Net pay for aussie nurses

World International

Published

I'm making plans to relocate to Melbourne and find work as an RN but somehow thought the pay was better than it appears to be in Australia. I'm looking at a scale and the wage is listed as this:

Nursing Level

Hourly Rate

Fortnightly Salary

Annual Base Salary

1styear

$23.13

$1,758

$45,708

2ndyear

$24.02

$1,826

$47,746

3rdyear

$24.92

$1,894

$49,244

4thyear

$25.00

$1,962

$51,012

5thyear

$25.88

$2,031

$52,806

6thyear

$26.75

$2,098

$54,548

7thyear

$27.61

$2,166

$56,316

8thyear

$28.29

$2,220

$57,720

9thyear

$28.98

$2,274

$59,124

10thyear

$29.65

$2,326

$60,476

In Alberta, Canada, as a new grad RN, I make approx. $35 an hr not including shift differentials and take home is around $3300-3500 a month.

How much is typical take home for an Australian RN with only 1 yr experience? Is there much off set with salary packaging etc... and shift differentials? I'm worried that I'll be moving and taking a huge pay cute when I'm still paying off a large amount of debt from being in school.

For those of you who work in Australia, what does a typical nurse take home after all is said and done, per month or bi-weekly?

Thanks!! : )

Up Vote Up Vote ×

oops, that was originally in a table...

Up Vote Up Vote ×

victoria has the lowest pay because we have nurse ratios in place...in bigger hospitals it is 1 to 4 on am shift and (can't remember) 1 to 5 or 6 on pm shifts, yes pay is crap until you are up in management. Aum 32.92 an hour plus cert or diploma allowance plus shift allowance, which if you work crappy shifts can bring your pay up 2-300 dollars.

All hospitals in Australia pay fortnightly. I don't know exactly but first year nurse with salary sacrificing may take home clear .....1400-1500 a fortnight.

Other may know much more than me.....

Its a myth that nurses earn good money, by the spin doctors in parliament that wanted to recruit anybody into the uni system and lure overseas nurses here.

New teaching grads make 20,000 a year more than new nursing grads. and then go up in 3000 in experience a year and they think they have it tough.

Phillipino nurses are now finding that for inexperienced nurses, jobs are now difficult to get and are looking at aged care.......our aged care nurses get another 4-5 dollars less an hour than public acute because of different award....thats why there are jobs in aged care...not because Australian nurses do not want to work in aged care, the pay is very crap.

Now if you are experienced and in early management AUM and work a few pm shifts in public system and have post grad diploma and with salary sacrificing, you are probably looking take home pay

approx. 2100-2200 per fortnight.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

So, if I were an RN with one year experience, working in acute care, how much could I expect to take home bi-weekly or monthly, on average? Take home here is approx. $3400 a month for someone in my position.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You will be a grade 2 second year on whatever that is on your table what about 24$ Plus 18 for any afternoon shifts, 45 dollars for any nightshifts, time and a half for a saturday or sunday and double time for any public holidays. Thats if you get work in a public hospital, most of the private hospitals are not that far behind, some even match it. Aged care is another story.

Less tax, not sure where a non citizen is here, we get first 5000 tax free, we are heavily taxed in Australia, there is state tax and federal tax. So on average about 200-400 tax a fortnight depending on salary sacrificing-don't know if non residents can claim this either. so that roughly 1900 for 80 hour fortnight plus shift penalities less tax, which without salary sacrificing and you cannot claim 5000, roughly ....very about 3-500 tax. so clear about 1400 1800. Its hard to say because we are not tax accountants and do not know the rules for non residents.....but thats a rough estimate.

Does anybody else know?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks, ceridwyn : ) I think I'm grade 5 (registered nurse), 1st year (or 2nd year if my previous Canadian experience will be recognized). I'm trying to figure out if it's feasible financially for me to relocate. What rotations do nurses typically work? We work half of our shifts on days, the other half nights and do two weekends a month. For taxes and union dues, pension, medical etc... deductions are approx. $2000 a month, leaving us to net around $3400/mth.

