Childcare Traineeship Wages and Conditions

If you’re doing your Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care through a traineeship, your pay and conditions work differently to other educators. This guide explains how it works under the Children’s Services Award 2010.

Trainees are paid under Schedule E – National Training Wage

You are not a Level 1 – Introductory Educator. Trainees have their own pay scale in Schedule E of the Award.

Wage Level: B

Childcare trainees are paid at Wage Level B. This is the default level unless Fair Work specifically allocates your qualification to Wage Level A. For CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, Wage Level B applies. You can confirm this in the Fair Work Pay Guide and PACT tool.

Your Pay Rate From 1 July 2026 – Wage Level B

Your rate is based on highest year of schooling you completed and how many years it’s been since you left school. Age doesn’t matter. The National Training Wage rates increased by 4.75% on 1 July 2026 under the Annual Wage Review. Trainees are not eligible for gender equity increases.

Casual: Add 25% loading to the hourly rate.
Part-time: Your weekly rate is pro-rata based on hours.
Cap: The “+3 years” rate is the maximum — even if you left school 10 years ago.
Hourly wage: $432.30 / 38 (hrs per week) = $11.38/hour

Traineeship Conditions You Should Know

Condition	What it means for you
Training contract	You must have a registered training contract with the service and a TAFE/RTO. Without a contract, you cannot be paid as a trainee.
Training time	You’re entitled to paid study time — usually 3 hours per week for full-time, pro-rata for part-time. This counts as work time.
Ratio coverage	You do not count in educator-to-child ratios until you complete your Cert III. You must be supervised by a qualified educator.
Qualification completion	Once you finish Cert III, you move off trainee rates to Level 3 – Qualified Educator = $32.47/hr from 1 July 2026.
Gender equity increases	Trainees don’t get the 5% + 5% gender equity increases. You only receive the Annual Wage Review increase of 4.75% each July.
Workforce Retention Payment	You’re not eligible for WRP while a trainee. You become eligible once you’re qualified and on Level 3+.
Leave entitlements	You get annual leave, sick leave, and public holidays like other employees, based on your part-time/full-time hours.
Minimum engagement	If you’re part-time or casual, the minimum shift length is 2 hours.

Trainee vs Level 1 Employee – Why the Pay Difference?

Aspect	Trainee	Level 1 Introductory Educator
Rate from 1 Mar 2026	$14.94 – $21.97/hr	$26.19/hr
Training contract	Required	Not required
Counts in ratio	No	Yes, as “unqualified”
Study time	Paid training time given	No paid training time

Why some services use traineeships: The service gets government incentives and you get a structured qualification pathway with paid study time.
Why some don’t: The $14.94–$21.97/hr rate is hard to live on, and you can’t be counted in ratio. Many services now just employ 18+ staff at Level 1 $26.19/hr while you study.

Common Questions

Q: I’m over 18 — shouldn’t I be Level 1?

A: No. Age doesn’t decide it. If you signed a training contract, you’re a trainee at Wage Level B rates. You can be 30 and still a trainee. You move to Level 3 once you’re qualified..

Q: I’m under 18 — do I have to be a trainee?

A: No. If there’s no training contract, you must be paid Level 1 Introductory Educator $26.19/hr minimum.

Important ratio rule for under 18s:

Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations, since you are under 18, you cannot be counted in educator-to-child ratios unless you're:

Qualified with Cert III or above, OR
“Actively working towards” a Cert III and meet supervision requirements

So if you’re under 18 and not enrolled in Cert III, you’re “supernumerary” — you don’t count in ratio even if you’re paid Level 1. If you are enrolled and working towards Cert III, you can count as “unqualified”, but you must be directly supervised

Age 18 isn’t a pay trigger. The training contract decides if you’re a trainee. But if you’re under 18, you’ve got extra ratio restrictions regardless of your pay level.

Q: Can I be a Support Worker instead?

A: Level 1.1 Support Worker is $26.19/hr but is only for non-contact roles like cook or cleaner. If you work with children, the correct classification is Introductory Educator.