‘I know where I’m moving’: UK teachers shocked by Aussie teacher’s starting salary

A young teacher was stopped in the street and asked about her salary and while Aussies are unimpressed, people overseas are jealous.

Australians have been left unimpressed after a young teacher revealed her starting salary; however overseas workers are stunned.

Getahead is an app that matches workers with employers like Tinder but for your career. Part of the company’s shtick has become hitting the streets of Australia and asking people about their salaries.

According to job search platform SEEK, the average wage for a teacher in Australia ranges from $95,000 to $105,000.

A young woman was stopped in Brisbane and revealed that she was a primary school teacher earning $84,000.

“I’m an early careers teacher, so I just started this year, so I’m on the beginning salary,” she explained.

She added that teaching is “exhausting,” but she said that she has a really great class and enjoys her work.

She said the teaching is “exhausting” and doesn’t end at 3pm. Picture: TikTok/GetAhead

She shared the salary she’s on now. Picture: TikTok/GetAhead

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She also argued that the 10-12 weeks of holidays teachers get a year are “needed” because they don’t get to switch off during school terms.

“We do have quite a lot of holidays, but I think you really need that break; otherwise, you just can’t shut off,” she said.

MORE: The highest paying jobs in Australia without a degree

The teacher explained that her job doesn’t end at 3pm during school term. She’s constantly dealing with parents and creating lesson plans outside of work hours.

The teacher’s salary left Aussies unimpressed.

“My advice for people wanting to become a teacher is don’t,” one advised.

“Sometimes we end up in the wrong industry and get underpaid,” another said.

“Labourers make more with and they got no qualifications,” someone else claimed.

“So wrong, the HECS debt, the unpaid practical placements you undertook. Smaller classes for better educational outcomes for those wages,” one said.

Aussies weren’t impressed by the salary. Picture: iStock

Interestingly, people overseas thought the young teacher’s salary was fabulous and perhaps even worth moving to Australia over.

‘$30,000 is the starting salary in the UK for primary teachers. I know where I’m moving,’ one said. $30,000 pounds is roughly $60,000 in Aussie dollars.

Someone else said they found that salary “crazy” because when they started teaching in the UK only eight years ago, they only earned $42,000.

Another teacher in the UK shared that after converting her salary from pounds to Aussie dollars, she realised she doesn’t “even earn that”, and she’s been teaching for three years.

Someone else said they’re making less than her, as a teacher in Canada, and they’ve been teaching for two years.

One in New Zealand advised that they weren’t bringing home that much, and they’d been teaching for eight years.

Last year these teachers went viral. Picture: TikTok/GetAhead

People were shocked by their wages. Picture: TikTok/GetAhead

Last year, two teachers were stopped in Brisbane and went viral for revealing they were both earning over six figures when they were also stopped by GetAhead.  

“We are both teachers and we are both in middle leadership in teaching and $130,000 per year,” a teacher explained.

He then elaborated and explained that he was a drama teacher who also taught health and physical education and that his friend was a science teacher.

The drama teacher added that teaching was tough at the moment because of the shortage in Australia.

He said that if he had to list the “hardest” thing about his job, “I could be here all day,” but then boiled it down to “burnout and the shortage.”

“It has a massive impact on our teachers, and if we don’t look after them, we will end up with none, and that is pretty catastrophic,” he warned.

The teacher’s salary stunned. Picture: iStock

The teacher’s salary confessions once again became a big talking point, with many in disbelief that teachers could earn so much.

“$130,000 with 12 weeks holidays and accumulated annual leave, additional 4 weeks and sick leave. Yes, there’s a lot of marking but that’s an awesome wage,” one wrote.

“Don’t believe that salary,” another shared.

“So happy to hear teachers are paid that much,” someone else wrote.

Another replied and pointed out that the teacher clarified they were both in “middle leadership” so they’d be earning above a standard teaching wage.

“That is so crazy they get paid so much,” one mused.

“Would love to know why people say teachers aren’t paid much because, from what I hear, they earn very good wages,” another said.

“I am studying education at university and it is horrific. There’s a reason for lack of new teachers,” one shared.