A job ad that attracts quality education staff does five things. It uses the job title candidates search for, states the salary, describes what the week looks like, separates essential criteria from desirable ones, and sets out the timeline for the process. Ads with a visible salary receive on average 36% more applications on SEEK. In a market where a large share of teachers are weighing up whether to stay in the profession at all, the ad also has to answer the question behind the application: what will this role ask of me, and what do I get back?
Most school job ads are written by copying the last one. The duty statement gets pasted in, the closing date gets changed, and the ad goes live. It fills the vacancy eventually, and nobody looks closely at what it cost in time or in the quality of the shortlist.
The market has moved underneath that habit. In the 2023 Australian Teacher Workforce Survey, 39% of teachers reported intending to leave the profession before retirement and a further 35% were unsure of their future career intentions, leaving around a quarter who planned to stay until retirement (AITSL, published October 2025). The registered teacher workforce sat at roughly 553,300 people in 2023 (AITSL National Trends, June 2025). Plenty of teachers exist. Fewer of them are actively looking for a reason to say yes to another school.
The same AITSL data shows what those teachers are weighing up. Among teachers intending to leave, the most cited reasons were heavy workload (75%), wanting better work-life balance (69%), teaching being too stressful or affecting wellbeing (68%), administrative workload (63%) and insufficient pay (52%). A job ad that says nothing about workload, nothing about balance and nothing about pay is silent on four of the top five things the reader cares about.
This guide covers the structure that fixes that, the legal checks that apply in Australia, and two job post rewrites you can adapt.
Step 1: Use the job title candidates search for
The title is doing more work than the body of the ad. Candidates spend roughly 80% of their time on the search results page, where they see the title, the location, the salary and a short summary before deciding whether to click (SEEK Employer). Close to 70% of that audience is reading on a mobile device.
Write the title the way a teacher would type it into a search box.
| Instead of | Use |
|---|---|
| Learning and Teaching Leader (Band 3.2) | Primary Teacher, Year 3 (Full-Time, Ongoing) |
| Educational Support Officer Level 2 | Teacher Aide, Special Education (Part-Time) |
| Casual Staffing Opportunity | Casual Relief Teacher, Secondary Maths |
| PYP Facilitator | Primary Teacher (IB PYP), Years 4 to 6 |
Internal grading language belongs in the position description, not in the title. Same for acronyms that only make sense inside your system. If a candidate has to decode the title, they scroll past it.
Add the employment type and the year level or subject where you can. “Secondary Teacher” competes with every secondary vacancy in the state. “Secondary Teacher, Maths and Science, Years 7 to 10” reaches the people who can do the job.
Step 2: Put the salary in the ad
This is the single highest-impact change available to most schools, and it is the one most often skipped.
SEEK’s own advertising data shows that job ads displaying a visible salary receive on average 36% more applications than ads that don’t. Ads that show a salary and pay above the market average receive up to 83% more applications. And 72% of candidates report finding it frustrating when salary is left out (SEEK Employer, research by Nature, published September 2025).
In education the argument for hiding pay is weaker than in most sectors. Teacher salaries are set by awards and enterprise agreements that are already published. A candidate can look up the band in about a minute. Leaving it out of the ad withholds nothing and costs you applications.
Two rules apply in Australia:
- Advertise at or above the minimum. Job ads that include pay rates breaching the Fair Work Act, an applicable award or an enterprise agreement are prohibited. Employers face penalties for doing so unless they have a reasonable excuse (Fair Work Ombudsman).
- Don’t try to keep it quiet after the fact. Since the Secure Jobs, Better Pay changes, employees and prospective employees have a workplace right to share, or decline to share, information about their pay and the conditions needed to work it out. Employers cannot take adverse action to prevent someone exercising that right (Fair Work Ombudsman).
If your enterprise agreement gives a band rather than a single figure, publish the band and say what moves someone through it. For casual and relief roles, publish the daily rate. A casual comparing three schools on a Sunday night will choose the one that told them what the day pays.
Step 3: Describe the week, not the duty statement
A duty statement lists what the role is responsible for. It tells a teacher almost nothing about what the job feels like on an average day.Â
Replace the list with a short description of the actual working pattern:
- Teaching load, in periods or days, stated plainly
- Release time and when it falls
- Co-curricular expectations and whether they sit inside or outside the school day
- Who the role reports to and who they plan alongside
- Class sizes and composition
- What the first term looks like, including any handover from the outgoing teacher
Given that workload, work-life balance and stress are the three most cited reasons teachers give for wanting to leave, this section is where a good ad separates itself. Being specific about the load is more persuasive than claiming the school offers balance. A teacher who reads “18 periods plus one duty per week, two release periods on Thursday” can picture the job. A teacher who reads “we value work-life balance” has learned nothing.
