Average Child Care Worker Salary in Australia for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Child Care Worker salary for 2024 in Australia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Australian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the AUD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Child Care Worker Make in Australia?

A Child Care Worker working in Australia will typically earn around 65,400 AUD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 31,700 AUD to the highest average salary of 103,600 AUD.

Average Annual Salary
65,400 AUD
Average Monthly Salary
5,450 AUD

Lowest Annual Salary
31,700 AUD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,641 AUD

Highest Annual Salary
103,600 AUD
Highest Monthly Salary
8,633 AUD

These are average salaries for a Child Care Worker in Australia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Child Care Worker to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Child Care Worker salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Child Care Worker Salaries in Australia

So we've looked at the average salaries a Child Care Worker will earn in Australia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Child Care Worker can earn between 31,700 AUD and 103,600 AUD on average in Australia. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Child Care Worker in Australia is 66,400 AUD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 66,400 AUD, and 50% of the population earn more than 66,400 AUD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Child Care Worker salary in Australia, 25% of the population are earning less than 45,000 AUD while 75% of the population earn more than 45,000 AUD.

75% of the population earn less than 84,300 AUD, and 25% of the population earn more than 84,300 AUD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Child Care Worker Salary by Experience Level in Australia

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average child care worker salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Child Care Worker in Australia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 36,900 AUD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Child Care Worker salary would increase to 48,500 AUD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Child Care Worker, the average salary would be 65,700 AUD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 84,500 AUD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Child Care Worker with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 88,300 AUD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Child Care Worker with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 95,400 AUD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
36,900 AUD
2-5 Years +29%
48,500 AUD
5-10 Years +38%
65,700 AUD
10-15 Years +24%
84,500 AUD
15-20 Years +7%
88,300 AUD
20+ Years +7%
95,400 AUD

Child Care Worker Salary by Education Level in Australia

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Child Care Worker in Australia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Child Care Worker in Australia with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 53,500 AUD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Child Care Worker in Australia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 83,800 AUD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma
53,500 AUD
Bachelor's Degree +53%
83,800 AUD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Australia is around 37,800 to 114,000 AUD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Child Care Worker Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Australia, a male child care worker will earn an average of 62,300 AUD, while a female child care worker will earn around 68,900 AUD.

This means that a male child care worker earns approximately 10% less than a female child care worker for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Australia

Male
62,300 AUD
Female +10%
68,900 AUD

Child Care Worker Average Pay Raise in Australia

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Child Care Worker in Australia is around 10% every 17 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Australia is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 17 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Child Care Worker in Australia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Australia for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Australia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Child Care Worker Bonus and Incentive Rates in Australia

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Child Care Worker is a low bonus based job, with 32% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

68% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
32%
No Bonus
68%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Australia earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
92,500 AUD
Private Sector -5%
87,900 AUD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Child Care Worker

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Child Care Worker in Australia.

