Around 18,000 teachers and support staff are asking for better teaching conditions, less paperwork, fewer staff shortages and higher wages.

Organised by the Independent Education Union of Australia, the rally had teachers and support staff raising their voices loud in the first-full day stoppage since 2004.

Union organiser and former teacher Megan Bruce said the statistics showed the whole profession was in crisis.

"We are exhausted, tired and burnt-out and need action to face all the issues we have," she said.

"It's a much wider issue than the here and now with teachers; there just isn't anyone anymore wanting to teach; what used to be 100 per cent in universities for the course is now only 30 per cent.

"If we don't make a difference, the end game is people's children don't have teachers in front of them, and this impacts children too."

In unity with the public sector, Ms Bruce said, "we're all facing the same issues".

"We stand with the public sector; their issues are our issues; we are all the same and stand in solidarity," she said.

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Demands are for a 10-15 per cent wage increase over two years, pay parity with the public sector for support staff, less paperwork and more class planning time.

The wage increase demand surpasses the 5 to 7.5 per cent increase requested by the NSW Teachers Federation, who voted to strike across the state on May 4.

A secondary teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, said yesterday's strike had been a long time coming, with the covering of classes and lessons occurring "on a daily basis" at their school.

"It's just been an ongoing battle for the last two years, and we've seen no real change and no real willingness to think about the change from both catholic education and state government," the teacher said.

A different local secondary teacher asked to remain anonymous to avoid difficulties with future employment said the perception of teaching is so different to what people think it is.

"It's draining, and there's too much behind the scenes, too much paperwork, too much following up on things and not enough just teaching," the teacher said.

In a statement in response to the strike, Catholic Education supported a meaningful pay increase for teachers but expressed disappointment in the decision to call a full day work stop.

Catholic Education has agreed to match the pay increases awarded to public school teachers but said any costs, including wages, met outside of government funding must be funded by parent fees.

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