Step 4: Separate essential criteria from desirable ones
Every criterion you mark essential removes people from the pool. Some of that is necessary. Most of it is inherited from an old template.
Essential means a person cannot lawfully or practically do the job without it:
- Current registration with the relevant state teacher regulatory authority
- A valid Working With Children Check or the state equivalent
- Qualification in the teaching area, where required for the subject
- Right to work in Australia
Desirable means it would help, and you would train or support someone into it:
- Experience with a specific curriculum, program or platform
- Experience with a particular year level
- Co-curricular coaching or ensemble experience
- Prior experience in a similar school context
Write no more than four or five essential criteria. If your list runs to ten, several of them are likely to be desirable criteria wearing a disguise, and the effect is a smaller shortlist rather than a stronger one.
Keep every criterion tied to a genuine requirement of the role. Under the general protections in the Fair Work Act, refusing to employ a prospective employee, or discriminating against them on the terms of an offer, because of attributes including age, sex, race, physical or mental disability, marital status, family or carer’s responsibilities, pregnancy, religion or political opinion is unlawful adverse action (Fair Work Ombudsman). Phrases like “recent graduate preferred”, “young and energetic team” or “must be available for all after-school commitments” carry risk and narrow the field at the same time.
Compliance requirements deserve their own line in the ad so candidates can self-check before applying.
Step 5: Describe the school with evidence
Almost every school ad contains a paragraph about being a vibrant, inclusive learning community committed to excellence. Candidates have read it a hundred times and it no longer registers.
Swap these generic statements for facts a candidate can verify:
| Generic claim | Evidence version |
|---|---|
| “A supportive collaborative culture” | “Faculty teams plan together in a two-hour block every Wednesday afternoon. New staff are paired with a mentor for their first year.” |
| “Committed to professional growth” | “Every teacher has a $1,500 annual PD budget and two release days to use it.” |
| “State-of-the-art facilities” | “A new science wing opened in 2025 with four labs and a dedicated technician.” |
| “Strong community” | “Our P&F runs a Friday breakfast for staff each term. Attendance is optional and well attended.” |
Step 6: Tell them what happens next
Uncertainty about the process is a quiet reason strong candidates stop halfway through an application.
State four things:
- The closing date, and whether you are interviewing as applications arrive
- What to submit (a two-page CV and a one-page cover letter is plenty for most roles)
- When shortlisted candidates will hear back
- Who to contact for an informal conversation before applying, with a name and a direct line
That last one matters more in education than in most sectors. A teacher considering a move will often want a quiet conversation with the head of faculty before putting their name forward. Making that easy costs nothing and separates you from the schools that hide behind a generic careers inbox.
Before and after: two rewrites
Example 1: Permanent classroom teacher
Before
Teaching Position, Primary
Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced educators for the position of Primary Teacher commencing Term 1. The successful applicant will be a dedicated professional committed to excellence in teaching and learning who can contribute positively to our vibrant school community. Duties include but are not limited to planning, programming, assessment and reporting in accordance with school policy, participation in co-curricular activities, and other duties as directed by the Principal. Applicants must hold current NESA accreditation and a valid Working With Children Check. Salary in accordance with the relevant enterprise agreement. Please submit your application addressing the selection criteria to the school office.
After
Primary Teacher, Year 4 (Full-Time, Ongoing), Blackwood Public School, Wagga Wagga
$90,177 to $129,536 depending on accreditation and experience, under the Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award. Starting Term 1, 2027.
The role: A Year 4 class of 24, in a three-class stage team that plans together every Wednesday afternoon. Two release periods a week, both on Thursday. One playground duty. Co-curricular involvement is one term per year and you choose the program.
You’ll need: Current NESA accreditation (Proficient or working towards), a valid NSW Working With Children Check, and the right to work in Australia.
Helpful, and we’ll support you if you don’t have it yet: Experience with the new NSW English and Maths syllabuses, or an interest in leading our Stage 2 literacy program.
About us: 380 students, 22 teaching staff, 15 minutes from the centre of Wagga. Every new teacher is paired with a mentor for their first year. Staff PD budget is $1,500 each with two release days to use it.
Applying: Send a two-page CV and a one-page letter telling us about a unit you’re proud of. Applications close 14 September. We interview as applications arrive. For an informal chat first, call Sarah Nguyen, Assistant Principal, on 02 XXXX XXXX.
Example 2: Casual relief callout
Before
Casual Teachers Required
Our school is seeking casual relief teachers to join our casual pool for the upcoming year. Applicants must have current accreditation and a WWCC. Please email your CV to the school.
