On this page (9 sections)
The short answer
To teach in a Queensland state school, submit one application through the Teach Queensland portal with ID, resume, transcripts and (for graduates) placement reports. The Department checks eligibility, issues a departmental ID, holds a screening call and a short recorded video interview, contacts referees, then matches you to schools. Applications are open year-round.
- Final-year students can apply before they graduate.
- You need QCT registration (or proof you've applied) and Australian work rights to start.
- Apply once only; changes go by email, not a second application.
- A four-year-trained graduate starts on Band 2 Step 1, $90,164 (award rate from 1 September 2026).
How Queensland hires state school teachers
Queensland runs a central application. You don't apply to each state school separately for most classroom jobs. You apply once through Teach Queensland, the Department of Education's recruitment site, and recruiters consider you for vacancies that match your teaching areas and location preferences. Some roles are also advertised individually on SmartJobs, the Queensland Government jobs board, but the Department says not all roles are advertised, so the central application is the one that matters.
Applications open
Year-round
Final-year students: apply early in the year
Graduate start (B2201)
$90,164
Award rate from 1 Sep 2026
Supply (relief) teacher rate
$515.75/day
From 1 Sep 2026
Eligibility: what you need to start
Minimum requirements (Teach Queensland, checked October 2026)
- A qualification from an approved initial teacher education program
- Registration with the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT), or evidence you've applied
- Work rights in Australia (citizen, permanent resident or a visa with work rights)
- Written confirmation from the Department that you meet its minimum employment requirements before your first day
You can apply before you graduate or before your QCT registration comes through. You just can't start work until the Department confirms in writing that you meet its requirements. QCT-registered teachers are generally exempt from needing a separate Blue Card, because the QCT does its own suitability screening; check this with the QCT for your situation. Our Queensland teacher registration guide covers QCT fees and timing.
Documents: graduates vs experienced teachers
From Teach Queensland's 'apply now' page. You may also be asked for a birth, citizenship or passport document; a passport and visa if you're from overseas; and a marriage or name-change certificate if your names differ.
The Department warns that missing documents may delay processing. You can save a draft and come back to add documents, so gather everything first: your final placement report is often the last thing to arrive. Teach Queensland's eligibility page also says you may be asked for referee details and examples of lesson planning and teaching, so keep two or three strong unit or lesson plans ready as PDFs.
What happens after you apply
From submission to a school referral
- 1
Application review
The team confirms your identity and eligibility and may ask for missing documents through the secure portal. Once approved, you get an email confirmation and a departmental ID number. Keep it. Casual and relief applicants also get information from TRACER, the relief teacher booking system. Check your junk folder.
- 2
Screening call
The candidate care team phones you to discuss where and what you want to teach and when you can start, and adds this to your profile.
- 3
Recorded video interview
You complete a short recorded video interview. The Department doesn't publish the questions; expect standard teacher questions on planning, behaviour, assessment and why Queensland state schools.
- 4
Referee checks
The Department contacts your referees. Brief them first; see our referee report guide.
- 5
Matching and referral
You're matched with vacancies that fit your teaching areas, location preferences and skills, and told when you've been referred to a school. The school may then interview you.
Search results and older Department pages say an accepted application stays active for 12 months, and is deactivated if you haven't worked for the Department in that time, so you'd need to reapply. We couldn't confirm that on the current 'apply now' page, so check with the Department if your application is approaching a year old.
Free calculator
Practise for the video interview
The AI Teacher Interview Coach asks real Australian school interview questions and scores your answers for structure and evidence. Good rehearsal for a recorded interview with no second take.
Start practisingThe recorded video interview: how to prepare
A recorded interview is harder than it sounds. There's no panel nodding along, and you often get a short preparation time per question. Treat it like a formal interview: plain background, laptop at eye level, good light in front of you, and a quiet room.
Have these examples ready (one minute to ninety seconds each)
- A lesson you planned that worked, and how you knew it worked
- How you set up routines and managed behaviour with a challenging class
- How you adapted a task for a student with additional needs
- How you used assessment data to change what you taught
- What you'd do if a student disclosed harm (follow the school's child protection procedure and report to the principal; never investigate yourself)
- Why Queensland state schools, and where in the state you'd teach
Answer with STAR: situation, task, action, result. Our STAR method teacher examples show eight answers you can adapt, and the teacher interview questions guide lists the 25 most common.
Where you're placed and why it matters
Your location preferences shape how quickly you're referred. Rural and remote state schools are covered by the RoRRS incentive scheme (which replaced the old Remote Area Incentive Scheme): up to $3,000 a year plus an identified location allowance of up to $1,000, a locality allowance of up to $4,596 (single) or $9,193 (family), travel benefits, and a beginning teacher payment of $1,000 to $2,000 in transfer-rating 4 to 7 locations. See Queensland rural teaching for the detail.
Free calculator
Rural teacher incentives calculator
Pick Queensland and a transfer rating to see what country service adds to your graduate salary.
Compare locationsWhat you'll be paid
Queensland teacher pay is in arbitration in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. Teachers currently get whichever is higher of a 3% interim rise from 7 September 2026 and the 4.75% award rise from 1 September 2026; for classroom Bands 1 to 3 the award rate is higher. A four-year-trained graduate starts at Band 2 Step 1 on $90,164 and moves up a step a year to Band 3 Step 4 ($119,357). Band 1 ($80,615 to $83,302) is for Permission to Teach holders and interns.
Band 2 Step 1 take-home, full-time, 2026-27 tax
- Salary
- $90,164
- Income tax after LITO
- -$17,569
- Medicare levy
- -$1,803
Rates could change when the QIRC makes its final arbitration decision, expected late 2026 or 2027. Supply teachers earn $515.75 a day.
Full details: Queensland teacher pay scale, QLD graduate teacher salary and QLD pay rise status.
Common problems and fixes
Frequently asked questions
How do I apply to teach in Queensland state schools?
Can I apply before I graduate?
How long does a Queensland teacher application take?
Is there an interview for Queensland state school teaching?
Do I need a Blue Card to teach in Queensland?
How much does a graduate teacher earn in Queensland?
Can I update my Queensland application after submitting it?
Sources we checked · last verified 2026-10-17
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.