Skip to content

Career

How to become a head teacher in NSW, or a head of department elsewhere

How to become a head teacher in NSW or a head of department in 2026: academic eligibility, merit selection, the experience panels want and the pay jump.

✓ By the TeacherPay AU Editorial Team · fact-checked against official sources Updated 28 October 2026 7 min read
On this page (8 sections)
  1. What a head teacher does
  2. NSW eligibility: the academic rules
  3. The experience panels look for
  4. The NSW merit selection application
  5. Queensland: becoming a head of department
  6. Is the step up worth it?
  7. The interview
  8. FAQs

The short answer

To become a NSW head teacher you need full approval to teach, NESA accreditation in the faculty's subjects and the Department's academic qualifications for that role (usually a degree with a major in the subject plus methodology). You then win the job through merit selection: written criteria, an interview and three referees. It pays $153,531 from 9 October 2026.

  • That's $20,109 a year more than Step 7 ($133,422).
  • Educational support head teachers (welfare, sport, teaching and learning) need a degree and secondary accreditation, but no specific subject major.
  • Relieving as head teacher is the best preparation and evidence.
  • In Queensland the equivalent is Head of Department: $145,320 to $148,003.

What a head teacher does

A head teacher leads a faculty or program in a NSW high or central school. You supervise and support the faculty's teachers, run its teaching programs and assessment, manage its budget and resources, handle escalated student and parent issues, and sit on the school executive. You still teach, usually a reduced but substantial load. The role is the first promotion step in NSW secondary schools; primary schools have assistant principals at the same pay rate.

The equivalent middle-leader role in each system
StateRolePayStep from top of classroom scale
NSWHead Teacher$153,531 (9 Oct 2026)+$20,109 above Step 7
QLDHead of Department$145,320 to $148,003 (7 Sep 2026)+$25,963 to +$28,646 above Band 3 Step 4
ACTExecutive Teacher (SLC)$145,938 to $149,107 (4 Dec 2025)+$16,832 to +$20,001 above TL8
NTSenior Teacher (ST1 to ST8)$145,286 to $196,907 (Jan 2026)+$8,289 or more above CT9
SACoordinator / senior leader (Band B)$128,390 to $172,842 (8 May 2026)+$5,154 or more above Step 9
VICLeading Teacher (Range 3)$140,140 to $146,439 (1 Oct 2026)+$6,684 to +$12,983 above 2-6
WAHead of Learning AreaSchool Administrator levels from $141,551 (level depends on the school)Not mapped role by role

QLD rates are interim pending arbitration. VIC rates are from the VGSA 2026, approved on 16 October 2026 and back-paid. Differences are our arithmetic from the current official scales.

Work out your take-home pay

⚙Your details

Salary

100% full-time

Show results

Take-home pay fortnightly

$2,794

From $92,882 a year · New South Wales · effective tax rate 21.8%

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%)
PeriodGrossTax + MedicareSuper (employer)Take-home
Annually$92,882$20,242$11,146$72,640
Monthly$7,740$1,687$929$6,053
Fortnightly$3,572$779$429$2,794
Weekly$1,786$389$214$1,397

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.

NSW eligibility: the academic rules

NSW is unusual: it sets academic qualifications for head teacher jobs, agreed between the Department, the NSW Secondary Principals' Council and the NSW Teachers Federation. They apply to advertised head teacher positions in high and central schools. A major is three years of sequential tertiary study in a subject, a sub-major two years, and a minor one year.

NSW head teacher academic requirements (summary)
Position typeExamplesWhat you need
Single-areaEnglish, mathematics, music, PDHPE, visual arts, agricultureA degree with a major in the subject, secondary teaching methodology, and accreditation to teach it
Multi-areaScience, history, creative and performing arts, commercial studiesA major in one encompassed area plus methodology and accreditation; science needs accreditation in at least two sciences, one physics or chemistry
Multi-subjectTAS, HSIE, social sciences, languages, computing, home economics, industrial artsA major in one listed area and a minor in another, methodology, and accreditation in the relevant subjects
Cross-facultyEnglish/history, mathematics/scienceA major in one area, a sub-major in the other, methodology and accreditation in both
SpecialisedSpecial education, VET, learning supportA degree, methodology and the specific training or accreditation the area requires
Educational supportTeaching and learning, welfare, sport, mentor, access, administration, distance education, intensive English centreA degree and secondary accreditation; no specific subject requirements

From the NSW Department's Head Teacher Academic Eligibility Requirements. Read the full policy for your faculty before applying.