After
Casual Relief Teachers, Primary K to 6, Blackwood Public School, Wagga Wagga
From $452.85 per day (NSW minimum casual teacher daily rate at graduate accreditation, current as at 9 October 2025; higher scales apply with experience). We book 3 to 5 days most weeks across Terms 1 to 4.
What the day looks like: Day plans are left in the classroom and emailed the night before wherever possible. A staff buddy meets you at the office at 8:15. Free on-site parking. Staffroom coffee is good and the Year 6 team will tell you where everything is.
You’ll need: Current NESA accreditation and a valid NSW Working With Children Check.
How bookings reach you: We book through ClassCover, so requests come to your phone as a push notification and you accept or decline in a tap. No 6:30am phone calls unless you’d prefer them.
To join our list: Email Sarah Nguyen at [address] or find us on ClassCover and request to join.
The second version works because it answers the questions a casual has: what does the day pay, how will I know what to teach, where do I park, and how will the school contact me.
Blackwood Public School is a made-up school used to show the format. The salary figures are real: the NSW Department of Education publishes a 7-step classroom teacher scale running from $90,177 for a new graduate to $129,536 for an experienced teacher, and a minimum casual daily rate of $452.85 at graduate accreditation, current as at 9 October 2025 (NSW Department of Education). Check the figures that apply in your state and sector before publishing.
Common mistakes that turn education staff away
| Mistake | What it costs you | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Hiding the salary | Fewer applications; candidates assume the worst | Publish the band or daily rate |
| An internal role title | The ad doesn’t surface in searches | Use the title candidates type |
| Ten essential criteria | A shortlist of three when you needed twelve | Four or five essential, the rest desirable |
| Pasting the duty statement | Reads as bureaucracy; tells candidates nothing about the week | Describe load, release, teams and terms |
| Generic culture paragraph | Ignored entirely | Two or three verifiable facts |
| No closing date or process | Strong candidates stall halfway through | State the date, the format and the timeline |
| No contact name | Removes the informal conversation that often precedes an application | Name a person and a direct line |
| Age or availability language | Legal risk and a narrower field | Tie every criterion to a genuine requirement |
| Attaching a 12-page PD as the ad | Unreadable on a phone, where most candidates are | Write the ad to be scanned, link the PD |
The pre-publish checklist
Run the ad past these before it goes live.
- Does the title match what a candidate would search?
- Is the salary or daily rate visible in the ad body?
- Is the advertised rate at or above the applicable award or enterprise agreement?
- Are there five or fewer essential criteria, each tied to a genuine requirement of the role?
- Does the ad describe teaching load, release and co-curricular expectations in numbers?
- Are the culture claims backed by something a candidate could verify?
- Is there a named contact with a direct line?
- Is the closing date stated, along with when shortlisted candidates will hear back?
- Does it read cleanly on a phone screen, with short paragraphs and bolded subheadings?
- Is every compliance requirement (registration, WWCC or state equivalent) listed so candidates can self-check?
- Where the ad sits in the wider staffing picture
A job ad solves one problem: filling a role you have decided to advertise. Most schools have a second staffing problem running alongside it, which is day-to-day cover when someone is away.
ClassCover handles the second one. Schools build a list of trusted casuals, send a booking request from their phone, and the request reaches casuals as a push notification. ClassCover Jobs handles the first, giving schools a place to advertise permanent, part-time and contract roles to educators who are already in the network and already verified.
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Post a jobFAQs
Yes. Job ads that show a visible salary receive on average 36% more applications than ads that don’t, and ads paying above the market average receive up to 83% more. Teacher pay in Australia is set by awards and enterprise agreements that are already public, so listing the band costs you nothing and removes a reason to scroll past.
A searchable job title, the salary or salary band, the employment type and dates, a description of what the week looks like, essential criteria separated from desirable criteria, the compliance requirements, a short and specific description of the school, the closing date, and the steps in the selection process.
Long enough to answer the questions a candidate needs answered before applying, and structured so it can be scanned. Close to 70% of SEEK’s audience reads on a mobile device, so short paragraphs with bolded subheadings work better than a wall of text or an attached duty statement (SEEK Employer).
Essential criteria are the things a person cannot do the job without, such as current teacher registration and a valid Working With Children Check. Desirable criteria are the things that would help, such as experience with a particular curriculum or co-curricular program. Listing eight essential criteria when only three are genuinely essential shrinks your applicant pool for no benefit.
Lead with the practical facts a casual needs to decide: the days or pattern of work, the daily rate, the year levels and subjects, parking and transport, and how bookings will reach them. Casuals are choosing between schools, so the ad works best when it reads like an offer rather than an application process.
