Key findings
- Teachers’ earnings consistently rank lower than those for most other professional groups. In most cases, teachers’ earnings are near the bottom of these rankings .
- This is particularly the case for primary teachers, though comparisons for secondary teachers are mostly unfavourable as well.
- The size of the gaps between the earnings of the two teacher groups on the one hand, and those of the other professional groups on the other hand, are often very wide.
- Looking at how earnings have increased over the latest period, increases in teachers’ earnings were generally smaller than for most of the other professional groups.
- Analysis of the lower parts of the earnings distributions for both teachers and the other professional groups shows that teachers’ earnings here are behind those of their counterparts elsewhere. This is despite relatively higher increases to teachers’ starting salaries under successive recent pay awards.
- Analysis of the upper parts of the earnings distributions for both teachers and the other professional groups shows that teachers’ earnings here are even further behind those of their counterparts elsewhere.
- Teachers’ pay awards have improved recently, relatively speaking, but they have been behind those across the whole economy for most of the past 17 years.
- When we compare teachers’ basic pay to that in the wider graduate labour market, we find that the starting salary for teachers is ahead of the median starting salary for the wider graduate market. But teachers’ basic pay at the equivalent point is behind the median salary for the completion of graduate programmes.
- Looking at progression, teachers’ pay after three years’ normal progression is ahead of the equivalent median for graduates. But teachers’ pay after five years is behind the equivalent five-year figure for graduates.
- If we compare pay for teachers in England with that in Scotland, we find that earnings for teachers in England are behind those of their counterparts in
- Scotland. One reason for this is that basic pay also compares unfavourably, with levels ahead in Scotland under the different structure there.
- Of the 13 professional groups (including teachers) whose weekly earnings we examined, 7 earn more than £1,000 a week, but this does not include teachers.
- Similarly, of the 12 groups we examined in respect of annual earnings, 7 earn more than £50,000 a year on average, but again this does not include teachers.
- The ‘traditional’ liberal professions appear to have been joined in this respect by a group representing the ‘new’ economy, namely IT professionals, who are included in both these groups.
- Because earnings potential can influence career choices, it is possible or even probable that the recruitment problems that affect the teaching profession are connected to the sorts of earnings comparisons made in our report.
- Our analysis also provides an insight into schools’ retention problems, since they may show why so many teachers feel their longer-term salary prospects are so poor, comparatively-speaking.
- And our examination of the level and structure of basic pay may help explain why so few teachers feel their pay fails to reflect growing expertise and the assumption of extra responsibilities.
- Finally, it may even be that the figures for teachers leaving after three and five years could be connected to the factors alluded to above and also the comparisons in respect of the wider graduate labour market, as well as other issues.