TEACHERS PAY IN CYPRUS AND ACROSS EUROPE

 Filenews 5 October 2020

Significant disparities in teachers' salaries across Europe (THE and neighbouring countries) are recorded in the annual report published today by the Commission's Eurydice network, on the occasion of World Teachers' Day.

 The average of the 42 education systems is in the range (EUR 24,499 in pre-school education, EUR 26,237 in primary education, EUR 27,419 in lower secondary education and EUR 28,420 in upper secondary education).

Gross statutory starting salaries can range from around 5,000 to over 80,000 euros per year, depending on the country.

In six EU countries (Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia), the statutory salary of primary teachers is less than EUR 9 000 per year. These six countries have the lowest GDP per capita in the EU. Similarly, low wage levels are found in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

Teachers' statutory starting salaries are below EUR 20 000 per year in six other Member States (Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Lithuania and Slovenia), which have the next lowest GDP per capita in the EU.

They are followed by France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and the United Kingdom (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), with annual starting salaries of between 22,000 and 28,000 euros.

Higher than average are the initial salaries of teachers in Belgium, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom (Scotland). The highest salaries are in Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, all countries with high GDP per capita.

According to the report, teachers' salaries make up the majority of public spending on education, and are "a key element in attracting and retaining the most qualified graduates in the teaching profession".

The report reveals significant disparities in wages usually associated with different levels of living in their respective countries. Moreover, these differences relate not only to teachers' starting salaries, but also to wage increases throughout their professional careers.

As noted, in recent years, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have continued to implement measures to improve teachers' salaries and have some of the biggest start-up wage increases in the last four years in the EU.

In detail, gross starting salaries range from around 5,000 to over 80,000 euros per year, depending on the country. In twelve countries, all primary teachers have the same legal salary regardless of the level of education at which they teach. In the rest, there are salary differences between education levels, generally associated with differences in minimum qualification requirements.

In about half of education systems, teachers receive financial compensation for further formal qualifications. They can be placed on a higher pay scale, apply a higher rate, raise points on the pay scale, recognise additional years of service or receive an allowance. There are significant differences in the amount and time of wage growth related to the length of service.

According to the report, depending on the country, starting salaries can increase during a teacher's career from 12% to 116%. The average number of years required to top the wage range ranges from 6 years in the UK (Scotland) to 42 years in Hungary. In Ireland, the Netherlands and Poland, the statutory starting salaries of teachers can be increased by more than 60% in the first fifteen years of service, and even more in the coming years.

In 2018/19, teachers saw their legal salaries rise in most education systems, but wage increases were generally modest or inflation-related.

In Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Montenegro, there have been almost no changes compared to 2017/18.

In contrast, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia continued to implement measures introduced in previous years to improve teachers' salaries. In fact, these countries are among the highest growth in initial wages (adjusted for inflation) in the last four years in the EU.

Since 2014/15, starting salaries adjusted for inflation have also increased significantly in Ireland, Malta and Sweden.

As recorded, the actual level of wages is strongly related to a country's GDP per capita, i.e. the higher the GDP per capita, the higher the average annual wage. On average, pre-school teachers usually earn less and secondary school teachers generally earn more.

In addition, school principals are often paid on a different pay scale than teachers and their salaries tend to increase with the size of the school. In most education systems, there are significant pay gaps between school principals, depending on the size or other characteristics of the school and other factors, such as the experience and responsibilities of the principals. The minimum salary of school principals is lower than the salary of teachers with 15 years' experience in the French Community of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Albania and Turkey. This also applies to certain levels of education or to heads of small schools in some other countries.

Source: eyenews/KYPE