Catholic education jobs cover teaching, leadership and support roles across Australia’s Catholic school systems, which educate roughly one in five Australian students. Teachers are employed by a diocese or Catholic employing authority rather than an individual school, with pay set by enterprise agreements that closely track the government scale in each state. In NSW systemic schools a graduate starts on $90,177, and Lead Teachers earn up to $144,258. You need state teacher registration, a Working With Children Check and, in most dioceses, accreditation to teach in a Catholic school.
A career in Catholic education offers strong communities, structured career paths and pay that keeps pace with the public system. This guide covers how employment works in the Catholic sector, what teachers earn under the current enterprise agreements, the accreditation involved, and where to find roles.
How does employment work in Catholic education?
Catholic schools in Australia fall into two broad groups. Systemic schools are run by a diocesan Catholic education office (such as Sydney Catholic Schools, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools or Brisbane Catholic Education), and teachers are employed by the diocese, which sets pay and conditions across all of its schools. Independent Catholic schools, often run by religious institutes or their successor bodies, employ staff directly under their own agreements.
Working for a diocese has practical consequences worth understanding before you apply:
- Your employer is the diocese or its education office, so your service, leave and salary step travel with you between schools within that diocese.
- Pay and conditions come from the enterprise agreement covering that diocese, which is why rates vary slightly between states and dioceses.
- Dioceses run their own recruitment, onboarding and formation programs, and many maintain shared casual pools across their schools.
How much do Catholic school teachers get paid?
Catholic systemic school pay is set by enterprise agreements negotiated per state or diocese, and the current agreements track the government scale closely. Here is where the three biggest states sit.
| State | Scale (classroom teachers) | Top classifications | Accurate as of |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSW/ACT systemic | $90,177 (Step 1) to $129,536 (Step 7) | Highly Accomplished $137,861, Lead Teacher $144,258 | January 2026 |
| QLD diocesan | $86,600 (Graduate) to $124,724 (Proficient 8) | Highly Accomplished $134,695, Lead Teacher $147,048 | 1 July 2025 |
| VIC Catholic | Graduate starting salary of $87,394 from the start of the 2026 school year under the new agreement, which lifts all salaries by a minimum of 7% | Scale details in the VCEMEA 2026 salary tables | 27 January 2026 |
A few notes on how these scales behave:
- NSW and the ACT. The NSW and ACT Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement mirrors the NSW government pay rises: 3 per cent in October 2024, 2025 and 2026. Casual teachers in Sydney Catholic Schools earn $466.43 to $582.38 a day depending on accreditation level, the same daily rates as NSW public schools.
- Queensland. Diocesan schools sit under the Catholic Employers Single Enterprise Collective Agreement, with graduate entry at $86,600 from July 2025. Casual rates are set per classification, for example $69.15 an hour at Graduate level.
- Victoria. The Victorian Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2026 delivers a minimum 7 per cent rise from the start of the 2026 school year and commits to matching future government school increases. Casual relief teachers in Victorian Catholic schools are paid one dollar above the Level 5 rate in the Educational Services (Teachers) Award, inclusive of 25 per cent casual loading, updated each July.
Positions of leadership (coordinators, religious education coordinators, assistant principals and principals) carry allowances or separate salary scales on top of these figures. For a comparison with government school pay in every state, see our teacher salary guide.
Do you have to be Catholic to teach at a Catholic school?
For most classroom teaching roles, no. Dioceses generally ask that you understand and support the Catholic ethos of the school rather than practise the faith yourself. Two kinds of roles are the exception: teachers of Religious Education and senior leadership positions are normally required to be practising Catholics, and RE roles often ask for a priest’s reference. Requirements vary by diocese, so read the role description closely.
What accreditation do you need to teach in a Catholic school?
Teaching in a Catholic school involves two separate accreditation streams. Using NSW as the model (other states run parallel systems):
- State teacher accreditation. You register with the state authority as for any teaching job, NESA in NSW, the VIT in Victoria, the QCT in Queensland. This includes holding a current Working With Children Check.
- Accreditation to Work, Teach and Lead in a Catholic school. Dioceses run their own accreditation framework covering professional and spiritual formation. In Sydney Catholic Schools, for example, all new teachers complete a two-day formation program in their first year, then around 30 hours of formation across each five-year cycle.
- Accreditation to teach Religious Education (RE teachers only). This requires formal study: in the Diocese of Parramatta that means six undergraduate or four postgraduate units in Scripture, Theology or Religious Education, with study grants available and recognition of accreditation from other dioceses.
None of this should put off a teacher considering the sector. The baseline requirements match any school: a recognised teaching degree, state registration and a WWCC. The Catholic accreditation layers are completed on the job, and dioceses fund and run the formation programs.
Where can you find Catholic education jobs?
ClassCover Jobs lists education roles only, so you skip the noise of general job boards. ClassCover works with Catholic dioceses across Australia, including Brisbane Catholic Education, the Catholic Education Dioceses of Cairns and Townsville, the Catholic Education Diocese of Wagga Wagga and the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, with new roles posted daily. Set a job alert with your criteria and you can apply the day a role goes live. Browse Catholic education jobs on ClassCover Jobs.
Diocesan careers pages are worth watching if you have a specific school or diocese in mind. The trade-off is time: checking multiple diocesan sites regularly adds up, which is where alerts on an education-specific platform do the work for you.
General job boards like Seek and LinkedIn carry some Catholic education roles, mixed in with every other industry.
Whichever route you take, a sharp application matters. Our free teacher resume template is built for education roles, including how to present your accreditation and faith formation.
Can you do casual relief teaching in Catholic schools?
Yes, and demand is steady. Many dioceses manage shared casual pools across their schools, and individual Catholic schools book their own casuals day to day. Two ways to get connected through ClassCover:
- Find New Schools. Create a free teacher profile, search Catholic schools in your area and request to join their lists. Once connected, schools send booking requests straight to your phone.
- ClassCover Jobs callouts. Schools and dioceses post callouts when they want to grow their casual pool, so watch for these alongside permanent listings.
Casual rates in Catholic systemic schools generally match or sit close to the government daily rate in each state. If you are starting out in casual work, our guides to casual teaching in NSW and relief teaching in QLD cover registration, pay and how to get your first bookings.
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Create Teacher ProfileFAQs: Catholic Education Jobs
To work in Catholic education you generally need the same teacher registration and Working With Children Check as any school, plus an openness to supporting the school’s faith-based values. Roles are advertised through diocesan job boards and education-specific platforms.
Not usually. Most Catholic schools welcome teachers of any faith, provided you’re supportive of the school’s Catholic ethos and values. Requirements can vary by diocese, so check the specific role.
Catholic schools follow the same curriculum as other Australian schools but include religious education and faith-based values in school life. Many teachers value the strong community and pastoral focus.
Catholic teaching jobs — including Brisbane Catholic Education roles — are advertised through diocesan careers pages and education job boards like ClassCover Jobs. Setting up job alerts helps you apply as soon as roles go live.
Yes, Catholic systemic school pay closely tracks the public system and is set by enterprise agreements that vary by state and diocese. In NSW systemic schools the scale runs from $90,177 to $129,536 with Lead Teachers on $144,258, and in QLD diocesan schools from $86,600 to $147,048. Check the specific agreement for the diocese you’re applying to.
