This article was updated in October 2023 to reflect the latest data.
Early childhood education is an industry offering great potential for career growth and financial reward. The wages and salaries of childcare workers in Australia are governed by the Children Services Award (2010) published by the Fair Work Commission, which outlines the minimum wages of early childcare professionals. However, as a high in-demand sector, the shortage of supply of the workforce eventually drives the increase in wages.
Salary expectations for early childhood educators
The starting salary for an Early childhood teacher is from $67,447 per year (or $1,292.58 per week), but will increase steadily as your job experience grows – up to about $75,0000 – $85,000 per year. The most senior early childhood educators in the State of Victoria are expected to earn more under a salary deal that was passed by the state government and the education union last 2021. The most experienced educators will see varying salary increases of up to 31% for kindergarten teachers, and 27% for educators. This will cover around 7,000 kindergarten workers and 46,500 public school teachers, regardless of the pay level.
Recommended Read: Top Skills Required to Become an Early Childhood Educator
It is expected that by the year 2024, full-time kindergarten teachers who have seven years’ worth of working experience will earn $116,906 every year, up from the current rate of $103,838. As a bonus, diploma-qualified childcare educators are entitled to receive a salary bonus of around $12,000.
This makes early childhood work more attractive for teachers and educators as it looks to almost double the workforce to 13,000 by 2029 in line with its $5 billion plan to extend 15 hours of free kinder to all three-year-old Victorian children.
Three factors that can increase your pay
1. Level of education/ Qualifications
To get a job as an early childhood educator in most states, it is essential to attain the appropriate qualifications and undergo adequate training. One of the most prominent fast tracks to your childhood educator career is the Certificate III in Early Childhood Care and Education, a course that offers the fundamentals of working with children. Wages start from $23.11 per hour for those who have yet to complete their Certificate, while those who have qualified could expect an hourly pay rate of $25.78+.
Employees who have completed a Diploma in Children Services, have a much wider knowledge than childcare workers with just a Certificate, and may expect a higher rate and opens up a pathway for you to progress into more senior roles, such as a management position in a childcare centre.
Recommended Read: All you need to know about becoming a Childcare worker
Childcare workers who have devoted several years studying a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood), will be working in an Early Childhood Teacher role.
2. Depth of responsibilities and scope of work
If you work as a supervisor or room leader in a childcare centre, you are classed as level 4 under the Children Services Award and are entitled to $30.84+ on commencement of the job. When you complete a diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, you may have been appointed the job of an assistant director or Day Care Coordinator and can expect a larger amount of compensation for the responsibilities. Childcare Centre Director or Centre Manager is ultimately responsible for the management of the Childcare Centre and its staff. Centre Director jobs can be advertised with salaries as high as $85,000+.
3. Work experience
A childcare employee can further increase their wage based on the number of years’ experience they have, providing childcare workers with a path of progression. Lastly, whether you work full-time, part-time or casual can also influence the rate at which you get paid.
While being a childcare educator is rewarding in the sense that you can have the unique opportunity to work with and help children’s learning and development. Now the Victorian government has made great strides in making early childhood work more lucrative for teachers and educators, it is expected that the workforce will almost double to 13,000 by the year 2029. Today is the perfect time for an aspiring childcare educator like you to kickstart your career in this ever-growing industry.
Sounds tempting, right? If you wish to enter the workforce as soon as you can, enrol at the Global Business College of Australia (GBCA).
Our Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) course provide you qualifications you need to enter the sector, and guaranteed work placement to practise what you learn. Interested to learn more, check here for more details.
References:
https://elaa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/VECTEA-2020-Schedule-2-Salary-Rates-Final.pdf
https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/role/early-childhood-teacher/salary