New independent research on teacher pay in England confirms how poorly teacher pay compares to other professions. This supports the National Education Union’s case that fully funded and significant teacher pay improvements are urgently needed.
- The research by Incomes Data Research (IDR), commissioned by the NEU, finds:
- Teachers’ earnings consistently rank lower than those for most other professional groups.
- Teachers’ earnings sit near the bottom of the rankings for professional groups.
- The size of the gaps between the earnings of the teachers and other professional groups are very wide.
- Increases in teachers’ earnings are generally smaller than for most other professional groups.
- 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.
- The recruitment problems that affect teaching are likely to be connected to earnings comparisons.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“This research is damning. It underlines the damage to the competitiveness of teacher pay and to recruitment and retention, following years of pay cuts against inflation. It explains why so few teachers feel their pay reflects their growing expertise or the additional responsibilities they undertake.
“We need a major pay correction with teacher pay significantly improved against inflation and other professions – but the Government’s planned unfunded 2.8 per cent increase from September will be below inflation and way behind earnings growth in the wider economy.
“The crisis in our schools is worsening and it won’t be solved without urgent action. We urge the Government to pay attention to the facts and change course now on teacher pay.”
Editor’s Note