Teachers' hours of work A full-time teacher is expected to work a 38 hour week averaged over a school term, plus reasonable additional hours. Within the 38 hour week a full-time primary school teacher will have a maximum of 22.5 hours of SCT and a minimum of 2 hours release time.
show teachers in Australia work about 44 hours a week on average – much more than the 40 hours of general professionals. Australian teachers' working hours are high by international standards, too. show Australian secondary teachers work an average of 45 hours a week, compared to the international average of 40 hours.
Schools must provide at least 25 hours student instruction per week (with the exception of prep students in Term 1). In specific circumstances, school hours may be varied for student needs (including prep students), teacher needs and emergency circumstances.
While most people expect to work a 38-hour full-time week, our public school teachers are working far more. In fact, teachers are working an average of 54 hours per week (43 hours at school and 11 hours at home) due to the increasing administrative demands on them to meet compliance standards.
Teachers are only required to attend a maximum of 205 days during term and non-term weeks.
Primary Principals, Deputy Principals, Teachers and Category B Education Support and Category B School Services Officers are entitled to school holiday pay. Category C Education Support and Category C School Services Officers are entitled to seven weeks of the school holidays without deduction of pay.
Primary schools - face to face teaching hours
A primary school teacher is required to teach face to face for 4 hours and 45 minutes each day. Over a week this equates to 21 hours and 45 minutes face to face teaching time per week for a fulltime teacher, excluding RFF time.
Our survey research of over 18,000 NSW public sector teachers showed that teachers are now working an average of 55 hours per week. Increased data collection requirements, constant curriculum and policy changes, and more complex student needs have contributed to this.
But everything from answering emails to grading papers adds up: A typical teacher works about 54 hours a week—with just under half of that time devoted to directly teaching students, a new survey finds.
Salaries for NSW public school teachers start at $75,791, but hit a maximum of $113,042. Highly accomplished or lead teachers receive a salary of $120,322. Principals have flagged concerns that private schools are snapping up teaching graduates with salaries of $10,000 to $50,000 above what state schools offer.
While homework is not compulsory, the Education Department has guidelines about the time that students should spend on homework tasks.
While classes remain on, international students in Australia with a valid student visa are permitted to work up to 40 hours per fortnight, with no restrictions on how many hours they can work during officially recognised school holidays.
A typical school day
School hours are generally from 8.45am to 3.00pm Monday to Friday. In a typical school day, there are five to eight lessons, ranging from 40 minutes to one hour. There are two breaks in the school day – a morning tea break (recess) and a lunch break, both of which are supervised by teachers.
What can I earn as a Teacher? The average annual salary for Teacher jobs in Australia ranges from $90,000 to $95,000.
The average teacher salary in Australia is $84,866 per year or $43.52 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $74,301 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $119,359 per year.
Hours of work
In Australia, around 65% of employed primary school teachers work full-time hours in all their jobs. The full-time teachers work an average of 45 hours per week in their primary job, which is very similar to the average working hours for all jobs in Australia (44 hours per week).
The ordinary hours of attendance for a full time education support class employee will be for a minimum of 7.6 hours daily between 7:00am and 6:00pm from Monday to Friday unless otherwise agreed.
Other benefits of pursuing a career as a primary teacher include job stability and high demand for teachers' education and skills. You'll have a career where no two days are the same and you get the chance to impact people's lives from childhood.
You also help children build various skills like creativity, reasoning and problem-solving that prepare them for their next step in education. As a primary school teacher, your job involves evaluating and assessing students' progress. You also write reports and provide updates to the administrators and parents.
On-going pressures and declining workforce
"The data suggests we are looking at a profession in crisis," Associate Professor Aliza Werner-Seidler. "Teachers are working longer hours with fewer resources and this pressure is building with an increase of burnout and time being taken off due to mental ill-health."
In Australia, teachers are, on average, 42 years old, which is lower than the average age of teachers across OECD countries and economies participating in TALIS (44 years old).
Overworked and underpaid
The data also show that nationally in 2020 teachers working full-time reported working 55 hours in a typical week, or 45% more hours than they're being paid for. Part-time teachers working a four-day week reported working 40% more hours than they are being paid for.
Teachers - 28 periods per week plus up to 3 periods per week for sport. ( This equates to 20 hours and 40 minutes per week) A “period” in a high or central school is defined in clause 2.46 of the school teachers award as a 40 minute teaching period.
Teachers' hours of work
A full-time teacher is expected to work a 38 hour week averaged over a school term, plus reasonable additional hours. Within the 38 hour week a full-time primary school teacher will have a maximum of 22.5 hours of SCT and a minimum of 2 hours release time.
Professors may not always work typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours. They can often arrange their own schedules to suit the focus of their workdays, which can include research, office hours, teaching or attending meetings. They might also have the flexibility to work remotely.