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What's the average teaching salary?

Emphasis on the word 'average'. Any time I try to find an answer, all I can find is the starting salary and then what can be earned at the top end as a headteacher. But I'm not actually sure what I can expect to earn for the most part of my career as a secondary school teacher.

I know this may sound a bit daft, but I didn't get into teaching for the money. I'm curious.

I'm in the north of England..

Reply 1

varcolac

http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/21715

NUT advice on pay and proposed pay scales that have been adopted by many schools. This won't be true for everywhere; with the rise of academies and the removal of government standardisation of pay, some academy chains have put their own pay scales in.

Typically the idea is that you progress a point up the pay scale every year. Was automatic, now it's often linked to performance. Don't perform well, don't progress.

Reply 2

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by glittery

Which average do you want? The mean salary is approximately £36,500 but the median is lower. Many teachers in the early years of their careers would be surprised it is this high.

Reply 3

glittery

Original post by Mr M

Which average do you want? The mean salary is approximately £36,500 but the median is lower. Many teachers in the early years of their careers would be surprised it is this high.

I'm kinda satisfied with any round-about figure I can get... just to put things into perspective.

Reply 4

jmy1

When you qualify as a teacher you start at the bottom of the pay-scale (MP1) as an Nqt, this is about 21.5k annual salary (excluding London). You move up the pay scales, 1 per year, for your first 6 years teaching. When you get to MP6 you can apply to go through threshold to get a further pay rise. This is assuming you are just a class teacher throughout.

However, Gove brought in performance related pay - so now, it is up to the individual school who is paid what depending on their teaching and the progress of their pupils.

Therefore it's tricky to give you a definite 'average'. I'd say about 26k though. Just a guess.

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 5

PGCESwanMet2014

I've been wondering about the pay scale too. I fully understand the scale and everything. My main question (and I understand that it's a little unanswerable because each headteacher will have a different agenda) is: Is the performance-linked pay rise likely to impact the majority of teachers? Maybe some teachers here will have had meetings or something about it and know whether people will generally move up the pay scale unless there's something really wrong, and, if they're performing averagely, then they'll go up one.

Reply 6

Veggiechic6

Is this information up to date? I heard there was currently a 1% cap on public sector pay increases. I thought this would also apply to teachers in state schools?

Reply 7

Mr M

Study Forum Helper

Original post by jmy1

I'd say about 26k though. Just a guess.

I gave the answer in post 3.

Reply 8

GooglyEyedMonster

Original post by Veggiechic6

Is this information up to date? I heard there was currently a 1% cap on public sector pay increases. I thought this would also apply to teachers in state schools?

My understanding is pay rise and pay scales are different.

Reply 9

MsSnape

I taught for 5 years and when I quit I was on something like £29k but this was before performance related pay and as such I did get an increment each year. I couldn't guess now but if you are a normal classroom teacher with no TLRs and before threshold I would expect that you should expect to get about the same as I was on.

Reply 10

Ratchit99

I think starting salary also depends on experience. My mum is a school bursar so sorts out salaries and she's indicated that someone like me starting at her school as an NQT with 7 years industry experience in computing behind them should expect to start slightly further up the scale (only 1 or 2 places) than someone fresh out of Uni. Doesnt always happen obviously but apparently that extra experience in management and industry should skip you up from base level for salary at most schools, but you have to ask at interview!!

Reply 11

adeeb1

Original post by Ratchit99

I think this is the case. Not only experience, but level of education as well. In the US, if you have a Master's degree, you would get paid more than someone with a Bachelor's degree. Industry experience definitely helps as well, since it makes you more qualified to teach about the topic.