← Education and social services
Early-childhood teacher
Plan and deliver learning programmes for children before they start formal schooling.
Registration: ACECQA-approved qualification plus state teacher registration
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teachers (2411) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $1660 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
| Graduate starting salary | $82,100 | QILT (2026-08-31) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher (241111), the closest official match for early-childhood teacher, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 77,000
- Future demand
- Moderate
- Work full-time
- 50%
- Average full-time hours
- 41 a week
- Women
- 97%
- Median age
- 39
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 36% |
| VIC | 38.7% |
| QLD | 12.4% |
| WA | 4.2% |
| SA | 5.2% |
| TAS | 1.3% |
| ACT | 1.3% |
| NT | 0.8% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 21.4% |
| Bachelor degree | 60.4% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 10.4% |
| Certificate I-IV | 3.4% |
| Year 12 | 2.1% |
| Below Year 12 | 0.5% |
What an early-childhood teacher actually does
An early-childhood teacher (ECT) leads a room of typically 20-25 children aged 3 to 5 in a long day care, preschool or kindergarten setting. The day often runs longer than school hours because long day care is open 6.30am to 6.30pm and most ECTs work a 38-hour week on a roster. Mornings open with arrivals, free play, group time and outdoor play. Mid-morning is small-group focus learning aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework. After lunch most rooms have rest time, which is also when documentation and planning get done. Afternoon is more play and parent pick-ups. ECTs are responsible for programming, observations, learning stories and the room's daily routines, and they lead two or three educators on the team. Reporting peaks in the lead-up to school transition (end of Term 4 and the National Quality Standard assessment-and-rating visits). The job is physical (sitting on the floor, lifting and bending) and emotionally consistent. You will know every child's home situation by the end of term.
Typical tasks
- Plan play-based programmes aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework.
- Observe, document and report on children's learning.
- Lead small teams of educators.
Skills you'll use
- Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and National Quality Framework
- Programming and documenting play-based learning
- Observation, learning stories and developmental assessment
- Leading and mentoring early-childhood educators
- Working with families and external specialists (speech, OT, paeds)
- Child safety, first aid and mandatory reporting
- Managing the room budget, rosters and compliance paperwork
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 12 with English. Some unis ask for an ATAR mid-60s plus a teaching aptitude statement
- 2Complete an ACECQA-approved Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) over 4 years, or a 3-year Bachelor of Early Childhood plus a 2-year Master of Teaching (Early Childhood)
- 3Sit the LANTITE if your course requires it (most teacher-registration pathways do)
- 4Complete the supervised practicum days required by your course (60-80 days across multiple settings)
- 5Get a Working With Children Check and Provide First Aid in an Education and Care Setting (HLTAID012)
- 6Apply for state teacher registration if you intend to teach in school-based kindergarten or transition (NESA, VIT, QCT, TRBSA, TRBWA, TRB Tas, TQI, NT TRB)
- 7Apply for ECT roles. Long day care, council preschools, school-based kindys and standalone preschools all hire ECTs, with pay varying by sector
Where you can work
- Long day care centres (private and not-for-profit)
- Standalone preschools and kindergartens
- School-based kindergartens (state, Catholic and independent)
- Council and community-run preschools
- Family day care coordinator roles
- Department of Education early-childhood policy teams
- Indigenous and remote children's services
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Graduate ECT0-2 yearsTypical roles: Room teacher, Provisional registered ECT
- Experienced ECT3-7 yearsTypical roles: Lead ECT, Educational leader, Room leader
- Centre leadership8+ yearsTypical roles: Centre director, Pedagogical leader, Area manager
- Sector leadership12+ yearsTypical roles: Operations manager, Quality and compliance manager, State practice lead
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You actually enjoy spending the day with 3 to 5 year olds, not just children in theory
- You can sit on the floor and play for hours without checking your phone
- You're patient with parent anxiety at drop-off and pick-up
- You can plan a programme around children's interests, not just a textbook
- You're comfortable with a sector where pay sits below school-teacher rates
This might not suit you if
- You can't physically manage hours of bending, lifting and sitting low
- You want a job that's strictly intellectual rather than hands-on
- You can't take the emotional load of children's home circumstances
- You want to be away from young children most of the day
- You expect long-day-care pay to match school-teacher pay (it doesn't, yet)
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for early-childhood teacher. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.