Resources for Teachers

Duties & hours

Before the bell,
and well after it.

Every state's enterprise agreement spells out what teachers can be required to do outside of teaching time — yard duty, meetings, parent contact, extras. Here's a plain-English version, side by side.

A teacher on yard duty in a hi-vis vest in a school playground
DoE NSW EA

New South Wales

Primary 22.5 hrs/wk · Secondary 18.65 hrs/wk
8 hrs/day, within a 7am–6pm span
Before school
  • On-site min. 10 minutes before students arrive (school-determined)
  • Playground duty roster (~1–2 mornings per fortnight)
  • Briefings / pastoral check-ins as required
During school
  • Two recess/lunch duties per week is typical
  • Programmed Release From Face-to-Face (RFF) time
  • Staff meeting cap: 1 per week, max 60 min
After school
  • Remain on-site until students dismissed safely
  • Up to 2 hrs/week additional 'professional practice' (parent contact, planning, PD)
  • Extras (covering absent colleagues) capped per EA

Source: NSW Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools) Award + DoE policy.

VGSA

Victoria

Primary 22.5 hrs/wk · Secondary 19 hrs/wk
Span of hours 8am–6pm; 38-hr week
Before school
  • On-site 10 mins before first class (varies by school)
  • Yard duty roster, capped at 60 minutes per week total
  • Daily briefing where scheduled
During school
  • Time-in-lieu for any time beyond 38 hrs/week
  • Planning time protected — cannot be used for extras except by agreement
  • Scheduled meeting time reduced under VGSA 2026 — check your school's published schedule
  • Four professional practice days per year (VGSA 2026), self-directed and off timetable
After school
  • End-of-day yard duty rostered fairly
  • Parent-teacher interviews counted within the 38-hr week
  • Camps and excursions: separate TOIL provisions

Source: Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2026 (replaced VGSA 2022 in 2026).

DoE QLD CA

Queensland

Primary 21.5 hrs/wk · Secondary 19.5 hrs/wk
Rostered duty time + non-contact time within 25 hrs
Before school
  • Sign-on 10 mins before first bell
  • Playground duty allocated equitably (avg ~30 mins/week)
  • Tutor group / pastoral period in many secondary schools
During school
  • Non-Contact Time (NCT) is protected for planning/marking
  • Maximum 2 staff meetings per week
  • Daily 'spare' periods covered fairly across staff
After school
  • Supervise dismissal / bus duty as rostered
  • After-school activities are voluntary unless in workload statement
  • Reasonable additional hours expected, not unlimited

Source: Department of Education State School Teachers' Certified Agreement 2022.

DoE WA GA

Western Australia

Primary 22 hrs/wk · Secondary 21.4 hrs/wk
32.5 hours per week DOTT included
Before school
  • On-site by start of school day (commonly 8:30am)
  • Duty Other Than Teaching (DOTT) protected — 320 mins/week primary
  • Morning duty roster shared across staff
During school
  • DOTT cannot be eroded for relief teaching without compensation
  • Recess/lunch duty equitably distributed
  • Meetings: 1 hr/week staff meeting + 1 hr/week curriculum
After school
  • Supervise students to gates after final bell
  • Reasonable extra hours for assessment, reporting, parent contact
  • Camps and after-hours events have separate TOIL/allowances

Source: School Education Act Employees' General Agreement 2023.

SA Public Sector EA

South Australia

Primary 21.5 hrs/wk · Secondary 20 hrs/wk
37.5-hr week, including up to 6 hrs after-hours
Before school
  • On-site min. 10 minutes before first lesson
  • Yard duty roster — typically 1–2 per week
  • Morning briefings where scheduled
During school
  • Non-Instruction Time (NIT) protected for planning
  • Staff meeting: 1 per week, max 90 min
  • Programmed extras capped per term
After school
  • Supervise dismissal as rostered
  • Parent meetings within after-hours allowance
  • Voluntary co-curricular kept genuinely voluntary

Source: SA Public Sector (Salaried) Enterprise Agreement.

Tas Teaching Service Award

Tasmania

Primary 22 hrs/wk · Secondary 19 hrs/wk
Standard span 8am–5pm, 36.25-hr week
Before school
  • Sign-on 10 mins before students
  • Yard duty rostered equitably
  • Pastoral / mentor groups in many secondary settings
During school
  • Preparation and Correction Time (PCT) protected
  • 1 hour weekly staff meeting cap
  • Internal relief shared across staff
After school
  • End-of-day yard / bus duty as rostered
  • Reasonable additional hours for reporting cycles
  • Co-curricular voluntary unless in role description

Source: Teachers (Tasmanian Public Sector) Award.

ACT Public Sector EA

Australian Capital Territory

Primary 21.5 hrs/wk · Secondary 19 hrs/wk
36.75-hr week, span 8am–5pm
Before school
  • On-site 10 mins before first lesson
  • Playground duty roster
  • Morning briefings where scheduled
During school
  • Release time protected for planning and assessment
  • Meeting time capped weekly
  • Release for executive duties separately allocated
After school
  • Supervise dismissal
  • Parent-teacher interviews within rostered hours / TOIL
  • Out-of-hours events: separate provisions in EA

Source: ACT Public Sector Education Directorate (Teaching Staff) Enterprise Agreement.

NTPS Teachers EA

Northern Territory

Primary 22.5 hrs/wk · Secondary 19.5 hrs/wk
37.5-hr week; remote schools may shift start times for heat
Before school
  • On-site by sign-on time (often 7:45am in remote/Top End)
  • Yard duty roster shared
  • Cultural / community check-ins in remote schools
During school
  • Preparation time protected by EA
  • Meetings within ordinary hours
  • Bilingual / cultural team-teaching in some communities
After school
  • Supervise dismissal; bus duty common
  • Remote teachers have additional housing/community responsibilities
  • Reasonable additional hours, with remote allowances acknowledging extra load

Source: Northern Territory Public Sector Teacher and Assistant Teacher 2021–2025 EA.

Reality check: the EA sets the floor and the ceiling. Individual school cultures vary widely — if your workload feels heavier than what's listed here, your union rep is the right first call. Independent and Catholic sector EAs are similar but separate.