Jobs for Ex-Teachers in Australia: Leaving Teaching 2026

On this page (8 sections)

Before you resign: the money checklist
Try it first: leave without pay
Where ex-teachers go
Translating 'teacher' into job-ad language
Public service applications: your hidden advantage
Keeping the door open: registration and casual work
Coming back later
FAQs

The short answer

Ex-teachers in Australia most often move into training and development, instructional design, education policy and the public service, tutoring, edtech, student services, TAFE and early childhood leadership. Before you resign, check three things: whether you've passed 7 years' service (pro-rata long service leave in NSW, VIC and WA), whether leave without pay would let you test the move first, and how to keep your registration so you can come back.

Teaching pays above the median: secondary teachers earn a median $2,322 a week full-time, against $1,852 for all jobs (JSA, ABS May 2025).
Most career-changers take a pay cut at first. Check the offer against your step before you resign.
Casual relief teaching can bridge the gap and keeps your registration active.
Your super stays in your fund. Defined-benefit members should get advice before leaving.

Before you resign: the money checklist

Settle these first

Long service leave: how many years of service do you have, and what's paid out on resignation?
Annual leave and leave loading owed (NSW, VIC, ACT and NT pay a 17.5% loading; WA builds it into salary)
Leave without pay instead of resigning, so you can come back to your position
Super: accumulation fund (it stays with you) or a defined-benefit scheme (resigning can change the benefit)
Salary packaging: any packaged loans or novated leases end with your employment
HELP debt: repayments carry on through your new employer's PAYG
Registration: keep it current, or move to a non-practising category where one exists
Your resignation notice period and the date that best fits school pay periods

Long service leave if you leave (government schools, our research)

State	Entitlement	Access before 10 years
NSW	Extended leave: 44 working days after 10 years, then 11 days a year	Pro-rata access from 7 years
VIC	3 months after 10 years	Pro-rata after 7 years; paid in lieu on termination after 7 years
WA	13 weeks after 10 years, then 13 weeks every 7 years	Pro-rata access from 7 years
ACT	3 months per 10 years	Check the agreement

Rules on payout when you resign differ by state and by reason for leaving. Check with your payroll team before choosing a final day. See teacher long service leave.

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Long service leave calculator

See what your accrued long service leave is worth at your current salary before you resign.

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Try it first: leave without pay

Most permanent teachers can apply for leave without pay. If you take a year to try another job, you keep a path back to your position. It's usually easier than winning a permanent job again, especially in competitive metro schools. Leave without pay can delay your next increment, and it affects long service leave accrual. The rules are in leave without pay and career breaks. If you're burnt out rather than finished with teaching, a term of leave or a move to part-time may solve the problem without giving up a permanent job. See part-time teaching and job share.

Where ex-teachers go

Common destinations and how teaching experience maps

Field	Typical roles	Your strongest selling point	Usual gap to close
Corporate learning and development	L&D coordinator, facilitator, trainer	Running groups, designing sequences, assessing learning	Business language; adult learning; LMS platforms
Instructional / learning design	Learning designer, e-learning developer	Curriculum design, backward design, differentiation	Authoring tools; a portfolio of digital modules
Public service and policy	Policy officer, project officer, curriculum officer	Knowing how schools work; writing to criteria	Government writing style; capability frameworks
Vocational education (TAFE, RTOs)	Trainer and assessor, VET teacher	Teaching and assessment	VET trainers generally need the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
Edtech and publishing	Customer success, education consultant, content writer	Classroom credibility; explaining products to teachers	Sales or product vocabulary
Tutoring and coaching	Private tutor, tutoring company, exam coaching	Subject depth; assessment know-how	Running a small business; ABN and tax
Student and youth services	University student support, careers, youth programs	Wellbeing, pastoral care, parent communication	Sector-specific training
Education administration	School or system roles outside the classroom	Inside knowledge	Often still under the teaching award

We don't publish salary figures for these jobs. Advertised ranges vary widely, and aggregator averages are unreliable for ex-teachers (see average teacher salary for why). Compare any offer with your actual current salary on the pay scale explorer. A NSW teacher at Step 7 earns $133,422 from 9 October 2026, plus 12% super. Some private-sector offers that sound high are quoted including super.

