This article only covers full-time classroom teachers. If you are interested in pay rates for casual relief teachers in WA, see What is the Relief Teacher Pay Rate in WA?
The salaries for Western Australian teachers in the public, catholic, and independent sectors are explained below.
WA Public School Teacher Salaries
According to their Enterprise Agreement, WA public schools employ trained and untrained teachers at different rates. WA teachers were given a pay raise in December 2022, and so as of 2023, WA teachers can expect to earn between $62,531 and $113,568.
As a beginning teacher, you will start on Increment 1 of the table that applies to you and move up the increments for each year you work as a teacher.
Trained Teachers
| Increment | Salary as of December 2021 | Salary as of December 2022 |
| 2.1 | $74,301 | $76,530 |
| 2.2 | $81,123 | $83,556 |
| 2.3 | $88,395 | $91,046 |
| 2.4 | $91,698 | $94,449 |
| 2.5 | $95,132 | $97,986 |
| 2.6 | $98,699 | $101,660 |
| 2.7 | $102,406 | $105,478 |
| 2.8 | $106,258 | $109,446 |
| 2.9 | $110,260 | $113,568 |
Untrained Teachers
| Increment | Salary as of December 2021 | Salary as of December 2022 |
| 1.1 | $57,743 | $62,531 |
| 1.2 | $60,709 | $62,531 |
| 1.3 | $63,840 | $65,756 |
| 1.4 | $67,140 | $69,154 |
| 1.5 | $70,624 | $72,743 |
| 1.6 | $74,301 | $76,530 |
| 1.7 | $81,123 | $83,556 |
| 1.8 | $88,395 | $91,046 |
See more: How to Increase your Salary as a Teacher.
Other Teaching Roles
In the WA public education sector, there are two other roles that teachers could have. These are Senior Teacher and Level 3 Teacher.
Both of these are teaching roles, and their salaries are outlined below. Keep in mind that Senior Teachers do not have increments that you can move up every year, and Level 3 Teachers have two increments.
Senior Teachers
| Increment | Salary as of December 2021 | Salary as of December 2022 |
| ST | $114,422 | $117,854 |
Level 3 Teachers
| Increment | Salary as of December 2021 | Salary as of December 2022 |
| 3.1 | $118,746 | $122,308 |
| 3.2 | $122,185 | $125,850 |
Pay Increases
3% increase in 2021, and again in December of 2022. To gain an additional increase in pay at the end of 2023, a new Enterprise Agreement will need to be negotiated and implemented. The Enterprise Agreement will be negotiated with the Australian Education Union (AEU), and the Department of Education will likely also seek feedback from all teachers.
Many WA teachers will gain another annual pay increase. As you gain experience, you will move up the increments outlined in the tables above.
See More: Do Teachers REALLY Get Paid for the Holidays?
WA Catholic School Teacher Salaries
If you are a teacher in a WA Catholic school, you will get paid a different amount to your colleagues in public schools.
While CEWA uses the same Enterprise Agreement as the WA Department of Education, their salaries are outlined below.
Trained Teachers
| Salary Level | Annual Salary ($) |
| Step 1 | $70,878 |
| Step 2 | $77,433 |
| Step 3 | $80,210 |
| Step 4 | $85,224 |
| Step 5 | $90,197 |
| Step 6 | $96,289 |
| Step 7 | $102,068 |
| Step 8 | $104,173 |
| Step 9 | $106,283 |
| Step 10 | $110,259 |
Untrained Teachers
In the Catholic sector, untrained teachers do not have increments like they do in the public sector.
Persons holding a Limited Authority to Teach shall be placed on step 1 of the above table with no further incremental progression.
Salary Increases
Like the public sector, WA Catholic schools also recognise Senior Teachers.
Recognised Senior Teachers will get paid an additional $5,374 as of December 2022.
See more: Is it Worth Becoming a Highly Accomplished Teacher?
Pay Increases
Like in the public sector, WA Catholic School teachers will receive the same 3% increase in December 2021 and again in December 2022. They also have an additional allowance if you are a recognised Senior Teacher.
Just like in public schools, teachers in Catholic schools will move up steps as they gain experience. Teachers will stay on Step 1 until they have three years of experience, after which they will move up one step every year.
See more: Pay for Teachers Around the World: How Australia Stacks Up.
WA Independent School Salaries
Salaries in WA Independent schools work a little differently to how they do in the public and Catholic sectors.
All school teachers in WA have an award. This is negotiated by the Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA). This award applies to teachers in all sectors and sets the minimum wage for all teachers in Western Australia.
| Step | Salary |
| 1 | $48,654 |
| 2 | $50,270 |
| 3 | $51,757 |
| 4 | $53,620 |
| 5 | $55,358 |
| 6 | $56,847 |
| 7 | $58,337 |
| 8 | $60,198 |
| 9 | $62,119 |
| 10 | $63,796 |
| 11 | $65,159 |
| 12 | $67,024 |
| 13 | $68,883 |
Actual Salaries in Independent Schools
This award only sets the minimum salary. If you are working in an Independent school in WA, your pay is likely to be higher.
As you can see, these award rates are much lower than what you would be paid in a public or Catholic school. All Independent schools need to pay their teachers this minimum salary, but the vast majority will pay their teachers much more so that they can compete with other schools in the state.
Unlike in WA Catholic and public schools, salaries in Independent schools change depending on what school you are in. Each school can set their salaries, so you need to contact the individual school to get more information about pay.
