Paid teaching degrees: Teach For Australia, Nexus and state employment-based pathways

How employment-based pathways work

In a standard degree, you study and then do unpaid placement blocks. In an employment-based pathway, the school is your workplace from early on. You're employed (often part-time, as a paraprofessional, education support worker or under a permission to teach), you study an accredited initial teacher education degree at the same time, and your paid work counts towards your professional experience. At the end you're a fully qualified teacher who can register in the normal way.

The Australian Government funds some of these nationally through its High Achieving Teachers program, which has supported employment-based routes through Teach For Australia and La Trobe University's Nexus since 2020. States run their own on top. AITSL's career change page notes that most employment-based programs are at secondary level and that several states add funding.

The main programs compared

Teach For Australia

Teach For Australia (TFA) is the best-known paid pathway. Participants, called Associates, are placed in schools that find it hard to attract teachers. They typically teach a reduced load, are paid by the school as employees, and complete a teaching qualification alongside the job, with mentoring from the school and TFA. It suits people with a strong degree in a subject schools need, such as maths, science, technology or languages, who are willing to go where they're sent.

Nexus and All Points to Teaching (NSW)

Nexus is delivered by the NSW Department of Education with La Trobe University. You complete a Master of Teaching (Primary or Secondary) while working part-time in a NSW public school in a high-demand location. You get a $12,500 study allowance, which is taxed, plus your school wages. It's for aspiring teachers who already hold an undergraduate degree.

All Points to Teaching (APTT) is run by Australian Catholic University with the NSW Department of Education. It's a fully funded scholarship for a Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Bachelor of Education (Secondary and Special Education) or Master of Teaching (Secondary), with paid professional experience placements and part-time employment in NSW public schools. Enquiries go to APTT@acu.edu.au.

NSW also runs a High Achieving Teachers scholarship for people currently teaching a community languages program who want a postgraduate teaching degree. If you're on the NSW route, compare these with the NSW Teacher Education Scholarship ($7,500 a year plus a $6,000 appointment allowance) in our teaching scholarships guide before choosing.

Victoria: Teach Today and Teach Tomorrow

Victoria's employment-based teaching degrees support up to 1,200 student teachers through 8 ITE providers, with courses running 18 to 24 months. You work in a Victorian government school as an education support staff member or paraprofessional while you study, and the department funds a scholarship. The official pages don't state the current scholarship amount, so get it in writing from your provider. These programs target career changers, and you're matched with a host school.

VIT also has a permission to teach category, which lets a school employ someone who isn't yet a qualified teacher in a specific role while they complete their qualification. Victoria's Teach the Future Fellowships ($10,000) are a separate scholarship, not an employment-based route.

Queensland: Turn to Teaching and interns on Band 1

Queensland's Turn to Teaching Internship Program is reported by partner universities to pay a $20,000 scholarship in the first year, followed by a paid internship and a guaranteed permanent position in a Queensland state school. The 2026 intake closed on 21 September 2025, and people can register interest for 2027. A sister program, Trade to Teach, is aimed at trade-qualified people. Confirm the current amounts with Teach Queensland before you rely on them.

Queensland's official salary schedule shows what interns and permission-to-teach staff are paid: Band 1 Step 1 is $80,615 a year full-time (from September 2026), against $90,164 for a 4-year-trained graduate at Band 2 Step 1. Other states have similar rates: the ACT pays a Permit to Teach $82,796, and the NT pays an Authorised Person (not yet fully qualified or registered) $91,587.

Is a paid pathway right for you?