School Principals

ANZSCO ID 1343

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
27,200
Future Growth
11.5%
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
95%
Female Share
60%
Average age
50

Summary

School Principals plan, organise, direct, control and coordinate the educational and administrative aspects of primary, middle or intermediate, and secondary schools including physical and human resources.

Also known as: Headmaster or Headmistress.

Specialisations: Middle or Intermediate School Principal, Primary School Principal, Secondary School Principal.

A university degree in teaching and teaching experience is usually needed to work as a School Principal.

Tasks

  • determining educational programs based on curricula set by educational authorities

  • implementing systems and procedures to monitor school performance and student enrolments

  • directing administrative and clerical activities concerning student admissions and educational services

  • preparing school budgets and maintaining budgetary controls

  • promoting the educational program, and representing schools in the wider community

  • supervising the maintenance of school facilities

  • enforcing a disciplinary code to create a safe and conducive environment for students and teachers

  • organising and implementing methods of raising additional funds in conjunction with parent groups

  • controlling selection, training and supervision of staff

  • may teach students

Characteristics

Job Type
Managers
Skill Level
Very high skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
Below average
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
  • Helping
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. The latest data are for the five years from November 2021 to November 2026. Over this period, the number of workers:

  • is expected to grow strongly
  • is likely to reach 24,900 by 2026.
  • Source: Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.

    Notes: The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.

    Employment projections figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Calculations based on these rounded figures may result in differences to the numbers that are displayed on this page. Employment projections data (including occupations) can be downloaded from the Employment Projections page.

Projected Change
11.5%
(or 2,600 jobs)
From
22,300
in 2021
To
24,900
in 2026

Number of Workers

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.
Year Employment
2011 19,300
2012 20,100
2013 19,700
2014 27,500
2015 21,700
2016 18,100
2017 20,200
2018 26,900
2019 26,800
2020 23,500
2021 22,300
2026 24,900

Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2021 and Jobs and Skills Australia Employment Projections to 2026.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 96% of people employed as School Principals work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 30 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 53 hours per week in their main job. This is 9 hours more than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    More than three-quarters of workers regularly work overtime or extra hours (either paid or unpaid).

    Sources: Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average. Overtime hours: ABS, Characteristics of Employment, 2021.


Industries

Main industries

1
Education and Training
97.4%
2
Public Administration and Safety
2.6%
  • Most School Principals work in the Education and training industry.

    Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, annual average 2021.


Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

34.7% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

21.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

18.9% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

7.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

12.6% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

2.3% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

1.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.4% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State School Principals All Jobs Average
NSW 34.7 31.6
VIC 21.3 25.6
QLD 18.9 20.0
SA 7.3 7.0
WA 12.6 10.8
TAS 2.3 2.0
NT 1.5 1.0
ACT 1.4 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
50
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
60%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of School Principals is 50 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 60% of the workforce. This is 12 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket School Principals All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 0.1 9.3
25-34 7.2 22.9
35-44 24.8 22.0
45-54 33.4 21.6
55-59 20.5 9.0
60-64 10.9 6.0
65 and Over 3.1 4.2
Median Age 50 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

A university degree in teaching and teaching experience is usually needed to work as a School Principal.

Visit

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  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification School Principals All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 42.7 10.1
Bachelor degree 52.1 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 4.4 11.6
Certificate III/IV 0.2 21.1
Year 12 0.6 18.1
Year 11 0.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.1 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for School Principals who can communicate clearly with a diverse range of people, and provide leadership, direction and planning.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 64%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 64%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 63%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 63%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 61%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 61%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 61%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 61%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 61%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 59%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 59%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 59%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 59%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 59%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 57%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 57%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 57%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 54%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 50%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 46%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 91%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 82%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 81%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 69%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 67%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 65%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 65%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 64%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 62%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 60%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 60%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 57%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 55%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 52%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 51%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 48%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 43%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 43%

    History and archeology

    Events of the past, their causes, how we learn about them, and how they influence the way we live today.

  • 38%

    Fine arts

    Compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

  • 27%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 66%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 64%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 63%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 63%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 61%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 61%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 59%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 57%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 57%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 57%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 55%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 55%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 52%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 50%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 48%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 46%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 45%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 43%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 39%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 39%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 87%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 87%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 86%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 85%

    Guiding and directing staff

    Guiding and directing staff, including setting and monitoring performance standards.

  • 83%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 82%

    Coordinating the work of a team

    Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

  • 82%

    Coaching and developing others

    Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.

  • 79%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

  • 79%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 78%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 78%

    Training and teaching others

    Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.

  • 77%

    Leading and encouraging a team

    Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

  • 76%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 76%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.

  • 73%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 71%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 68%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 66%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 65%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 49%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 95%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 90%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 62%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 38%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 29%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 19%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 90%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 90%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 86%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 81%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 81%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 62%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 98%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 97%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 97%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 95%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 94%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 93%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 91%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 91%

    Health and safety of others

    Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

  • 90%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 90%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 88%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 87%

    Conflict situations

    Deal with conflict or disagreements.

  • 87%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 84%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

  • 82%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 80%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 76%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 68%

    Public speaking

    Talk to a group of people.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 11-9032.00 - Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School.


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