and organised at the state level, each state has its own professional teachers’ committee to advocate for its members’ interests:
- Professional Teachers’ Council, New South Wales
- Council of Professional Teaching Associations of Victoria Inc
- Joint Council of Queensland Teacher Associations
- The Council of Education Associations of South Australia
- Professional Teaching Council of Western Australia
- Network of Education Associations of Tasmania Inc
- Northern Territory Join Council of Professional Teacher Associations Inc
- Council of ACT Education Associations