How to become an early childhood teacher in Australia
Early Childhood (Pre-Primary School) Teachers teach the basics of numeracy, literacy, music, art and literature to early childhood (pre-primary) students and promote students' social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the early childhood (pre-primary school) teachers group are projected to grow 12.1% between May 2025 and May 2035, slower than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Planning and structuring learning in both indoor and outdoor environments using a variety of materials and equipment to facilitate students' development
- Providing a variety of experiences and activities to develop motor skills, cooperative social skills, confidence and understanding
- Promoting language development through story telling, role play, songs, rhymes and informal discussions held individually and within groups
- Observing students to evaluate progress and to detect signs of ill health, emotional disturbance and other disabilities
- Observing nutritional health, welfare and safety needs of students and identifying factors which may impede students' progress
- Discussing students' progress with parents
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the early childhood (pre-primary school) teachers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 82% a degree or higher, 10% a diploma, 3% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria10 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Early Childhood Education · Deakin, Online62.25 Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) · ACU, Melbourne60.95 Early Childhood Teaching · Swinburne, Hawthorn60.05 Education (Early Childhood Education) · Federation, Berwick50.70Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 7 of 10 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT19 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) · Sydney77.70 Bachelor of Education - The Early Years · Wollongong72.65 Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) · Macquarie70.65 Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Birth to Five Years) · ACU63.85 UG Cert in Early Childhood Education · Charles Sturt54.05Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 9 of 19 matches. Search every course.
Queensland23 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) · QUT, Kelvin GroveOnline74.35Showing 8 of 23 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia4 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Education) · Curtin, Kalgoorlie70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Studies) · ECU, South West (Bunbury)65.25Showing 2 of 4 matches. Search every course.
Matched on course names, 56 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Artistic, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
Secondary school teacher$2,322 Primary school teacher$2,226 Childcare educator$1,341 Special education teacher$2,160 Teacher aide$1,342Done this job, or studied for it?
Tell Year 12s the one thing you wish you'd known. First name only, and we read every story before it goes up.
Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.