Which teaching degree is right for me? - News at Curtin | Curtin University, Perth, Australia

If you’ve thought about the incredible benefits of a career in teaching but you’re unsure which teaching degree is right for you, read on!

What teaching degrees does Curtin University offer?

One of the great things about Curtin’s School of Education is the choice of undergraduate (bachelor) degrees in education that we offer: Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, Secondary Education and Educational Studies.

There are many and varied reasons that students choose to study education at Curtin. For example, before applying for her course, Sanah Narayan weighed up her options and decided on Curtin “because of the fantastic teaching and course quality”.

She also explained that “Curtin is a diverse and inclusive environment, which allows for meaningful cultural exchanges and opportunities to learn from people with different perspectives”.

We think that’s a great point, because teaching as a profession also embraces diversity and inclusion and offers life-changing cultural experiences.

What is early childhood education?

Do you love engaging with very young children and are fascinated by how they develop? Our Bachelor of Early Childhood Education could be the right degree for you. You’ll gain the expertise to teach young children – from newborns to children aged 3 who attend early learning and childcare centres, and children aged 4–8 in kindy, pre-primary and junior primary classes. Sound like happy places to be? Read more about our Bachelor of Early Childhood Education here.

Is primary school teaching a good career?

If you like a lot of variety in your day, a primary school would be a great workplace for you!

Primary schools cater for children aged 5–12 (so from kindy up to year 6). Primary school teachers teachers fulfill a vital role in all communities, supporting the social, intellectual and physical development of the children they teach. And because you’ll be creating programs for a diversity of subjects (like health, phys ed, arts, society and environment, English, science, technology and maths), you’ll never have a dull day!

Curtin’s Bachelor of Primary Education will give you the skills and experience you need to teach across the range of learning areas, in government and non-government schools. Plus, you can select three units that enable you to specialise in a particular area. If this seems like an ideal career for you, read more about our Bachelor of Primary Education here.

How is secondary teaching different from primary teaching?

You might like to have a career teaching the next level of education, teaching students in years 7–12. Secondary school teachers are invaluable members of all communities, educating and guiding young people through the most transformative time of their life, and preparing them intellectually for adulthood.

In Western Australian high schools, there are 15 main subject areas across the Humanities and Social Sciences, Health and Physical Education, Mathematics, Science, English and the Arts. Secondary school teachers are qualified to teach one or more of those specialty subject areas, and they usually choose areas that intrigue them. And because secondary teachers are experts in their learning areas, they’re very motivated to pass on their knowledge to their students.

If you study Curtin’s Bachelor of Secondary Education, you’ll gain the specialist expertise to teach in one or two curriculum areas. However, this degree can also give you a greater range of career opportunities – in education policy development, curriculum design, and tertiary education and training, for example. Interested? Find out more about our Bachelor of Secondary Education and your career opportunities here.

What is an education major?

If you study secondary teaching, the subject area that you want to specialise will be your ‘major’ subject in your Curtin course. Think about the subjects you really enjoyed in high school – they’ll probably be the ones that you’re still fascinated about and ’ll want to specialise in and enjoy teaching others about.

These are the areas you can major in at Curtin:

As someone who loves creativity, Curtin student Scott Mills chose to major in Media Production and Analysis, and discovered how valuable it is to children’s development.

“The education classes have helped us to think like teachers of tomorrow. I’ve learned so much about the value of creativity and the role it plays in the psychology of a child,” he said.

But don’t worry if there’s more than one subject in this list that you loved at school, or a subject you’ve since become interested in – in addition to your choice of major, you can also choose a ‘minor’ teaching specialisation, which will expand your areas of teaching expertise.

What are the benefits of a career in teaching?

First and foremost, job satisfaction. There’s nothing like sharing the elation with your students at the fascinating knowledge they’ve just learned, or the challenging concept they’ve finally grasped, or the new skill they’ve achieved. It’s the wonder of learning. For Sanah, her passion for education and having a career that provides daily achievements were the standout reasons she chose teaching.

“I’ve always had a passion for education – it’s the key to personal growth and societal progress. You can have a positive impact on the lives of young people, inspire their curiosity and a love for learning. And I want to contribute to that,” she said.

That contribution and impact is what earns schoolteachers the respect from students, parents and the community. Parents know that not everyone has what it takes to be an engaging, patient, committed teacher – and it’s great to be valued and admired for those qualities and your expertise.

That specialist expertise is one reason that teachers are in demand right around Australia. Which means that, as a qualified teacher, you’ll have the benefits of job security and a range of opportunities. And you’ll have plenty of work locations to choose from! Nationwide, there are more than 9,000 schools – about 1,000 in Western Australia alone. So, if you’ve an inclination for travel, you can take your degree around the country (plus a range of other countries that recognise Curtin teaching degrees) and be confident of gaining a job wherever you choose to sojourn for a while.

