Teacher vs nurse vs police pay in Australia: 2026 rates compared

How we compared the three jobs

Comparing jobs fairly means comparing like with like. We used each job's published pay instrument, not survey averages, and we show the date each rate starts. All figures are full-time, before tax and exclude super. For nurses we used the NSW public health award, which sets weekly rates; we converted them to annual figures at 52.18 weeks. For police we used the figures gathered by our sister site Police Pay Australia, which tracks every state's police agreement.

The big caveat is what each figure includes. Teacher salaries are the whole story for most teachers: there are no penalty rates or paid overtime. NSW police figures here include the 11.5% loading that replaces weekend penalties, and Victorian police figures include a 13% commuted penalty, but both can earn shift allowances and overtime on top. Nursing base rates exclude shift penalties, which can add a lot for nurses who work nights and weekends.

NSW: teacher vs registered nurse vs police

A NSW teacher starts about $11,100 a year ahead of a first-year RN on base pay and stays ahead at the top of the scale by about $18,650. Police start at almost the same figure as teachers once the loading is counted, then move ahead at Senior Constable, where the scale climbs to $139,688. Each job also has promotion routes: head teacher and assistant principal for teachers ($153,531), nurse unit manager for nurses, sergeant and inspector for police.

Victoria: teacher vs police

Right now a Victorian graduate teacher earns $4,471 less than a probationary constable. Once the new teachers' agreement starts, that flips: a graduate teacher will earn $92,882, about $8,800 more than Constable 1. Victoria Police also pay allowances outside the Schedule A rates, such as the Operational Readiness Allowance (from $831 to $3,632 for Constable 1 as it phases in), so frontline police earn more than the table shows.

Penalties, overtime and the real gap

So on a typical roster, many nurses and police officers take home more than their base rate suggests, while a teacher's base salary is close to what they actually earn. The trade-off is time. Nurses and police work rotating rosters, nights, weekends and public holidays. Teachers work school hours on site plus marking and preparation at home, but get the school holidays.

Leave and working year

Career length and earnings over time

Teachers progress fastest. In NSW, a teacher who gains Proficient accreditation on time reaches $133,422 in about six years. A NSW registered nurse reaches the 8th-year rate after seven years of service, and the main clinical step above that (Clinical Nurse Specialist) needs post-registration qualifications or experience. Police progress through constable and senior constable levels, with sergeant and above by promotion.

Which job pays best?

On base salary alone, teaching pays more than nursing in NSW at every stage, and roughly matches policing until senior constable. Once shift penalties, overtime and allowances are added, police usually come out ahead and nurses can close the gap. If you are weighing a career change, compare what you would actually earn on the roster you would work, after tax, and how much of your week it costs. Our guide to leaving teaching covers other jobs that use teaching skills, and Police Pay Australia tracks police pay scales for every state.