On this page (9 sections)
The short answer
The NSW Teacher Education Scholarship pays up to $7,500 a year while you study full-time, plus a $6,000 appointment allowance and a guaranteed permanent job in a NSW public school. You then teach for at least 3 years in an agreed high-demand location. teach.Rural adds up to $50,000 in course fees and $500 a week on rural placements.
- For students starting or continuing a teaching degree in 2027.
- General scholarship: secondary maths, science, TAS or K-12 inclusive education.
- All payments are taxable and repayable (gross) if you breach the agreement.
- You can be awarded only one NSW department scholarship.
The three NSW scholarships compared
All amounts are subject to tax. Source: Teach.NSW scholarship, eligibility and FAQ pages. Contact the Scholarships and Employment Programs team on 1300 301 435 or scholarships@det.nsw.edu.au.
Work out your take-home pay
⚙Your details
Salary
Show results
Take-home pay fortnightly
$2,794
Gross pay
$3,572
Income tax
$707
After the low income tax offset
Medicare levy
$71
Employer super
$429
12.0% paid on top
Where each dollar goes
- Take-home$72,640 (78%)
- Income tax$18,385 (20%)
- Medicare levy$1,858 (2%)
- HECS-HELP$0 (0%)
- Salary sacrifice & packaging$0 (0%)
What your payslip should show
PAYG withheld each fortnight should be about $780 (ATO Scale 2, tax-free threshold claimed). Small differences come from rounding and 27-pay years. Your marginal rate is 32% including Medicare, so each extra $1,000 of salary adds about $680 to take-home.
Estimates for an Australian resident for 2026–27 who claims the tax-free threshold, with no other income, no dependants and private hospital cover not required. Medicare levy uses the 2025–26 low-income thresholds (2026–27 not yet published). Pay data: Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024, verified 16 October 2026.
Who is eligible for 2027
Teacher Education Scholarship eligibility (published criteria)
- Australian citizen or permanent resident.
- Starting or continuing an initial teacher education program (or an undergraduate degree followed by one) from Semester 1, 2027, at a recognised Australian university.
- Your study must meet NSW Department of Education and NESA requirements to teach a high-demand secondary subject, or to teach primary and/or secondary inclusive/special education.
- Between 6 months and 5 years of study remaining from Semester 1, 2027.
- Willing to accept a permanent full-time role in an agreed location for at least 3 years.
- English proficiency good enough to teach; you'll be assessed if you didn't complete four years of higher education in a mainly English-speaking country.
- You haven't already completed a NESA-accredited teaching degree.
For science, you need two science subjects, one of which must be chemistry or physics. Biology alone won't qualify. If you're a career changer with a science or maths degree, check your transcript against NESA's subject content requirements before you apply; a Master of Teaching only gets you approval to teach in areas your first degree supports.
The agreed locations
The general scholarship asks you to choose at least five high-demand school education areas. They're split between western and south-western Sydney and inland country NSW. Teach.NSW lets you indicate preferences; the final appointment is agreed with the department.
High-demand school education areas listed on the Teacher Education Scholarship eligibility page
Metropolitan areas
- Bankstown
- Blacktown
- Campbelltown
- Fairfield
- Granville
- Liverpool
- Mount Druitt
Non-coastal rural areas
- Albury, Armidale, Bathurst
- Bourke, Broken Hill, Deniliquin
- Dubbo, Griffith, Moree
- Orange, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga
How the payments work
- Full $7,500 needs a full-time load of 8 or more subjects a year. It's usually paid in two instalments a year.
- Fewer subjects: $937.50 per subject (subject to tax).
- First payment comes after your scholarship is finalised, the census date has passed and your enrolment is confirmed. Later payments need your previous semester's results.
- Not paid for failed and repeated subjects, or subjects you get credit or advanced standing for.
- Paid by EFT to your nominated bank account. Tax and HECS-HELP repayments may be withheld.
- teach.Rural course payments need a credit or better in each unit.
Teacher Education Scholarship over a 4-year Bachelor of Education
- Training allowance, 4 full-time years (4 x $7,500)
- $30,000
- Appointment allowance on starting work
- $6,000
- Guaranteed starting salary (NSW Step 1, from 9 Oct 2026)
- $92,882 a year
A double degree with credit for earlier study may pay for fewer years. Payments stop if you leave the program.
Tax on the allowances
Teach.NSW says both allowances are assessable income you must declare. While you're studying, total income is often low enough that little tax is due. The appointment allowance is different: it arrives once you're on a full salary, so it's taxed at your marginal rate.