Another fun aspect of teaching is the range of digital innovations that teachers can bring into their classrooms. Digital learning technologies are big business, and new tech is constantly giving students and teachers new ways of exploring their topics in truly immersive experiences. Virtual reality, or VR, is already being used in some schools to teach history and science, and it’s not hard to imagine that sports teachers will soon be using VR to teach soccer or tennis skills indoors on those rainy days!

What can I earn as a teacher?

Deservedly, teaching is a well-paid profession – it comes with the territory of being a highly respected, sought-after professional.

When you finish your studies, as a first-year teacher you’ll be earning about $78,000 in WA, and then get an annual increase until reaching about $115,000. But you can earn more than $125,000 per year if you advance to higher-level teaching positions. And teachers working in rural, regional and remote locations can gain other eye-popping benefits, including a top-up annual payment of more than $17,000!

But all those numbers are about to change, because WA teachers are about to get a big pay rise (12% over three years!). So, if you start your Curtin teaching course in 2025, after you graduate your starting salary as a full-time qualified teacher in WA will be about $85,000.

How do I apply to study teaching at Curtin?

You can apply to study our education courses using your ATAR or through portfolio entry. You could be eligible for portfolio entry if you’ve completed or currently completing year 12, or you have other qualifications or work experience. To find out more, watch this quick video about portfolio entry at Curtin and visit the portfolio entry page.

Will I get to work in a classroom during my studies?

Curtin is renowned for providing our students with real-world learning. We want you to graduate with the industry experience that will give you the confidence to start your new career as soon as you graduate.

To begin with, our School of Education features industry-standard classrooms that replicate authentic school environments, providing a place where you can develop and hone your teaching skills. And you’ll learn from academics who are past or current teachers themselves, who can guide you to becoming the best teacher you can be.

If you study Early Childhood, Primary or Secondary Education at Curtin, you’ll complete a significant amount of supervised teaching practice in school settings throughout your studies. And because Curtin has strong partnerships with more than 900 schools and education providers, we can offer placements in a range of diverse learning environments. You can even apply to complete your placements in a rural, interstate or overseas educational settings!

So, rest assured that you’ll have the practical experience and confidence to start your career as soon as you graduate. It’s another point that Sanah made about her studies:

“The practical experience is what I enjoy the most about my course. I’ve developed strong communication skills, which are crucial for conveying information and building positive relationships with students, parents and colleagues. It prepares me to confidently step into a teaching role.”

It’s also worth noting that gaining our Early Childhood Education, Primary Education and Secondary Education courses are all professionally accredited in Western Australia by the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia. Plus, you’ll be eligible for registration as a teacher in all other Australian states and territories, as well as in countries that recognise Australian teaching qualifications.

What’s the difference between a public school and a private school?

In Australia, there are government schools and non-government schools. About a third of schoolchildren attend a non-government school, which includes Catholic and other independent schools. All schools receive government funding, but, public schools generally receive a higher amount of government funding, and so they don’t charge the fees that Catholic and independent schools charge (some fee-paying schools charge more than $50,000 per year!) Another main difference is that Catholic and other religion-based non-government schools may require their staff to support certain religious principles.

What if I like teaching kids but don’t want to work in a school?

Maybe you’ve had experience coaching a sporting team or tutoring school students, and you really like mentoring others, but you don’t see yourself in a school setting. If that sounds like you, check out our Bachelor of Educational Studies.

In this innovative course, you’ll examine mentoring, leadership and research within an educational environment – which is excellent knowledge for roles in education administration and organisational training and development. You’ll still study the core learning areas of the curriculum and learn how to respond to the diverse needs of students, and you can specialise in early years and primary education or in secondary education, but you won’t have completed all the requirements to work as a registered teacher. And down the track, if you change your mind and decide that you would like to teach in a primary or secondary school setting, you can easily apply for to study for your degree in Primary Education or Secondary Education and apply for Credit for Recognised Learning for the units you’ve already completed in your Educational Studies degree.

Australia needs teachers, the world needs teachers

Whatever education course you’re considering, remember this: all communities need teachers, and you’ll be going into a highly respected and value role wherever your destination. Every single child needs a great teacher – just one teacher that can inspire their learning and perhaps change their life.

Perhaps these comments from Curtin graduate Hayley Probert sum it up:

“I chose Secondary Education because wanted to be able to make a change – whether it was as small as putting a smile on a student’s face, or something bigger, like helping them achieve their goal of gaining an ‘A’. I wanted to make a difference in someone’s life.”

So, if you want to make a positive difference by sharing your knowledge and using your ability to inspire others, explore Curtin University’s courses in education and put your passion to work.

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