Job Title Category Salary
Academic Advisor Teaching / Education 102,700 AUD
Academic Assistant Teaching / Education 74,100 AUD
Academic Coach Teaching / Education 102,700 AUD
Academic Librarian Teaching / Education 73,100 AUD
Academic Manager Teaching / Education 112,700 AUD
Academic Specialist Teaching / Education 84,600 AUD
Academic Staff Teaching / Education 76,000 AUD
Accompanist Teaching / Education 80,200 AUD
Achievement Coach Teaching / Education 97,900 AUD
Admissions Specialist Teaching / Education 83,300 AUD
Agricultural Sciences Teacher Teaching / Education 79,600 AUD
Anthropology Teacher Teaching / Education 81,000 AUD
Arabic Language Teacher Teaching / Education 73,100 AUD
Archeology Teacher Teaching / Education 79,800 AUD
Architecture Teacher Teaching / Education 87,000 AUD
Archivist Teaching / Education 67,200 AUD
Art Teacher Teaching / Education 68,200 AUD
Assistant School Principal Teaching / Education 99,700 AUD
Assistant Teacher Teaching / Education 70,900 AUD
Biochemistry Professor Teaching / Education 142,300 AUD
Biology Teacher Teaching / Education 78,500 AUD
Bursary Scheme Manager Teaching / Education 93,100 AUD
Business Teacher Teaching / Education 80,500 AUD
Careers Advisor Teaching / Education 96,000 AUD
Careers Consultant Teaching / Education 100,700 AUD
Chemistry Teacher Teaching / Education 78,200 AUD
Child Care Coordinator Teaching / Education 80,900 AUD
Childcare Worker Teaching / Education 64,300 AUD
Classroom Assistant Teaching / Education 58,800 AUD
Clinical School Psychologist Teaching / Education 115,600 AUD
College Aide Teaching / Education 96,000 AUD
College and Career Readiness Specialist Teaching / Education 105,200 AUD
College Dean Teaching / Education 175,100 AUD
College President Teaching / Education 172,100 AUD
Communications Teacher Teaching / Education 81,700 AUD
Community Education Officer Teaching / Education 67,400 AUD
Computer Science Teacher Teaching / Education 71,600 AUD
Computer Teacher Teaching / Education 73,200 AUD
Creative Writing Trainer Teaching / Education 88,000 AUD
Credit Counselor Teaching / Education 91,600 AUD
Cultural Studies Teacher Teaching / Education 79,700 AUD
Curriculum Coordinator Teaching / Education 88,600 AUD
Curriculum Developer Teaching / Education 102,700 AUD
Curriculum Specialist Teaching / Education 105,800 AUD
Dean of Faculty Teaching / Education 172,200 AUD
Demonstrator Teaching / Education 74,500 AUD
Deputy Controller of Examinations Teaching / Education 99,600 AUD
Director of Learning Technology Teaching / Education 103,600 AUD
Distance Learning Coordinator Teaching / Education 88,300 AUD
Economics Lecturer Teaching / Education 134,700 AUD
Economics Teacher Teaching / Education 80,800 AUD
Education Administrator Teaching / Education 88,300 AUD
Education Assistant Teaching / Education 69,200 AUD
Education Assistant Director Teaching / Education 100,300 AUD
Education Assistant Librarian Teaching / Education 59,200 AUD
Education Assistant Principal Teaching / Education 87,600 AUD
Education Assistant Professor Teaching / Education 109,000 AUD
Education Associate Teaching / Education 71,400 AUD
Education Consultant Teaching / Education 100,900 AUD
Education Consultant Teaching / Education 107,300 AUD
Education Coordinator Teaching / Education 86,600 AUD
Education Counselor Teaching / Education 86,100 AUD
Education Director Teaching / Education 134,100 AUD
Education Program Specialist Teaching / Education 95,400 AUD
Education Researcher Teaching / Education 111,700 AUD
Education Resource Specialist Teaching / Education 84,600 AUD
Education Services Facilitator Teaching / Education 90,900 AUD
Educational Psychologist Teaching / Education 123,800 AUD
EFL Teacher Teaching / Education 79,600 AUD
eLearning Trainer Teaching / Education 70,000 AUD
Elementary School Teacher Teaching / Education 64,900 AUD
Engineering Lecturer Teaching / Education 128,200 AUD
Engineering Teacher Teaching / Education 107,700 AUD
English Teacher Teaching / Education 73,700 AUD
ESL Teacher Teaching / Education 76,900 AUD
Faculty Assistant Teaching / Education 95,000 AUD
Foreign Language Teacher Teaching / Education 72,400 AUD
GED Teacher Teaching / Education 68,100 AUD
Geography Teacher Teaching / Education 74,100 AUD
Head of Mathematics Department Teaching / Education 103,600 AUD
Head of School Teaching / Education 128,200 AUD
High School Teacher Teaching / Education 88,300 AUD
History Teacher Teaching / Education 79,000 AUD
Infant Teacher Teaching / Education 56,900 AUD
Instructional Assistant Teaching / Education 86,400 AUD
Instructor Teaching / Education 88,500 AUD
Kindergarten Teacher Teaching / Education 64,900 AUD
Language Instructor For Expatriate Teaching / Education 64,800 AUD
Law Teacher Teaching / Education 114,300 AUD
Learning Designer Teaching / Education 98,000 AUD
Lecturer Teaching / Education 137,100 AUD
Librarian Teaching / Education 64,800 AUD
Library Assistant Teaching / Education 50,100 AUD
Library Director Teaching / Education 95,500 AUD
Library Specialist Teaching / Education 66,200 AUD
Library Technician Teaching / Education 60,200 AUD
Life Sciences Teacher Teaching / Education 79,600 AUD
Math Lecturer Teaching / Education 148,300 AUD
