Entry Rates by State
| State | Job title | Entry level | Hourly | Full-time a year | Rates from | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | School Learning Support Officer (SLSO) | SLSO 1 | $38.33 | $62,286* | 1 July 2026 | NSW rates |
| Victoria | Education Support (ES) staff (ES) | ES 1-1 | — | $51,622 | 1 July 2025 | VIC rates |
| Queensland | Teacher Aide (teacher aide) | OO2 pay point 1 | $31.6921 | $62,839 | 1 November 2025 | QLD rates |
| Western Australia | Education Assistant (EA) | EA 1.1 | $34.75 | $58,728* | 1 January 2026 | WA rates |
| South Australia | School Services Officer (SSO) | SSO-1 increment 1 | — | $58,360 | 1 May 2026 | SA rates |
* Derived full-time equivalent: the hourly rate × the agreement’s full-time hours (NSW 31.25, WA 32.5) × 52. Queensland’s figure is 38 hours as printed. Victoria and SA publish annual salaries only. Read 24 September 2026.
Full-time hours differ: 31.25 a week for a NSW SLSO, 32.5 for a WA Education Assistant and 38 for a Queensland teacher aide, whose department builds its standard job on 30 hours. Compare hourly rates, not annual salaries, when the hours differ.
Pay Rates for Each State
- SLSO Pay Rates NSW 2026: Crown Employees (School Administrative and Support Staff) Award 2024, made by the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW.
- Education Support Pay Rates VIC 2026: Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022, Education Support Class.
- Teacher Aide Pay QLD 2026: Department of Education Teacher Aides' Certified Agreement 2025, certified by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission on 17 April 2026 (CB/2026/36), nominal expiry 31 October 2028.
- Education Assistant Pay WA 2026: Education Assistants' (Government) General Agreement 2025, registered by the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission ([2025] WAIRC 00036).
- SSO Pay Rates SA 2026: South Australian School and Preschool Education Staff Enterprise Agreement 2024, Schedule 1.6 (School Services Officers), approved by the South Australian Employment Tribunal on 25 March 2024..
We have not yet verified current rates for Tasmania, ACT, Northern Territory, so they are not listed. Other public-sector pay is on the public service pay scales hub and teacher salaries on teacher pay by state.
Frequently Asked Questions
Teacher aide pay questions and answers
How much do teacher aides get paid in Australia?
It depends on the state and whether the school is government or non-government. In government schools the entry rate is $38.33 an hour for an SLSO 1 in NSW (from 1 July 2026), $31.6921 for a Queensland OO2 teacher aide (from 1 November 2025), $34.75 for a WA Education Assistant (from 1 January 2026), $58,360 a year for a South Australian SSO-1 (from May 2026) and $51,622 a year full-time for Victorian ES 1-1. Private and Catholic schools use the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award.
Are teacher aides paid during school holidays?
It depends on the state and the contract. NSW permanent SLSOs are paid in 26 equal fortnightly pays across the year, and long-term temporaries are paid in school vacations; short-term temporaries get a 15% loading instead of recreation leave. Casual Education Assistants in WA get a 25% loading instead of personal leave and paid student vacation time. Victorian ES staff on a term-time fraction are paid a proportion of the full-time salary.
What is a teacher aide called in each state?
School Learning Support Officer (SLSO) in NSW, Education Support (ES) staff in Victoria, teacher aide in Queensland, Education Assistant (EA) in Western Australia and School Services Officer (SSO) in South Australia.
How we worked this out▼
Each rate is copied from the state’s award or agreement for the date shown. Where the instrument publishes hourly rates only (NSW and WA) the annual figure is a full-time equivalent we derive, and is marked. South Australia’s figures are the School Services Officer schedule on our SA public service page.
General information, not advice.
Sources & References
- 1Crown Employees (School Administrative and Support Staff) Award 2024 — Schedule 1, rates of pay— Industrial Relations Commission of NSW (copy published by the Public Service Association of NSW)
- 2Education Support Class salaries in Victorian government schools (Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022)— Department of Education (Victoria)
- 3Proposed Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2026 — Schedule 1, salary rates— Department of Education (Victoria)
- 4Department of Education Teacher Aides' Certified Agreement 2025 (CB/2026/36)— Queensland Industrial Relations Commission
- 5QFleet Certified Agreement 2025 wage increases and CPI uplift adjustment (Brisbane March 2026 CPI)— Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works
- 6Education Assistants' (Government) General Agreement 2025 — Schedule 2, wages— Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission
- 7South Australian School and Preschool Education Staff Enterprise Agreement 2024 (ET-24-00640)— South Australian Employment Tribunal
- 8School Services Officer pay rates, effective 8/05/2026— Department for Education (SA)
Last verified: 24 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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