So, Wentyl, what do you think is a fair salary for a good teaching graduate? $60,000 a year? $80,000? More?

What about a senior teacher? $130,000? $150,000? $180,000?

You may be surprised that some private schools are signing agreements delivering pay packets to beginner-level teachers of more than $100,000. And senior teachers with additional roles such as head of department can earn nearly $200,000. 

Our analysis of 50 industrial agreements struck recently by private schools around the country is particularly timely given the ongoing pay battles of public school teachers in Victoria and Queensland. 

Many of the top private colleges are also offering staff new conditions, such as 10 days of reproductive leave, tuition fee discounts, caps on class sizes and a one-hour limit on meetings. 

As soon as Victorian and Queensland public teachers lock in their pay deals, we can expect to see many more private schools finalise their three-year offers. As one private school insider revealed, such schools will “pay as much as they need to, but not more than they have to” in order to get the best staff.

See our state-by-state breakdowns of what teachers are earning here: there are vast differences between the states. 

Victoria's public teacher pay dispute has dragged on for a year and led to two strikes so far – and has big implications for teachers in every state across every sector.

In other stories this week, we also looked at how much it’s going to cost to educate a baby born this year in the public, independent and Catholic systems. Hint: It’s way more than you think ... and perhaps surprisingly, Sydney is far from the most expensive city for 13 years of schooling. 

It’s also been a week for extraordinary stories, including one revealing what a pair of four-year-old escapees got up to when they staged a breakout from their preschool and another about a Melbourne teacher who faced disciplinary action after writing a song for a student. 

We’ve also presented some controversial opinions about the surge in adult ADHD and published an exhaustive (and exhausting) diary of everything one teacher has to do in a day. Read the last story if you think they’re paid too much! 

Hope you are all well, and keep in touch at education@news.com.au