Educational Services (Teachers) Award pay rates & rules 2025/2026 (Australia)

Quick summary for time-poor owners

If you only read one section, read this.

The Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 [MA000077] sets minimum pay and conditions for many teachers in:

• the school education industry, and
• the children's services and early childhood education industry.

Your compliance "must-get-right" items:

• 1️⃣ Award coverage: does MA000077 apply to your employer and this worker?
• 2️⃣ Which stream applies: school/preschool vs early childhood service, and whether you're Schedule A (48+ weeks).
• 3️⃣ Correct teacher classification level (1–5) – based on accreditation/service.
• 4️⃣ Employment type (full-time, part-time, casual) and the special rules that follow.

What this Award is

Think of this Award as a minimum "rulebook + pay floor" for covered teachers. It works alongside the NES (National Employment Standards), and together they form the minimum conditions of employment for covered employees.

You can always pay more or offer better conditions — but you generally can't go below the Award/NES minimums.

Who the Teachers Award covers (and who it doesn't)

It commonly covers

The Award is an industry award covering employers throughout Australia in:

• the school education industry, and
• the children's services and early childhood education industry,

and their employees as defined in the Award. It includes an "on-hire" (labour hire) coverage rule for on-hire employees performing work in those industries.

Key exclusions to watch for (very common mistake)

The Award does not cover, among others:

• Principals or deputy principals
• A person employed as a teacher/integration aide, helper, classroom assistant, or director/supervisor in or in connection with childcare etc (other than a university-qualified early childhood teacher)
• Certain specialist individual instructors (e.g., music/dance/language on an individual basis) unless teaching the school curriculum

Teachers Award vs Children's Services Award (the #1 confusion)

A very common search is effectively: "Is my early childhood worker under the Teachers Award or Children's Services Award?"

The practical answer

• Teachers (as defined in MA000077) may fall under the Educational Services (Teachers) Award.
• Many early childhood educators / assistants / trainees are often under the Children's Services Award [MA000120], not the Teachers Award.

Actionable compliance tip: If you have a mixed workforce (teachers + educators), you may legitimately be running two different awards in the same centre.

2025/26 minimum pay rates snapshot (effective 1 July 2025)

From clause 17.1, the Award lists separate minimums for preschools/schools vs long day care centres (48+ weeks — extra 4%).

Source: Award clause 17.1 and 17.2.

Part-time rates

Part-time employees are paid pro rata at the same rate as full-time in the same classification. The Award sets a "90% rule" (a part-time employee is generally under 90% of full-time hours; above 90% they're considered full-time, subject to a request exception).

Casual rates: full day + half day (key figures)

The Award uses "full day" and "half day" casual rates, and also minimum 2-hour/4-hour engagements for casuals in children's services/early childhood.

Casual full day rates (excluding Schedule A)

Schedule A casual full day rates (48+ weeks) with shift penalties

Source: Schedule B.1.1 (noting the 4% for Schedule A).

Classifications (Levels 1–5): what they mean in plain English

This Award's teacher levels are strongly tied to registration/accreditation and years of satisfactory teaching service:

• Level 1: Graduate teacher and "all other teachers" (including provisional/conditional registration).
• Level 2: Teacher with proficient accreditation/registration (or equivalent).
• Level 3: Proficient teacher after 3 years satisfactory service at Level 2.
• Level 4: Proficient teacher after 3 years satisfactory service at Level 3.
• Level 5: Teacher with Highly Accomplished/Lead Teacher accreditation/registration (or equivalent).

Employment types and the rules that matter most

Full-time

A full-time employee is engaged to work an average of 38 ordinary hours per week.

Part-time (including the "90% rule")

A part-time employee is engaged for less than, but not more than 90% of full-time hours — and above 90% they're generally considered full-time (with a specific request exception).

Casual

Key Award limits many employers miss:

• Casual engagement is for not more than 4 consecutive weeks (or 4 consecutive term weeks in a school/preschool).
• It can be extended by agreement, but total engagement can't exceed one school term (schools/preschools) or 10 weeks (other cases).

Fixed term

The Award allows fixed term employment in certain circumstances and requires appointment letters to state key details.

Schedule A: long day care (48+ weeks) — overtime & shift penalties

If your early childhood service operates 48 weeks or more and provides services over at least 8 hours each day, you are likely in the "Schedule A" world for teachers. The Award applies an extra 4% and then gives separate overtime/shiftwork provisions.

Overtime (Schedule A)

For authorised work outside or in excess of ordinary/rostered hours:

• 150% of the minimum hourly rate for the first 3 hours
• 200% thereafter

There's also a specific rule for part-time employees who agree to work extra hours (ordinary time up to 8 hours, within ordinary hours of operation, then overtime).

