• 01 How the three sectors set teacher pay 3
• 02 The NSW comparison: government, Catholic & independent side by side 4
• 03 What "package" means — and why it matters 6
• 04 Non-salary conditions that can swing the comparison 7
• 05 How other states compare 8
• 06 Which sector should you choose? 9
• FAQ Frequently asked questions 9

Each sector negotiates pay separately, but they are connected. Most Catholic dioceses track government scales closely. Most independent schools under enterprise agreements do the same, though with less transparency.

Government schools in each state are covered by a state-based award or enterprise agreement negotiated between the state education department and the teachers federation or union. Pay scales and conditions are published in full and are legally binding.

Catholic systemic schools are covered by diocese-level enterprise agreements negotiated with the Independent Education Union (IEU). Most dioceses benchmark their scales against the state government scale. In some states — notably NSW — the Catholic classroom scale is identical to the government scale.

AIS-covered schools (most non-elite independents) are covered by multi-enterprise agreements (MEAs or CMEAs) negotiated with the IEU and the Association of Independent Schools in each state.

Non-systemic schools (typically GPS-tier or large elite independents) negotiate their own enterprise agreements or set employment contracts school by school. These scales are not publicly disclosed.

NSW is the clearest reference state: all three sectors publish their scales, figures are confirmed for 2026, and the Catholic systemic scale can be compared directly against government. Figures below are for classroom teachers only.

Super: 11.5% employer contribution (SGC rate from 1 Jul 2025). A 3% rise is scheduled from 9 Oct 2026 (graduate entry → $92,882; top-of-scale → $133,422). [Source: Crown Employees Award; ATO, 2025]

The AIS Cooperative Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2025 covers most non-GPS independent schools. Three-year term to January 2028. A 4.5% pay increase was delivered from February 2026. [Source: IEU NSW/ACT, CMEA 2025 details]

These schools use a band structure (Band 1, 2, 3) rather than numbered steps. Starting salaries are broadly in the same range as government — casual Teacher 1 rates were $450.50/day in 2025 ($466.44 for government); after the 4.5% rise, AIS CT1 reached ~$470.77, narrowly ahead of government. [Source: IEU NSW/ACT pay tables; NSW DoE salary page]

Band 3 teachers are entitled to an Accomplished Teacher allowance of $5,203/yr from February 2026, on top of base salary. [Source: IEU NSW/ACT, 2026]

When an independent school advertises a role with a "salary package of $118,000," that figure almost always includes superannuation. To compare it against a government or Catholic base salary, you need to subtract the super component.

A $118,000 package at 12% super equals a base salary of approximately $105,357 — not the top-of-scale figure it might suggest at first glance.

Some independent schools also include salary sacrifice benefits (laptops, novated car lease, school fee discounts) in a "total remuneration" figure. These are real benefits, but they are not take-home cash. When comparing offers, isolate base salary and super separately.

A $5,000 salary advantage can easily be offset by conditions that affect daily working life. These four factors are worth comparing carefully.

NSW government teachers are entitled to a minimum of two hours of relief from face-to-face teaching per week under Determination 1 of 2026 — among the lowest guaranteed non-contact time in Australia. [Source: NSW DoE, Attendance and Student Supervision Factsheet, January 2026]

Independent school contracts vary widely. Some GPS schools offer considerably more preparation time to attract experienced teachers. If a role offers four hours of non-contact time vs two hours at a government school, that represents approximately 80 hours of paid working time per year.

Independent schools employ significantly more teaching staff relative to their student population. [Source: ABS, Schools, Australia, 2024]

These are sector-wide averages. Within each sector there is wide variation — a small rural government school may have far lower ratios, and a large fee-paying independent school can have secondary classes of 25.

Government and Catholic systemic schools in NSW provide paid parental leave that counts as service for leave accrual and pay progression — time on parental leave does not delay step progression on return. [Source: NSW and ACT Catholic Systemic Schools EA 2025; NSW DoE conditions]

Independent school provisions vary by school. Under older AIS agreements, paid maternity leave often did not count as service for pay progression. Whether the CMEA 2025 improved this uniformly is unclear. Always check the specific conditions before accepting a role.

Government permanent teachers have strong protections for ongoing employment. Catholic systemic schools operate similarly. Independent school conditions range from secure ongoing contracts to fixed-term arrangements with no automatic renewal. For early-career teachers, a government Step 1 appointment provides stability to build toward Proficient accreditation without fixed-term contract risk.

There is no single answer because pay is not the only factor, and within each sector conditions vary.