Math Teacher Teaching / Education 88,600 AUD
Mathematics Teacher Teaching / Education 88,300 AUD
Mentor Teaching / Education 87,900 AUD
Middle School Teacher Teaching / Education 80,200 AUD
Music Teacher Teaching / Education 77,000 AUD
Nursery Manager Teaching / Education 114,600 AUD
Nursery Worker Teaching / Education 45,800 AUD
Paraprofessional Teaching / Education 105,200 AUD
Physical Education Specialist Teaching / Education 87,500 AUD
Physical Education Teacher Teaching / Education 74,100 AUD
Physics Teacher Teaching / Education 79,600 AUD
Political Science Teacher Teaching / Education 79,000 AUD
Post Doctoral Researcher Teaching / Education 127,600 AUD
Preschool Education Administrator Teaching / Education 86,800 AUD
Preschool Teacher Teaching / Education 65,900 AUD
Primary School Teacher Teaching / Education 69,400 AUD
Principal Teaching / Education 109,700 AUD
Product Specialist Teaching / Education 91,700 AUD
Professor - Accounting Teaching / Education 142,300 AUD
Professor - Architecture Teaching / Education 150,100 AUD
Professor - Biology Teaching / Education 130,400 AUD
Professor - Business Administration Teaching / Education 128,400 AUD
Professor - Chemical Engineering Teaching / Education 142,300 AUD
Professor - Chemistry Teaching / Education 142,300 AUD
Professor - Civil Engineering Teaching / Education 134,700 AUD
Professor - Communication Teaching / Education 137,100 AUD
Professor - Computer Science Teaching / Education 146,700 AUD
Professor - Dentistry Teaching / Education 152,900 AUD
Professor - Drama Teaching / Education 130,500 AUD
Professor - Economics Teaching / Education 142,100 AUD
Professor - Education Teaching / Education 141,000 AUD
Professor - Electrical Engineering Teaching / Education 146,900 AUD
Professor - English Teaching / Education 137,100 AUD
Professor - Environmental Engineering Teaching / Education 148,300 AUD
Professor - Foreign Languages Teaching / Education 139,100 AUD
Professor - Geological Sciences Teaching / Education 146,700 AUD
Professor - History Teaching / Education 134,100 AUD
Professor - Industrial Engineering Teaching / Education 134,700 AUD
Professor - Law Teaching / Education 146,900 AUD
Professor - Legal Support Teaching / Education 132,000 AUD
Professor - Liberal Arts Teaching / Education 142,100 AUD
Professor - Marketing Teaching / Education 134,100 AUD
Professor - Mathematics Teaching / Education 157,600 AUD
Professor - Mechanical Engineering Teaching / Education 152,700 AUD
Professor - Medical Administration Teaching / Education 142,300 AUD
Professor - Medicine Teaching / Education 164,100 AUD
Professor - Music Teaching / Education 127,700 AUD
Professor - Nursing Teaching / Education 130,500 AUD
Professor - Pharmaceutical Sciences Teaching / Education 141,000 AUD
Professor - Philosophy Teaching / Education 142,300 AUD
Professor - Physical Therapy Teaching / Education 153,800 AUD
Professor - Physics Teaching / Education 158,700 AUD
Professor - Psychology Teaching / Education 130,400 AUD
Professor - Rehabilitation Teaching / Education 123,800 AUD
Professor - Social Work Teaching / Education 125,400 AUD
Professor - Sociology Teaching / Education 138,700 AUD
Professor - Special Education Teaching / Education 140,200 AUD
Psychology Teacher Teaching / Education 121,800 AUD
Public Management Assistant Professor Teaching / Education 119,700 AUD
School Counselor Teaching / Education 109,700 AUD
Science Educator Teaching / Education 76,800 AUD
Science Laboratory Assistant Teaching / Education 66,400 AUD
Science Teacher Teaching / Education 76,000 AUD
Secondary Mathematics Teacher Teaching / Education 83,700 AUD
Secondary School Teacher Teaching / Education 75,900 AUD
Special Education Teacher Teaching / Education 78,900 AUD
Special Needs Assistant Teaching / Education 67,300 AUD
Statistics Lecturer Teaching / Education 140,700 AUD
Student Accounts Coordinator Teaching / Education 75,800 AUD
Student Development Specialist Teaching / Education 88,300 AUD
Student Employment Specialist Teaching / Education 87,500 AUD
Student Services Teaching / Education 71,200 AUD
Student Services Coordinator Teaching / Education 74,000 AUD
Student Support Manager Teaching / Education 89,900 AUD
Substitute Teacher Teaching / Education 65,400 AUD
Teacher Teaching / Education 69,700 AUD
Teacher Aide Teaching / Education 58,800 AUD
Teacher Trainer Teaching / Education 95,200 AUD
Teaching Assistant Teaching / Education 64,100 AUD
TEFL Teacher Teaching / Education 75,800 AUD
Training and Development Specialist Teaching / Education 105,800 AUD
Training Coordinator Teaching / Education 67,500 AUD
Tutor Teaching / Education 75,000 AUD
University Teacher Teaching / Education 137,100 AUD
Vocational Education Teacher Teaching / Education 75,100 AUD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Australia, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Adelaide 60,600 AUD
Brisbane 64,800 AUD
Canberra-Queanbeyan 60,900 AUD
Gold Coast-Tweed 60,700 AUD
Gosford 55,600 AUD
Melbourne 65,100 AUD
Newcastle 57,400 AUD
Perth 63,500 AUD
Sunshine Coast 57,200 AUD
Sydney 67,200 AUD
Wollongong 54,100 AUD

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