Recent NSW head teacher ads also state that an unconditional full approval to teach is required, and that applicants without one must start the approval process when they apply. If you're coming from a Catholic, independent or interstate school, see our guide to the NSW approval to teach interview.

The experience panels look for

Building a head teacher application over two to three years

  1. 1

    Be excellent in your own classroom

    Results, programs and observations your principal can describe. Panels won't promote someone whose own teaching is ordinary.

  2. 2

    Lead something across the faculty

    A new scope and sequence, a senior course, an assessment review or a literacy strategy. Measure the result.

  3. 3

    Take a paid leadership allowance role

    Year Adviser ($5,183 a year) or Teacher in Charge ($5,843 a year) under the NSW award gives you formal responsibility and evidence.

  4. 4

    Mentor early-career teachers

    Supervising accreditation and giving observation feedback is direct evidence of leading people.

  5. 5

    Relieve as head teacher

    Ask your head teacher to let you act when they're on leave. Relieving pays higher duties (see the higher duties rules by state) and is the single strongest piece of evidence you can bring.

  6. 6

    Consider HALT

    Highly Accomplished or Lead accreditation ($141,997 in NSW) shows the panel your practice has been externally assessed. See HALT evidence examples.

Free calculator

Teacher higher duties calculator

See what relieving as head teacher adds to your pay for a term, a semester or a year. Check the minimum relieving period in your state first in our higher duties allowance guide.

Calculate relieving pay

The NSW merit selection application

NSW executive merit selection: what applies to head teacher jobs
ElementRule
CriteriaSix general criteria plus specific criteria (ideally three, no more than four), each starting 'In addition to the general selection criteria...'
Page limitHalf an A4 page per general criterion (a guide of no more than 3 pages), plus half a page per specific criterion: 3.5 pages with one specific criterion, 5 pages with four
FormatMinimum 10-point font, margins about 2.5 cm, PDF through IworkforNSW; no more than three significant examples per criterion recommended
PanelConvenor (principal or delegate, at a higher level than the job), a teacher representative, a Director, Educational Leadership nominee, a P&C representative where provided, an AECG or community representative where required
RefereesThree; the first is generally your current principal. The first and second are contacted at shortlisting
Shortlisting and interviewShortlisting within 7 working days of closing; interview about 30 minutes is common

Applications that significantly exceed the page limits may be excluded. Cover letters and employment history don't count toward the limit.

Write each general criterion as a half-page STAR response with one leadership example, and use specific criteria to show you match this faculty's needs. Our NSW targeted selection criteria guide covers the format and the STAR method examples include a leadership answer. Brief your three referees using our referee report guide.

Free calculator

AI Selection Criteria Coach

Paste a general or specific criterion and your half-page draft. Get a panel-style score and a rewrite that fits the page limit.

Review my criteria

Queensland: becoming a head of department

Queensland HODs, HODs (Curriculum) and Guidance Officers are paid on Head of Program Level 1, $145,320 to $148,003 from 7 September 2026. HOD jobs are advertised on SmartJobs and filled on merit. Queensland doesn't publish NSW-style academic rules for HODs that we could find, so the job ad and role description set what's required. Expect a written response against the role and an interview with a panel. Relieving as HOD and leading a curriculum change are the strongest evidence, just as in NSW.

