How to become a Special Education Teacher

Teaches academic and living skills to early childhood, primary and secondary school students with particular learning difficulties using various techniques, and promotes students' social, emotional, intellectual and physical development.

Main tasks

• Assesses students' abilities and limitations with regard to intellectual, sensory, physical, social and emotional disabilities, or specific problems of language and culture
• Develops and implements individualised learning, behaviour and wellbeing plans to maximise students' growth
• Teaches students with physical, social, intellectual, emotional and linguistic needs
• Enhances student engagement through enriched differentiated and individualised learning programs
• Administers various forms of assessment and interprets the results
• Prepares and maintains students' data, and records and submits reports as required
• Advises, instructs and counsels parents and teachers on the availability and use of special techniques and therapies that benefit students' growth

Ways in

• University: Education & Teaching degrees, Offered by 37 universities in Australia
• TAFE and VET: Graduate Diploma of Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice (TAE80113)
• Licence or registration: Registration or licensing is required.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Typical full-time pay: $112,320 a year
• About 29,600 people work in this job group now, and about 33,400 are projected by 2035. (+12.6%)
• AI is likely to change parts of this job. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as medium.

Related jobs

• Specialist Teacher (Vision Impairment)
• Teacher of the Deaf
• Early Childhood (Pre-primary School) Teacher
• Primary School Teacher
• Secondary School Teacher
• Teacher Librarian

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Special Education Teacher?

Ways in include: Education & Teaching degrees; Graduate Diploma of Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Practice.

How much does a Special Education Teacher earn in Australia?

Median full-time pay is $112,320 a year (Jobs and Skills Australia).

Is a Special Education Teacher a growing career in Australia?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 13% by 2035, from about 29,600 to about 33,400 people (Jobs and Skills Australia).

Do you need a degree to become a Special Education Teacher?

Usually. 91% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Special Education Teacher?

AI is likely to change parts of this job. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as medium.

Sources

• Jobs and Skills Australia: Occupation data (ANZSCO), from ABS Labour Force and Census (February 2026), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
• Jobs and Skills Australia: Generative AI Capacity Study, interactive table data (September 2025), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
• Jobs and Skills Australia: Employment Projections (Victoria University) (May 2025 to May 2035), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
• Australian Taxation Office: Taxation Statistics, Individuals Table 15A (2023-24), CC BY 2.5 AU, retrieved 2026-10-04

Updated 2026-10-04