The $6,000 appointment allowance in a graduate's first year (2026-27)
- NSW Step 1 salary
- $92,882
- Tax and Medicare without the allowance
- $20,242
- Tax and Medicare with the $6,000 allowance ($98,882)
- $22,162
- Extra tax on the allowance
- $1,920
From our 2026-27 tax engine, no HELP debt. With a HELP debt, an extra 15c in each dollar also goes to repayments.
Free calculator
Cost to become a teacher calculator
See your degree's net cost after the NSW scholarship, the Prac Payment and HECS, and how long until you're ahead.
Run my numbersteach.Rural: bigger money, bigger commitment
teach.Rural is the same idea aimed at rural and remote NSW. It adds up to $50,000 of course contribution payments and a $500-a-week rural practicum allowance (up to $5,000). On completion you take a permanent role in a rural or remote NSW public school, chosen from a list of preferred locations. Once there, you may also qualify for NSW's rural benefits, which are separate from the scholarship.
What a rural NSW incentive is worth after tax for a teach.Rural graduate (2026-27)
- Step 1 salary
- $92,882
- Rural Teacher Incentive at an eligible school
- $20,000 to $30,000 a year (gross)
- Kept after tax on $20,000
- About $13,600
- Kept after tax on $30,000
- About $20,400
The incentive is paid to eligible permanent and temporary teachers at 4, 6 and 8-point incentive schools and is reduced by any rental subsidy. Our tax engine, no HELP debt. See NSW rural and remote teaching.
The service obligation and repayment
You must stay in your first permanent full-time teaching position for at least 3 years after you finish your studies. If you withdraw from the scholarship or breach the Scholarship Agreement, you repay based on the gross amounts you received, not what landed in your account after tax. Read the agreement itself before you sign; it, not the website, sets the terms.
＋ Pros
- Guaranteed permanent job, which many graduates wait years for
- Up to $36,000 (general) or over $90,000 (teach.Rural) before tax
- Open to career changers, not just school leavers
- Some agreed areas carry extra rural incentives
− Cons
- 3 years tied to one agreed location
- Repayment of gross amounts if you pull out
- Narrow subject list for the general scholarship
- Only one NSW scholarship per person
How to apply and what else to look at
- 1
Check your subjects
Make sure your degree leads to an eligible teaching area. For secondary science, confirm chemistry or physics is in your program.
- 2
Pick your locations
Shortlist at least five agreed areas you could live in for 3 years.
- 3
Apply through Teach.NSW
Teach.NSW doesn't publish 2027 closing dates on the scholarship pages. Subscribe for updates or contact the team on 1300 301 435.
- 4
Compare national support
Look at the Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship and the Prac Payment. Ask both offices whether you can combine them.
- 5
Consider a paid pathway
Graduates can look at Nexus ($12,500 study allowance plus part-time school wages) or All Points to Teaching (tuition fully funded). See employment-based pathways.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the NSW Teacher Education Scholarship?
Do I have to pay back a NSW teaching scholarship?
How long is the NSW scholarship commitment?
Can career changers get the NSW Teacher Education Scholarship?
Can I get the NSW scholarship and the Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship?
Is the NSW teaching scholarship open to primary teachers?
Is the NSW scholarship taxable?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-17
- 1.Teach.NSW: Teacher Education Scholarship
- 2.Teach.NSW: Teacher Education Scholarship eligibility criteria
- 3.Teach.NSW: Teacher Education Scholarship FAQs
- 4.Teach.NSW: Teacher Education Scholarship - Aboriginal
- 5.Teach.NSW: teach.Rural Scholarship
- 6.Teach.NSW: Nexus Program
- 7.NSW Department of Education: Subsidies, allowances and bonuses
About this page
Written and fact-checked by the TeacherPay AU Editorial Team against the enterprise agreements, awards and official pages listed in the sources. It is general information, not personal financial, tax or legal advice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it, usually within a day. See our editorial policy and how we calculate.
Keep reading
Funding
Getting paid to study teaching in Australia: every payment, scholarship and paid pathway
Every way to get paid while you study teaching: national payments, state scholarships, paid employment-based degrees and how to stack them.
Scholarships
Commonwealth Teaching Scholarships: amounts, who can apply and the service you owe
How the Commonwealth Teaching Scholarship works: $10,000 a year, the caps, the remote placement top-up, eligibility for 2027 starters and the teaching service you must give back.
Pathways
Paid teaching degrees: Teach For Australia, Nexus and state employment-based pathways
Every major earn-while-you-learn route into teaching, what each pays, how long it takes and the commitment you sign up to.