Shiftwork penalties (Schedule A)

Schedule A sets shift penalties as a percentage of the minimum hourly rate:

• Early morning shift: 110%
• Afternoon shift: 115%
• Night shift rotating: 117.5%
• Night shift non-rotating: 130%
• Saturday: 125%

Non-contact time (a heavily searched topic)

Schedule A includes minimum non-contact time entitlements:

• At least 2 hours per week for programming responsibilities, and
• At least 2 hours per week for the Educational Leader

These entitlements can be cumulative (up to 4 hours).

Allowances (often missed)

The Award includes wage-related allowances based on the "standard rate" (Level 1 annual rate) and they automatically adjust when the standard rate changes.

Director's allowance (per annum)

Educational Leader allowance (early childhood)

An Educational Leader's allowance of $4,567.31 per annum applies where the employee is required to discharge the responsibilities of the educational leader under Regulation 118 of the National Regulations, payable in addition to any director's allowance (and pro-rated if acting fewer than 5 days/week).

Vehicle allowance

• Motor car: $0.99 per km
• Motorcycle: $0.33 per km
• Max payment up to 400 km per week

Leave and leave loading (another top search)

Teacher-specific annual leave structure (schools)

The Award contains school-year concepts (term weeks and non-term weeks), and it states a maximum of 205 attendance days in each school year, with the annual salary and allowances paid in full satisfaction of entitlements for the school year (and absence during non-term weeks deemed to include annual leave).

Leave loading: 17.5% (schools/preschools)

A teacher who has served throughout the school year is entitled to 17.5% leave loading on 4 weeks' annual leave, with a formula for pro-rating by term weeks worked.

Employers may instead pay leave loading progressively by increasing the annual rate by 1.342% and notifying this in the letter of appointment.

(Schedule A has different arrangements; the Award expressly notes the school-year formula doesn't apply to Schedule A teachers.)

"Most searched" questions about the Teachers Award

Below are the questions people most commonly look up online about MA000077:

Step-by-step compliance plan (simple but effective)

1. Confirm award coverage

   Check whether MA000077 applies to your teacher role and your employer type, and whether any exclusion applies (e.g., principal/deputy, non-teacher roles).

2. Decide whether you're "Schedule A"

   If your service runs 48+ weeks, this changes rates and overtime/shiftwork/non-contact time rules.

3. Classify every teacher (Level 1–5)

   Document the classification basis (registration/accreditation and service years).

4. Set base salary correctly

   Use clause 17.1 (weekly/annual) and confirm any pro rata for part-time.

5. Handle casuals carefully

   Apply the correct day/half-day/2hr/4hr minimums. Watch the "fewer than 5 consecutive days" cap (no higher than Level 3). Keep within the Award's casual engagement limits (4 weeks etc). Know the NES employee choice pathway.

6. Add allowances

   Director, Leadership, Educational Leader, vehicle — and remember these are often automatic %-based and update when the standard rate changes.

7. Schedule A: set up overtime/shiftwork rules

   Ensure payroll can handle overtime 150%/200% and shift penalties where relevant.

8. Keep records and letters of appointment

   The Award expects key information in appointment letters (including classification/rate; and for part-time, load/percentage).

Common mistakes (and why they matter)

• Wrong award entirely — Treating educators/assistants as "teachers" under MA000077 (or vice versa), instead of checking Children's Services Award coverage.
• Missing Schedule A — Paying the school/preschool rate in a 48+ week long day care setting (missing the uplift and Schedule A conditions).
• Ignoring casual caps and minimum engagements — Underpay risk (or inconsistent pay) when you don't apply the "fewer than 5 consecutive days" cap or the 2hr/4hr minimums.
• Forgetting leave loading — 17.5% leave loading is explicitly provided (and there's a permitted "rolled up" method with 1.342%).
• Not keeping appointment letter details aligned with the Award — Especially part-time teaching load expressed as a % of full-time.

Sources (official references used)

• Fair Work Ombudsman: Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020 [MA000077] (Fair Work Commission consolidated award incorporating amendments up to and including 1 July 2025)
• Fair Work Ombudsman: Children's Services Award [MA000120] summary (useful for "wrong award" checks)
• Fair Work Ombudsman Pay guides page (official list/index)
• Fair Work Ombudsman: Becoming a permanent employee (employee choice pathway; key dates and transition notes)
• ATO: Super guarantee (rates and thresholds, including 12% from 1 July 2025)

For official guidance, visit the Fair Work Ombudsman website.