Cost of Moving to Australia as a Teacher (2026 Budget)

On this page (7 sections)

The fixed costs: assessment, visa and registration
Registration and checks by state
Travel, setting up and the cash buffer
Three sample budgets
Money that can offset the move
Ways to cut the cost
FAQs

The short answer

Before flights and shipping, a single teacher on a skilled visa should budget about A$8,000 for paperwork: A$1,198 for AITSL, a visa charge reported at about A$6,135 for a subclass 189 main applicant from 1 July 2026, and A$100 to A$400 for registration and checks. Add travel, a bond and a month's living costs.

Partners and children add visa charges: reported at about A$3,070 per adult and A$1,540 per child.
AITSL, registration and many visa fees are not refundable once processing starts.
Victoria, NSW, the NT and Tasmania offer relocation help for some roles.
A NSW graduate takes home about A$2,794 a fortnight in 2026-27.

The fixed costs: assessment, visa and registration

Paperwork costs for one teacher (Australian dollars, October 2026)

Item	Cost	Status of the figure
AITSL skills assessment	$1,198	Official, from 7 September 2026
AITSL Skilled Employment Statement (if claiming experience points)	$265	Official
IELTS Academic (if you're not exempt)	Check IDP or British Council for your country	Varies by country and test format
Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189), main applicant	About $6,135 (was $4,910 before 1 July 2026)	Reported by migration law firms; confirm with the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator
Additional adult on the visa	About $3,070	Reported; confirm
Each child under 18	About $1,540	Reported; confirm
Health examinations and police certificates	Varies by country and clinic	Required for most visas
Teacher registration	About $100 to $400 depending on state (see below)	Official regulator fees
Working with children check	$0 to $112+ depending on state	NSW $112 for paid workers

Visa charges are set by the date you lodge and generally aren't refunded if you're refused. A registered migration agent adds their own fee if you use one.

Compare your pay in Australia

⚙Your UK details

Your UK salary (per year)

GBP

£38,000 is an example only. We don't hold England's 2026/27 pay points, so type the salary on your payslip.

Teachers' Pension contribution9.6%

About 9.6% at mid-range salaries (approximate: the rate is tiered by salary). Set to 0 if you've opted out.

Exchange rate (AUD per £1)

AUD

1 GBP = 2.00 AUD is a round placeholder, not a real rate. Check today's rate and enter it here.

Years of teaching experience5 years

State to focus on

Take-home per fortnight in New South Wales

$3,626

Step 6 (Proficient), $124,696 a year · UK equivalent $2,151 · +$1,475 a fortnight

UK salary in AUD

$76,000

£38,000 at 2.00

UK take-home

£2,330

Per month (approx.), $4,660

NSW salary

$124,696

Likely step Step 6

NSW employer super

$14,964

Per year, on top of salary

What this means

With 5 years of experience, you'd likely start around Step 6 in New South Wales, earning $124,696 and taking home about $3,626 a fortnight. Your UK pay of £38,000 works out at roughly $2,151 a fortnight after tax, NI and pension at this exchange rate, so you'd be about $1,475 a fortnight better off in cash terms. The best take-home at your experience is in New South Wales ($3,626).

Australian employers pay super on top of salary (12% in NSW), whereas your UK pension contribution comes out of your pay. The Teachers' Pension is a defined-benefit scheme, so the two aren't directly comparable. Your starting step is set by the employer when they assess your service; we assume each year of experience counts as one step from the graduate step, which won't always be the case.

State	Likely step	Salary	Take-home / fn	Super / yr	vs UK / fn
New South Wales	Step 6	$124,696	$3,626	$14,964	+$1,475
Victoria	2-1	$106,758	$3,157	$12,811	+$1,006
Queensland	B0302/B2302	$111,478	$3,280	$14,213	+$1,129
Western Australia	2.6	$114,820	$3,368	$13,778	+$1,217
South Australia	Step 6	$106,890	$3,160	$12,827	+$1,009
Tasmania	B1L10	$109,287	$3,223	$13,114	+$1,072
Australian Capital Territory	TL6	$120,102	$3,506	$15,013	+$1,355
Northern Territory	CT6	$122,162	$3,560	$14,659	+$1,409

UK (approximate, 2026/27)	Per year	Per fortnight (AUD)
Gross salary	£38,000	$2,923
Teachers' Pension (9.6%)	£3,648	$281
Income tax	£4,356	$335
National Insurance	£2,034	$156
Take-home	£27,961	$2,151

Australian figures: resident tax rates for 2026–27 (you're taxed as a resident once you move to live and work), full-time, tax-free threshold claimed, no HELP debt. UK figures are an approximation for 2026/27 using rest-of-UK income tax bands (Scotland differs), employee NI and an approximate Teachers' Pension rate; student loan repayments aren't included. The exchange rate is whatever you enter: the default is a round placeholder. Step mapping is an assumption: employers decide how they recognise overseas service. Pay data from each state's current scale, verified 16 October 2026 for NSW.

Registration and checks by state

First-year registration costs for an overseas-qualified teacher (2026)

State	Regulator fees	Working with children check
NSW	No separate initial fee; $100 a calendar year	NSW WWCC $112 (paid worker, 5 years)
VIC	$203 initial (interstate/overseas) + $77.40 criminal history check; $131.30 a year after	Not needed with VIT registration
QLD	Check QCT (annual fee reported as $100.70)	Generally covered by QCT registration (we haven't confirmed this)
WA	Application $140 to $178 (Australian/NZ qualification; overseas may differ); $95 a year	WA WWC Check, separate
SA	Application $218 + qualification assessment $162; $137 a year	SA WWCC, separate
TAS	Application $65.09; $121.32 a year (2026-27)	Handled with TRB registration (confirm)
ACT	$115 a year	WWVP registration, separate
NT	$170 for new applicants ($59 + $111, 2025-26 schedule)	Ochre Card, separate

Fees from each regulator's published schedule. Overseas applicants may also need international police certificates and certified translations. Details: overseas teacher registration by state.