Worked example

QLD Band 3 Step 4 to Head of Department, take-home (full-time, 2026-27 tax)

Band 3 Step 4 salary
$119,357
Take-home
$90,643 a year
HOD salary (H0102)
$145,320
Take-home
$107,575 a year
Extra take-home as HOD $16,932 a year (about $651 a fortnight)

No HELP debt. Rates from 1 and 7 September 2026; interim pending QIRC arbitration.

Is the step up worth it?

Worked example

NSW Step 7 to Head Teacher, take-home (full-time, 2026-27 tax)

Step 7 salary
$133,422
Take-home
$100,207 a year
Head Teacher salary
$153,531
Take-home
$112,584 a year
Extra take-home as head teacher $12,377 a year (about $476 a fortnight)

Most of the extra is taxed at the 39% marginal rate (including Medicare). Employer super adds 12% of the extra salary: about $2,413 a year. HA/Lead teachers ($141,997) gain less.

The money is real but smaller after tax than the $20,109 headline, and the workload jumps. Weigh it with our is promotion worth it? guide, which works through the hourly maths. The next steps up are deputy principal ($179,255 in NSW) and principal; see how to become a principal.

Free calculator

Teacher promotion pay calculator

Compare your current step with head teacher, HOD or deputy pay after tax and super in your state.

Compare my options

The interview

Head teacher interviews test whether you can improve teaching across a faculty, support and challenge colleagues, use data, manage resources and handle conflict. NSW panels must ask questions on both the general and specific criteria. We've collected 30 common questions with fictional answer plans in head of department interview questions.

Frequently asked questions

How do you become a head teacher in NSW?
Hold full approval to teach and NESA accreditation in the faculty's subjects, meet the Department's head teacher academic requirements for that position type, then apply through merit selection with a written application, interview and three referees.
What qualifications do you need to be a head teacher in NSW?
For most curriculum head teacher jobs, a degree with a major (three years) in the subject, secondary teaching methodology and accreditation to teach it. Multi-subject and cross-faculty roles add a minor or sub-major. Educational support roles need a degree and secondary accreditation only.
How much does a head teacher earn in NSW?
$153,531 a year from 9 October 2026, the same as a primary assistant principal. That's $20,109 more than Step 7, or about $12,377 more a year after tax.
How many years of experience do you need to be a head teacher?
The NSW eligibility policy doesn't set a minimum number of years. In practice panels look for strong classroom results plus leadership evidence such as relieving, leading a faculty project or mentoring.
What is the difference between a head teacher and a head of department?
They're the same level of job with different names. NSW uses head teacher for faculty leaders in high and central schools; Queensland uses head of department, paid $145,320 to $148,003 from 7 September 2026.
What if I don't meet the head teacher academic requirements?
You can ask the Head Teacher Qualifications Committee to assess whether your training, skills and experience are equivalent. It considers tertiary study, methodology, experience, courses and work such as HSC marking.
Do I need HALT to become a head teacher?
No. HALT is a separate classroom pathway. It can strengthen an application because it shows externally assessed practice, but it isn't an eligibility requirement for head teacher jobs.

Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-28

  1. 1.NSW DoE: Head teacher academic eligibility requirements
  2. 2.NSW DoE: Merit selection, teacher, executive and principal vacancies
  3. 3.NSW DoE: Addressing selection criteria
  4. 4.NSW Teachers Salaries and Conditions Award 2024
  5. 5.QLD DoE salary schedule
  6. 6.SmartJobs Queensland

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

Leadership interviews

Head of department and head teacher interview questions (with answer plans)

Thirty HOD and head teacher interview questions, what each tests, two fictional answer plans and how middle-leader panels work in each state.

Promotion

Is promotion worth it for teachers? The after-tax maths on head teacher, HALT, deputy and principal

What each promotion step adds to your take-home pay after tax, and the workload and tenure costs that come with it.

Leadership

How to become a school principal in Australia: the pathway, the selection process and the pay

The steps from classroom teacher to principal, how selection panels work, which programs help and what principals earn in each state.

NSW applications

NSW targeted selection criteria: the half-page rule, how panels judge you, and two worked examples

The NSW Department's page limits and format, how merit selection panels work, and two half-page example responses.