Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2025 Pay Rates (MA000076)

Plain-English Summary

Who does this award cover?

The Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award covers non-teaching staff employed by non-government schools across Australia. This includes teacher aides, school administrative assistants, school bursars, IT support officers, laboratory technicians, librarians (non-teaching), school cleaners, groundskeepers, maintenance staff, canteen workers, boarding house supervisors, and school nurses. If you work at a private, Catholic, or independent school in a support role (not as a classroom teacher), this award likely applies to you.

The award does NOT cover teaching staff (covered by the Educational Services Teachers Award), staff employed by government schools (covered by state public sector awards and agreements), or staff at universities, TAFEs, and other post-secondary institutions (covered by the Educational Services Post-Secondary Award MA000075).

How classification levels work

Classification levels range from Level 1 (entry-level duties such as general cleaning, basic admin support) through to Level 7 (senior management roles like business manager, head of operations). Your classification is set by the actual duties you perform. Teacher aides are typically classified at Level 2 or 3, school administrative assistants at Level 2-4, and IT support staff at Level 3-5.

What about part-time and casual workers?

Part-time employees receive the same hourly rate as full-time employees on a pro-rata basis. Many school support staff are part-time, working during school hours only. Casual employees receive a 25% loading on the base hourly rate. School term employees have specific provisions around payment during school holiday periods.

Classification Levels and Base Rates

All rates effective 1 July 2025. Source: Fair Work Commission Annual Wage Review 2024-25.

Hourly rate = weekly rate / 38. Casual rate = hourly rate x 1.25.

Penalty Rates

All penalties are calculated on the base hourly rate.

Full-Time and Part-Time Employees (Non-Shiftworkers)

Shiftworkers

Casual Employees

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the ordinary hours for school support staff?

Ordinary hours are a maximum of 38 per week or an average of 38 per week over a term or semester. For most school support staff, ordinary hours fall within the standard school operating hours, typically 7:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday. Boarding house supervisors may have ordinary hours that include evenings and weekends. The award permits averaging arrangements that accommodate the school term structure.

2. Do teacher aides get paid during school holidays?

It depends on your employment arrangement. Full-time employees are paid for 52 weeks including school holidays. Part-time employees engaged on a term-time only basis may have their annual salary calculated to include an allowance for school holiday periods (annualised arrangement), or they may be paid only during term time. Casual teacher aides are paid only for hours worked. Check your contract to see which arrangement applies to you.

3. What are broken shift penalties for boarding house staff?

Boarding house supervisors who work broken shifts (split shifts with a gap in the middle) receive a 105% loading on the base rate during the day. If the broken shift includes afternoon or night work, the penalty increases to 120%. If it includes permanent night work, the penalty is 130%. These loadings recognise the disruption caused by having to work two separate periods in one day.

4. Are school cleaners entitled to penalty rates?

Yes. School cleaners classified at Level 1 receive penalty rates for any work on Saturday (150%), Sunday (200%), and public holidays (250%). Many school cleaners work in the late afternoon after students leave -- this is generally within ordinary hours and does not attract penalties unless it falls outside the standard span or exceeds 38 hours per week.

5. What is the minimum engagement for casual school support staff?

Casual employees must be engaged for a minimum of 2 consecutive hours per shift. At Level 2 casual rate ($31.60/hr), the minimum payment for any casual engagement is $63.20 gross. This minimum is shorter than many other awards, reflecting the nature of school-based work where shorter engagements (such as covering a 2-hour teacher aide shift) are common.

Check Your Rate

Not sure if you are being paid correctly? Use our free pay rate calculator to check your exact rate based on your classification level, employment type, and the hours you work.

Check your pay rate now

Enter your details and get an instant breakdown of what you should be earning -- including penalty rates, overtime, and term-time arrangements. Every result cites the specific award clause so you can verify it yourself.

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Rates current as of 1 July 2025. Source: Fair Work Commission, CC BY 4.0. This information is general in nature and is not legal advice. Always verify rates against the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT) at calculate.fairwork.gov.au.