How to become a secondary school teacher in Australia
Secondary School Teachers teach one or more subjects within a prescribed curriculum to secondary school students and promote students' social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the secondary school teachers group are projected to grow 11.7% 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
- Presenting prescribed curriculum using a range of teaching techniques and materials
- Developing students' interests, abilities and coordination by way of creative activities
- Guiding discussions and supervising work in class
- Preparing, administering and marking tests, projects and assignments to evaluate students' progress and recording the results
- Discussing individual progress and problems with students and parents, and seeking advice from student counsellors and senior teachers
- Maintaining discipline in classrooms and other school areas
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the secondary school teachers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 96% a degree or higher, 2% a diploma, 0% 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.
Victoria38 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Primary and Secondary Inclusive and Special Education (Honours) · Monash, Clayton73.80 Science (Bachelor) and Teaching (Secondary) (Master) (Course Package) · La Trobe, Melbourne73.75 Secondary Health and Physical Education (Honours) · Monash, Peninsula72.35 Primary and Secondary Health and Physical Education (Honours) · Monash, Peninsula71.40 Education (Secondary) · ACU, Melbourne71.25 Education (Primary and Secondary) · ACU, Ballarat70.55 Secondary Education (Health and Physical Education Teaching) · Federation, Mount Helen (Ballarat)70.15 Education (Primary and Secondary) · RMIT, Bundoora70.10Showing 8 of 38 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT90 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Education (Secondary STEM) · UNE99.95 Bachelor of Education (Secondary and Special Education) · ACU96.45 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - Science · Charles Sturt92.95 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - PDHPE · Charles Sturt82.65 Bachelor of Education (Primary and Secondary) · ACU80.05 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) · Sydney80.05 Bachelor of Secondary Education (Science) · Canberra77.65 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) - HSIE · Charles Sturt74.45Diplomas and other ways in
Diploma of Education (Secondary) · Southern Cross49.55Showing 11 of 90 matches. Search every course.
Queensland74 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Education (Secondary STEM) · UNE, Armidale80.50 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) · CQUniversity, Mackay73.05 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) · QUT, Kelvin Grove70.25 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) · UniSQ, Springfield69.20 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) · JCU, Cairns69.00 Bachelor of Education (Secondary) · ACU, Brisbane65.95 Bachelor of Education (Primary and Secondary) · ACU, Brisbane65.65Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 12 of 74 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia46 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Secondary Education · Notre Dame, Fremantle79.40 Bachelor of Health and Physical Education (Secondary) · Notre Dame, Fremantle66.70 Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education) - English Education · Curtin, Perth63.20 Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education) - Humanities and Social Sciences Education in Economics · Curtin, Perth63.20 Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education) - Humanities and Social Sciences Education in Geography · Curtin, Perth63.20 Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education) - Humanities and Social Sciences Education in History · Curtin, Perth63.20 Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education) - Humanities and Social Sciences Education in Politics and Law · Curtin, Perth63.20 Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education) - Mathematics Education · Curtin, Perth63.20Showing 8 of 46 matches. Search every course.
Matched on course names, 248 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 "Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical 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
Primary school teacher$2,226 Early childhood teacher$1,906 Social worker$2,172 Youth worker$1,844 Special education teacher$2,160Done this job, or studied for it?
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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.