How much do ACT relief teachers get paid?

Summary:

• Public school relief teacher pay rates.
• Catholic school relief teacher pay rates.
• Independent school relief teacher pay rates.
• Do the pay rates for ACT relief teachers increase?
• How do the pay rates for relief teachers in the ACT compare to elsewhere in Australia?

ACT Public school relief teacher pay rates.

As a relief teacher in ACT public schools, you will earn between $285 and $446 per day depending on how much teaching experience you have. The exact pay rates for 2022 (as well as previous pay rates over the last few years) are in the table below:

As a relief teacher in a public school in the ACT, you will get a daily rate as opposed to an hourly rate. If you are a qualified teacher, you will begin being paid at Casual Rate 1. You will only move up to Casual Rate 2 after the equivalent of seven years of recognised full-time service, or if you would be at the top of the Classroom Teacher’s pay scale based on experience.

ACT Catholic school relief teacher pay rates.

If you are a relief teacher in an ACT Catholic school, you will be paid between $369.46 and $473.33 per day. The exact pay rates for each band and for the last few years is in the table below:

As a relief teacher in Catholic schools in the ACT, you will be earning more than if you were working in public schools. While the beginning pay rate is only a little bit higher for Catholic schools, you are able to move up to Band 2 much quicker. While you need 7 years of experience to move up a band in public schools, in Catholic schools you will need to go from Graduate to Proficient. This can take some time, but if you work hard on it you can get this done in less than 7 years.

Independent school relief teacher pay rates.

There are a number of Independent schools across the ACT that will set their own pay rates. If you are a relief teacher who is thinking about working in an Independent school, you will need to contact the school directly to find out how much you would be paid. 

While public and Catholic schools in the ACT are all governed by the same office, Independent schools work independently and each of them will pay a different rate to their relief teachers.

Do the pay rates for ACT relief teachers increase?

You will notice that the above table only goes up to 2021. This is because at the time of writing, the Catholic Education Office is in the middle of a new bargaining period. These pay rates will continue to rise by a certain percentage each year, but the percentage has not been determined yet. The pay rates in public schools will also increase by a percentage each year. 

You will also move up tiers or bands as you become more experienced. Unlike in many places around Australia, both Catholic and public schools in the ACT only have two different pay tiers and you will need to accumulate a lot of teaching experience to move up a tier. Both of these are dependent on a certain amount of time at a full-time teaching load, which may take much more time for a relief teacher to reach as you are unlikely to be working every day. 

If you have the required experience to move up a tier but your teaching experience was in another state, overseas, or in a different sector, you will be able to contact your previous schools to get a statement of service. You can submit this to your current employer (whether that’s an individual school, the Department for Education or the Catholic Education Office) and get your teaching experience recognised.

How do the pay rates for relief teachers in the ACT compare to elsewhere in Australia?

Click on the below links to find out how relief teachers are paid in other states and territories around Australia:

WA

SA

VIC

NT

QLD

NSW

TAS