Travel, setting up and the cash buffer

These costs depend entirely on where you're coming from and how much you bring, so we won't invent averages. Get real quotes. What we can say is what to plan for, and the one cost overseas teachers most often underestimate: the gap between arriving and your first full pay.

Costs to quote before you commit

One-way flights for everyone, plus baggage
Shipping or excess baggage for belongings, or the cost of rebuying
Temporary accommodation for 2 to 6 weeks while you find a rental
Rental bond (usually up to four weeks' rent) plus rent in advance
Car or public transport costs to reach your school
Health insurance if your visa or country isn't covered by Medicare or a reciprocal agreement
Phone, furniture, school clothes and classroom basics
Pet transport and quarantine, if relevant

Teachers in Australian government schools are paid fortnightly in arrears, so your first pay arrives after you've already worked up to two weeks. If you start mid-term and your paperwork (tax file number, bank account, super choice) isn't ready, it can take longer. Budget for at least a month of living costs from savings.

Worked example

First fortnight's pay for a graduate in NSW (2026-27)

NSW Step 1 salary (from 9 Oct 2026): $92,882 a year
Take-home per fortnight (resident, no HELP): $2,794
Employer super on top (12%): $11,146 a year

From our 2026-27 tax engine. If you're placed above Step 1 for your experience, your pay is higher; see overseas experience and your pay step.

Three sample budgets

Paperwork costs before travel (A$, using reported 2026-27 visa charges)

	Single teacher, NSW, 189 visa	Couple, Victoria, 189 visa	Family of four, NT, 189 visa
AITSL + SES	$1,463	$1,463	$1,463
Visa charges (reported)	$6,135	$9,205	$12,285
Registration and police check	$100	$280.40	$170
Working with children check	$112	$0	Ochre Card (check SAFE NT)
Total before travel	About $7,810	About $10,948	About $13,918 + Ochre Card

Illustrative. Excludes IELTS, health exams, police certificates from your home country, translations and any migration agent fees. Only one partner is the teacher in the couple and family examples.

Free calculator

Teacher move planner

Get a dated plan and cost checklist for your country, visa route and target state, with your likely salary step.

Build my move plan

Money that can offset the move

Relocation help in government schools (official, October 2026)

State	What's offered	Conditions
VIC	Regional Relocation Incentive: up to $30,000 in retention payments (3 x $10,000 after years 2, 3 and 4) + up to $5,000 relocation reimbursement	Must be VIT registered before you start; interstate and overseas teachers eligible; merit selection; roles from Term 4 2026 and Term 1 2027
VIC	Targeted Financial Incentives: up to $50,000 before tax + $10,000 retention payments after years 2, 3 and 4	Hard-to-staff rural and regional roles; 2-year minimum
NSW	Rural and Remote Relocation Support Payment: $5,000 or $8,000	Teachers at rural and remote incentive schools ('may provide')
NT	Relocation assistance for appointments of 6 months or more; up to 15 fortnightly relocation payments in Katherine, 10 in Alice Springs	Set by NT determinations
TAS	Discretionary reimbursement of transport, removalist, pets and en-route costs	Under Ministerial Direction No. 21

WA, SA, Queensland and the ACT have rural incentives and allowances but we didn't confirm relocation payments for overseas hires. Ask the department. More in rural teaching incentives.

Relocation payments are usually taxable income. Moving costs you pay yourself to take up a new job are generally not tax deductible for employees in Australia, so don't plan on a refund. Some employers reimburse costs directly, which is better for you than a taxable payment of the same amount. Ask what's offered before you accept.

Ways to cut the cost

Get the documents right first time. An unsuitable AITSL outcome or a refused visa costs more than any flight deal.
Start registration before you fly. Most regulators accept overseas applications, so you can be ready to work on arrival.
Pick a state where your experience counts. Starting several steps higher is worth far more than any relocation payment. Compare in best state to teach in Australia.
Relief teach while you job-hunt. NSW pays casual teachers $480.43 to $599.85 a day, and the NT $460.93 to $504.96. See the casual relief teacher pay calculator.
Ask about regional roles. They're where relocation help and incentives are concentrated.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to move to Australia as a teacher?

Budget about A$8,000 for a single teacher's paperwork on a subclass 189 visa: A$1,198 for AITSL, a reported A$6,135 visa charge and up to a few hundred dollars for registration and checks. Flights, shipping, a rental bond and living costs come on top.

How much is the AITSL assessment?

A$1,198 from 7 September 2026, with no GST. A Skilled Employment Statement is A$265 and an appeal is A$938.

How much is the 189 visa in 2026?

Migration law firms report the main applicant charge rose to about A$6,135 from 1 July 2026, from A$4,910. Confirm the exact amount with the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator before you lodge.

Do Australian schools pay relocation for overseas teachers?

Some do. Victoria's Regional Relocation Incentive pays up to A$5,000 for relocation plus A$30,000 in retention payments, NSW offers A$5,000 or A$8,000 at rural and remote incentive schools, and the NT and Tasmania have relocation assistance.

How long until I get my first pay as a teacher in Australia?

Government teachers are paid fortnightly in arrears, so allow two to four weeks from your start date, longer if your tax file number and bank details aren't set up. Bring at least a month of living costs.

Are moving costs tax deductible for teachers?

Generally no. Relocation costs to start a new job aren't usually deductible for employees, and relocation payments from an employer are usually taxable. Check with a registered tax agent.

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.

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