Working and living in the Territory
Work conditions and benefits
Fact sheets
- Teacher conditions in remote NT Government schools (pdf 374Kb)
- Employment benefits of teaching in the NT (pdf 326Kb)
- 4WD drive training (pdf 352Kb)
Salary and allowances
Teachers in the Northern Territory are among the highest paid in Australia. The average teacher is on an annual salary of $70,047 plus substantial allowances. Northern Territory teachers advance to the top of the salary scale in 5 years compared with an average of 8 years in other states and territories throughout Australia. The Department of Education and Training (DET) Conditions Handbook (pdf 142Kb) has more information about allowances and relocating.
Teacher and educators salary rates in the NT
Relocation and storage
DET may offer assistance to staff relocating to, or within, the Northern Territory. Please read the Relocation and Storage Policy (pdf 40Kb) for details.
Orientation
The department provides orientation to assist all new employees, including teachers, to gain an understanding of how the organisation works and its priorities, as well as to meet other department people. Regular orientation sessions are held for new employees, including orientations twice a year for new teachers.
Career advancement
Teachers who wish to advance in their careers may apply for executive teacher, assistant principal and principal vacancies. These are advertised on the teacher recruitment website as well as the Northern Territory Government jobs website. The Teacher of Exemplary Practice scheme recognises teachers for excellent classroom practice and the support they provide to other teachers.
Professional learning
As a teacher you will have access to a wide range of professional learning programs.
Further studies
Charles Darwin University offers graduate and undergraduate courses through on campus and off campus programs.
Living in the Territory
The Northern Territory is unlike anywhere else in Australia: the population is only 207 000 – and about one-third of Territorians are Indigenous. Territorians are younger than other Australians, with a median age of 30.9 years compared with the Australian average of 36.6.
Climate
The Territory covers 1 346 200 square kilometres and has two main climates. People living in Central Australia experience a typical summer and winter, with crisp mornings and evenings.
From about Katherine north, commonly known as the Top End, there is no winter at all. Between November and April the Top End experiences spectacular thunderstorms. And while most Australians are freezing in winter, the Top End has an average of 10 hours sunshine a day, three cloudy days a month, low humidity and average daily temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius.
Today’s weather in the Territory
Lifestyle
The Territory’s warm weather and long hours of sunshine encourage Territorians to live an outdoor lifestyle: favourite activities include camping, swimming, sailing, bushwalking. The Territory’s coastline is 10 950km long, with several large river systems – so it is no wonder fishing is a popular pastime. More
Useful links
- Teacher stories - Teachers who have moved here, especially those in the remote parts of the Territory, say that they love the sense of adventure, the responsibility of developing the skills children need, experiencing a new culture and teaching kids from different backgrounds.
- The Bush Telegraph - Links information from NT Government agencies including maps, aerial photos, building plans, mining applications and key contacts for communities and regions. It also lists government, non-government and commercial services.
- Tourism NT
- Travel NT
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