What teachers earn in Victoria

Updated 26 October 2026. All figures in Australian dollars.

Pay is mid-change, in a good way. Victorian government school staff voted up a new pay agreement in September 2026 and it's now with the Fair Work Commission for formal approval. Until it's approved, the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 sets current pay. We've linked every figure below to its source, because this page will date; the Department's remuneration policy is always the live word.

How the scale works

Classroom teachers in Victorian government schools sit on a classification scale with two ranges: Range 1 (subdivisions 1-1 to 1-5) and Range 2 (2-1 to 2-6). You start at a subdivision, and you move up one each year on 1 May. Where you start is set by rules, not haggling, and that's where your Irish experience comes in (next section). Source: Department of Education remuneration policy.

The headline numbers: under the new agreement announced by the Victorian government, the top classroom teacher salary moves from $118,063 to $151,419 by 2029, with every teacher getting a rise of at least 13.04% in 2026 and around 4 to 4.9% a year after that. Sources: the Victorian government's announcement and reporting on the final deal, pending Fair Work Commission approval.

Catholic and independent schools set pay under their own agreements. They track the government scale closely enough that the same mental maths works, but check the specific school's agreement when an offer comes.

What your Irish experience counts for

Straight answer: it depends, and nobody can promise you a number, so here's the actual rule. For government schools, your starting salary is the highest of three things: the bottom subdivision; your last equivalent teaching salary; or the bottom subdivision plus one step per full-time year of "approved teaching experience", up to the top of the scale. Source: Department remuneration policy.

The catch for overseas teachers is that the published definition of approved experience names Australian schools and "an international school equivalent to an Australian P-12 school setting". It doesn't spell out mainstream Irish national and secondary schools, and the Department's Schools People Services decides case by case. So: bring statements of service for every year you've taught, ask the question before you sign, and don't bank on a specific step until it's confirmed. When we put you forward, we flag your experience claim with the school so it's dealt with at offer stage, not after.

What Melbourne costs

Two anchors with real sources, so you can do your own sums:

Rent. Median weekly rent across metropolitan Melbourne is $580 per the latest published Victorian government Rental Report (September quarter 2025 edition). That's the median across all dwellings; a room in a share house costs well under that, a two-bed flat near the beach well over.
Getting around. Public transport is capped: a full-fare daily myki across Zones 1 and 2 is $5.70, a 2-hour fare $2.85, and weekends cap at $4.00 a day. Source: Transport Victoria fares.

Rough rule for the move itself: you'll want a few thousand dollars of buffer for bond (usually a month's rent), the first month, and the set-up costs of a new country, before the first pay cycle lands.

The short version. A structured scale you climb yearly, a new agreement pushing the top towards $151k by 2029, and a starting step that depends on how your Irish experience is assessed. Get your statements of service together now; it's the one document that directly moves your salary.

Sources, checked 26 October 2026: Department of Education: remuneration (teaching service) · Victorian government announcement, May 2026 · The Educator on the final deal, September 2026 · Homes Victoria Rental Report · Transport Victoria: metropolitan fares