Is there any way for me to work out an estimate based on a typical acute rotation including differentials?

sorry, it seems to complicated to me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Thanks, ceridwyn : ) I think I'm grade 5 (registered nurse), 1st year (or 2nd year if my previous Canadian experience will be recognized). I'm trying to figure out if it's feasible financially for me to relocate. What rotations do nurses typically work? We work half of our shifts on days, the other half nights and do two weekends a month. For taxes and union dues, pension, medical etc... deductions are approx. $2000 a month, leaving us to net around $3400/mth.

Is there any way for me to work out an estimate based on a typical acute rotation including differentials?

sorry, it seems to complicated to me.

You will not be a Grade 5, this is hospital management, education, supervisor grade

The highest you can be is Grade 2 Year 2.

As for the rest of your post....unless you get a contract working permanent nights, afternoons or mornings....its like I said most acute (if you manage to get a position in acute) as rostered......3-4 afternoons, maybe a weekend in a fortnightly pay. have no idea what a differential is.

So with what I have said so far and your table.....take home pay approx monthly will be something between 2800- to 3400 australian dollars. depending on what shifts and when you work. Again this is public hospital approx. Its like saying what length is a piece of string. Your hourly rate is approx. 24.00 aussie dollars plus shift penalities....minus tax.

Our employers do not touch giving us private health insurance, that is our personal choice to have or not, we have a public health system, that is suppose to give everyone free healthcare......(mmmmm the wait to see anyone in ED averages 2-3 hours to 48 hours,) though have heard if you are on visa you must have it and buy it yourself.....then there is the private health system...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

yep if you are not entitled to medicare (free healthcare to Aussies and those with reciricole rights) and you are looking for sponsorship then you have to take out private health insurance. Mine is AU$1200 per year!

Also you are a Grade 2 year 2! Think you are getting mixed up with the UK banding system.

Just wondering if you are remembering to convert from Canadian Dollars to Aussie dollars?

Most people do rotating shifts with about the same as you are doing in Canada currently.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Good to know nurses work similar rotations there! Makes the guess work a little easier... I am reading information from queensland, and it must pertain to something other than what I'm thinking... Wage rates listed for queensland on the QLD government site list Registered Nurses as Grade 5 and Undergrad student nurses as Grade 2. Funny how things so familiar to you guys would seem so complex to an outsider... I guess knowing where to find the information, and what information specifically to find would make it easier :p If I convert from Canadian to Australian, I make approx. $3484+ a month australian. I'm thinking I'll end up taking a pay cut of nearly 1k a month if I relocate to australia. :( That saddens me because I have a fair amount of debt from school with the intention of fast-tracking my payments and clearing it asap. Certainly makes relocating seem less desireable. Our start wage here (not including shift penalties) is around $34 an hr, for 1st yr nurses, and up to $44 after 9 years. I sort of assumed nurses were paid quite well everywhere... That coupled with the cost of living, especially somewhere like Melbourne, might be enough to have me change my mind on this idea....

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yes, nurses in queensland just beginning are registered nurses level 5, clinical nurses level 6 and so on, different from state to state along with pay, which is higher in Queensland than victoria, but then they can work with many more clients on a day to day basis than a nurse from victoria...

I really wouldn't think a relocation to another country is really a way to fast track paying debts off... try in another few years when debt free but that your decision, I could not think of moving anywhere with my debts, it is going to be difficult enough changing specialties.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

My interest in relocating is purely for enjoyment and experience in a different culture, preferrably one with perks like beaches etc... :p I'm 29 and would like to do these things before settling down and having kids, which I don't want to wait too long on. A large factor in my deciding to get into nursing was to live and work anywhere I desired; of course, having debts to pay off certainly makes that a bit more challenging. Thanks for the information, you've been quite helpful : )

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Vascular/general surgery.

Hey, im also from canada and worked in vancouver before coming to auz about 6 months ago.oh how i miss making the money i made there. Im year 4 and only make 25 dollars a hr compared to my 34 i was making in canada. Its hard taking a pay cut thats for sure. It is a great country here but would probably take you a lot longer to pay off your loan here. I live in melbourne and its really expensive. The nursing is also very different here in general, i found this at least.But you only live once and you could always come on a working holiday visa and do agency work, and see if you like it. i did that the first few months and it was 32-36 dollars a hour, so they paid better.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment