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How to become a teacher aide in Australia

Education Aides perform non-teaching duties to assist teaching staff in schools, provide care and supervision for children in preschools, and provide assistance to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori students and their teachers.

$1,342median full-time pay a week, before tax
+9.7%projected job growth to 2035
137,900people in this job

The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the education aides group are projected to grow 9.7% 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

  • Demonstrating, supervising and participating in activities which enhance the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of children in schools and preschool centres
  • Preparing indoor and outdoor areas for learning and recreational activities
  • Assisting children with intellectual, physical and behavioural difficulties with their academic studies
  • Assisting children individually to learn social skills
  • Assisting with preparing teaching aids, and copying and collating written and printed material
  • Distributing and collecting lesson material

How to get there

What it usually takes. A Certificate II or III. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the education aides group, and some roles differ.

What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 20% a degree or higher, 15% a diploma, 36% a Certificate III or IV.

Apprenticeship or traineeship. This job isn't on the current Priority List we checked, which only covers occupations in demand, so that doesn't rule one out. Ask a TAFE or an Apprentice Connect provider.

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

We haven't matched this job to courses in the admissions lists. It usually starts with training on the job or at a registered training provider, not a course through an admissions centre. See Your Career.

Does it fit your interests?

Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Social, Conventional, Enterprising.

Realistic
Investigative
Artistic
Social
Enterprising
Conventional

From O*NET ratings for "Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.

Careers with similar interests

Secondary school teacher$2,322 Aged care worker$1,761 Social worker$2,172 Youth worker$1,844 Early childhood teacher$1,906

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Job 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.

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.

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