Gross basic salaries for teachers entering the profession are lower than national GDP per capita in almost all European countries, and their pay will not even double over the course of their working lifetime, except in a handful of Member States, among which Cyprus.
These are the main findings of a report comparing the salaries of public-sector teachers and school heads in 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey.
The report was published Wednesday by the European Commission Representation in Cyprus.
The data, based on the 2009/10 school year, cover pre-primary to upper secondary education. Taking into account available figures, salary levels and allowances, the best-paid teachers in the European Union are in Luxembourg, Denmark and Austria. The least well-paid are in Bulgaria and Romania.
It is noted that six million teachers are currently employed in the Member States.
The report also shows that at the beginning of their careers, teachers' gross basic salaries are lower than national GDP per capita in all countries with the exception of Germany, Spain and Portugal. Only in three countries (Cyprus, Portugal and Romania) is possible for teachers to double their basic salaries in the course of their career. However, even in these countries, it takes more than 20 years to progress to the top salary scale.
A wide range of allowances are available in most European countries, in addition to basic salaries, but only half of the countries award specific allowances for further professional qualification and excellence in teaching, the report says.
It adds that actual teacher salaries, including add-ons, are close to the top of the pay scale in many countries. According to the report, this is due to an ageing teacher population and the allowances that teachers may receive. In Denmark (61.804 euro), Greece (22.817 euro), Finland (44.775 euro) and England (35.580 euro), teachers' take-home pay is on average higher than the top pay scale due to these allowances.
The report notes that in general, teachers in Europe maintained their purchasing power in 2009 and the economic crisis had an impact on their salaries in only a few countries in 2010 (Ireland, Greece, Spain, Latvia and Romania), adding that during the same period, the Netherlands and Poland increased teachers' salaries.
It is expected that more recent and forthcoming austerity measures in many countries may affect teachers' salaries and overall spending on education. Nevertheless, many European governments are placing the education sector at the core of their reform programmes, the report notes.
Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, said that teachers “mould our future talent and are at the heart of the Commission's efforts to help Member States improve the quality of their education and training systems. We need to encourage the very best graduates to join and stay in the teaching profession. Salaries and working conditions are a priority if we are to attract and keep the best teachers”.
The report is produced by the European Commission's Eurydice Network, which provides information on and analyses of European education systems and policies, and consists of 37 national units based in all 33 countries participating in the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme (EU Member States, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey).