Translating 'teacher' into job-ad language

Same skill, different words

What you did	How to say it outside schools
Planned a term program for 150 students	Designed and delivered a 10-week learning program for 150 participants
Moderated assessment across a faculty	Led quality assurance of assessment across a team of 8
Ran parent-teacher interviews	Managed stakeholder conversations, including difficult feedback
Used NAPLAN or test data to regroup students	Analysed performance data to target interventions and measure results
Coordinated a camp or excursion	Planned and risk-managed an event for 90 people with a $20,000 budget
Mentored a graduate teacher	Coached and developed a new team member to full proficiency

Use your own numbers. Measurable results are what make these lines work.

Cut the education jargon (NAPLAN, ILP, RFF, scope and sequence) unless the job is in education. Put results first: what changed, by how much. Our teacher resume guide shows the structure; for non-school roles, swap the teaching-standards headings for the employer's capability or skills headings.

Public service applications: your hidden advantage

If you've written selection criteria for a school job, you already know the core of a public service application. State and federal agencies ask for evidence against a capability framework, usually in STAR format with a word or page limit. The same discipline applies. Answer the criterion, give one or two strong examples, and end with the result. See our selection criteria guide for the method.

Keeping the door open: registration and casual work

NSW: NESA charges $100 a year. Fee waivers apply for leave of more than 6 months. If you worked in NSW public schools and left in the last 12 months, you can request casual approval through a casual-approval-after-separation form.
VIC: VIT has a non-practising registration category. Registered teachers don't need a separate Working with Children Check, so letting registration lapse means you need a WWCC for other child-related work.
Everywhere: keep your professional learning log up to date if you plan to return within a few years.

Casual relief teaching is the most common bridge. It pays a day rate ($480.43 to $599.85 in NSW from 9 October 2026, $425.80 in Victorian government schools), lets you choose your days, and keeps you current. See how to get casual teaching work and casual relief teacher pay.

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Casual relief teacher pay calculator

See what 2, 3 or 4 days a week of relief work earns after tax while you build a new career.

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Coming back later

Many teachers who leave come back, often after a few years in another field. Recognition of prior service usually puts you back at the step you left, and some employers credit relevant non-teaching experience. NSW has a returning teachers program. Victoria counts approved teaching experience, including interstate and equivalent international school experience, when it sets your starting salary. If you've been out for a long time, expect a refresher before regulators restore full registration. Check the registration requirements in your state.

Frequently asked questions

What jobs can ex-teachers do in Australia?

Common moves are corporate training and L&D, instructional design, public service and education policy roles, TAFE and RTO training, edtech, tutoring and student services. Your planning, assessment, communication and data skills transfer, but you need to describe them in the employer's language.

Do teachers get long service leave paid out if they resign?

It depends on your state and years of service. In Victoria pay in lieu of pro-rata leave is available on termination after 7 years. NSW and WA give pro-rata access from 7 years. Before 7 years you usually get nothing. Check with payroll before choosing your last day.

Should I resign or take leave without pay?

If you're not sure, leave without pay is usually safer, because it keeps a path back to your permanent position. It can delay your next pay increment and affects leave accrual, so check your employer's policy.

Will I take a pay cut leaving teaching?

Often, at least at first. Teaching pays above the median: secondary teachers earn a median $2,322 a week full-time against $1,852 for all occupations. Entry-level roles in L&D or the public service may start below a top-of-scale teacher's salary.

Can I keep my teacher registration if I leave?

Usually, if you keep paying the annual fee and meet professional learning requirements. VIT offers a non-practising category. NESA waives the fee for leave over 6 months. If registration lapses, you'll need to reapply to come back.

Can I go back to teaching after leaving?

Yes. Most employers recognise your previous service when setting your step, and casual relief teaching is an easy way back in. NSW teachers who left within the last 12 months can request casual approval through a simplified form.

What happens to my super when I leave teaching?

Accumulation super stays in your fund and you can tell your new employer to pay into it. If you're in a state defined-benefit scheme, leaving can change what you get, so ask the fund before you resign.

Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-16

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.

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