WA vs NT teacher pay: which state pays more in 2026?

WA vs NT at a glance

Pay and take-home at every career stage

Steps don't line up exactly between states, so we compare like-for-like career stages: the usual graduate entry step, about five years in, the top of the incremental classroom scale, and the highest classroom step (reached through HALT, Senior Teacher or a similar classification).

What's different about teaching in Western Australia

WA's 2023 General Agreement pays $88,178 at Level 2.1 rising to $127,737 at 2.9, plus a $2,000 graduate allowance for two years, but no rise is scheduled after December 2025 and the agreement expires on 5 December 2026. Its country deal is among the richest in Australia: $5,000-$13,730 under the Country Teaching Program, $15,370-$20,870 in Remote Teaching Service schools and up to $7,000 more in 2026. Teachers also get 14 weeks' paid parental leave and long service leave from 7 years pro rata.

Qualified teachers start at Level 2.1 (DoE). You move up one increment a year on your anniversary date, subject to satisfactory service, from 2.1 to 2.9 (Award cl 26), so the top of the automatic scale takes eight years. Senior Teacher 1 is by application: full TRBWA registration, 12 months at 2.9, relevant professional learning in the last five years (one pathway is 40 hours aligned to the APST) and one extra duty such as mentoring or curriculum work. Senior Teacher 2 needs 12 months at ST1 and two extra duties. Level 3 Classroom Teacher is reached through a portfolio of five competencies plus a second stage; competencies can be banked for up to three years, and 3.1 moves to 3.2 automatically after 12 months. Level 3.3 is paid only in the trial schools. Relief teachers move up a step after every 200 days worked (Award cl 10(4)).

Full details: WA pay scale, WA salary after tax and WA pay rise tracker.

What's different about teaching in Northern Territory

The NT pays Australia's highest classroom salaries ($96,180 for a graduate, $136,997 at CT9 in 2026, both rising 4.3% in January 2027) under an agreement that runs to the end of 2027. Remote teachers add a Remote Incentive Allowance of up to $10,319 a year ($12,345 with dependants), rent-free housing and free flights, and HALT allowances of $13,938 and $29,184 are the most generous in the country. The trade-offs are only the 12% minimum super and fewer paid parental leave weeks than the ACT.

Graduates start at CT1. Teachers with more than 12 months' post-qualification experience are placed by completed years of service (1 year = CT2). You move up one CT level after each 12 months' service, continuous or broken (cl. 39.2); increments are withheld only through inability or discipline processes, so CT1 to CT9 takes about 8 years. Under Rapid Incremental Progression (cl. 39.3) an early-career teacher can jump to CT4 at the start of year 3 after 2 years in NT government schools within 4 years plus 2 semester units of postgraduate study. 180 days of relief teaching count as 1 year of service (cl. 30.3). Senior Teacher (ST1-ST8) and Principal (PLO1-PLO7) levels are promotion positions set by job evaluation.

Full details: NT pay scale, NT salary after tax and NT pay rise tracker.

Country incentives, leave and the things salary tables miss

Headline salary is only part of the deal. Country and remote postings can add thousands a year, and leave rules change what a career is worth.