This article covers the salaries of full-time classroom teachers in Queensland. For the pay rates for QLD casual relief teachers, see What is the Relief Teacher Pay Rate in Queensland?
QLD Public Schools Pay Rates
In Queensland public schools, teachers are paid according to the Department of Education State School Teachers’ Certified Agreement 2022. A beginning QLD teacher in 2023 will earn a salary of $71,986, but an experienced teacher can earn up to $119,518.
The pay rates for each classification level are in the table below. This also includes the pay increase that teachers will receive midway through 2023:
| Classification Level | Pay Point | Salary as of 1/7/2022 | Salary as of 1/7/2023 |
| Band 1 | Step 1 | $69,218 | $71,986 |
| Step 2 | $71,602 | $74,467 | |
| Band 2 | Step 1 | $78,490 | $81,628 |
| Step 2 | $82,325 | $85,617 | |
| Step 3 | $86,233 | $89,682 | |
| Step 4 | $90,292 | $93,903 | |
| Band 3 | Step 1 | $94,015 | $97,775 |
| Step 2 | $97,874 | $101,790 | |
| Step 3 | $101,780 | $105,850 | |
| Step 4 | $104,193 | $108,359 | |
| Senior Teacher (4 yr trained) | $108,970 | $113,329 | |
| Experienced Senior Teacher | Step 1 | $113,118 | $117,642 |
| Step 2 | $114,921 | $119,518 | |
| Highly Accomplished Teacher | $122,077 | $126,961 | |
| Lead Teacher | $133,277 | $138,607 |
See more: How to Increase Your Salary as a Teacher
Moving up a Classification Level
In Queensland public schools, classroom teachers will be paid at Band 1, Band 2 or Band 3.
Band 1 is for teachers who are doing an internship. You will move up a step within this Band once you have a year of experience in the classroom. Once a teacher is fully qualified, they will be paid at Band 2. Again, you will move through the Band for each year of service.
Once a Graduate teacher has become a certified Proficient teacher, they will move to Band 3.
See more: Do Teachers Really Get Paid for the Holidays?
Senior Teacher
Three months before you reach the final Step of Band 3, you can begin your application to move up to Senior Teacher. To do this, you will need to complete an undertaking and personal action plan.
You will be able to access your undertaking and action plan on OnePortal. This is only for Qld Department of Education employees, so you will not have access if you are not working in a Queensland public school.
Experienced Senior Teacher
Senior Teachers with two or more years of working at this level can move up to Experienced Senior Teacher.
Before you become an EST, you will need to undertake a process. This includes filling out a form and assessment by a local panel, which needs to be agreed upon by you and the panel members.
To move to Step 2 of the Experienced Senior Teacher Classification level, you will need to have been on Step 1 of EST for three years. Once you have reached that, you will be eligible to request an Annual Performance Review (APR) discussion with your supervisor. This discussion will be about how your teaching practice aligns with the Highly Accomplished Teacher career stage. Based on this discussion, your supervisor will make a decision about whether you are ready to be classified as an EST2.
See more: What is the QLD Teacher Annual Performance Review Process?
It is important to note that the Highly Accomplished Teacher level of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers is only relevant if you are planning on becoming an EST2. If you are an EST1, your Annual Performance Review doesn’t need to be based on the standards at HAT level.
See more: Pay for Teachers Around the World: How Australia Stacks Up
QLD Catholic Schools Pay Rates
Teachers who are working in Queensland Catholic schools will be paid according to the table below:
| Classification | Annual Salary as of 1/7/2022 | |
| 3 Year Trained | Step 1 | $69,507 |
| Step 2 | $71,886 | |
| Graduate | $78,490 | |
| Proficient 1 | $82,325 | |
| Proficient 2 | $86,233 | |
| Proficient 3 | $90,292 | |
| Proficient 4 | $97,874 | |
| Proficient 5 | $101,780 | |
| Proficient 6 | $104,193 | |
| Proficient 7 | $108,970 | |
| Proficient 8 | $113,045 | |
| Experienced Proficient Teacher | $114,920 | |
| Highly Accomplished Teacher | $122,080 | |
| Lead Teacher | $133,277 | |
| 4 Year Trained | Graduate | $78,490 |
| Proficient 1 | $82,325 | |
| Proficient 2 | $86,233 | |
| Proficient 3 | $90,292 | |
| Proficient 4 | $97,874 | |
| Proficient 5 | $101,780 | |
| Proficient 6 | $104,193 | |
| Proficient 7 | $108,970 | |
| Proficient 8 | $113,045 | |
| Experienced Proficient Teacher | $114,920 | |
| Highly Accomplished Teacher | $122,080 | |
| Lead Teacher | $133,277 |
Years of Training
The table above has two scales: one for 3 year trained teachers and one for 4 year trained teachers. This refers to the number of years of teacher training that you have undertaken.
If you spent 3 years at university, you will be paid according to your classification on the 3 year trained scale. If you spent 4 years because you did a post-graduate degree, you will be paid according to the 4 year trained scale.
It is important to note that both 3 year and 4 year trained teachers will be paid the same salary by the time they gain full registration and become a certified Proficient teacher. 4 year trained teachers will start at the Graduate classification, while 3 year trained teachers will start at Step 1.
See more: Is it Worth Becoming a Highly Accomplished Teacher?
Moving up in Classification
Teachers will move through the different classifications annually. The exception is moving to become a Proficient teacher, which requires you to become a certified Proficient teacher and gain full teacher’s registration.
This is the same for the Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher classifications. You cannot reach these classifications and pay rates automatically through experience. You will need to become a certified Highly Accomplished or Lead Teacher to reach these levels of the pay scale.
See more: How to Pick a Realistic Side Hustle as a Teacher
QLD Private Schools Pay Rates
Every private school in Queensland has the ability to determine their own pay for their teachers.
There are a few smaller sectors in Queensland such as the Lutheran and Anglican schools. These sectors will have similar if not the same salary structure.
If you want more information about a particular school or sector, you will need to either contact the Independent Education Union or the school itself. The IEU has an archive of collective agreements that include salary negotiations with different sectors and schools.
