Teaching - salary/pay? (biology)

Disclaimer - I'm an English NQT so wait and see what science-y types say about biology.

I think all the science teacher trainees on my course were indeed biology grads (chemistry and physics are more in demand and get higher bursaries at the moment - I hear that you almost never see a physics specialist teaching ). The biologists still get pretty good bursaries compared to most subjects though. You're expected to teach all 3 as far as I know, despite what you did as a degree.

As for which degree the HOD should have - it depends. My old Head of English Dept had a degree in philosophy of all things, so I really can't see biology being a problem.Wages depends on what the particular school can offer - certain areas/subjects demand is simply higher. As far as I can see there's nothing stopping you from taking on extra responsibilities (e.g. TLR increments, SEN allowance), becoming a 2nd in Department or whatever, fairly early on in career. And plenty of teachers mark exams or tutor in their spare time.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but you're pretty young to be thinking so far ahead to future wage and such! I'd just pick a degree that truly interests you and look at career options again in a year or two.

I'm considering teaching (biology) as a career. I know the general pay for teachers is 20k-30k, but was wondering about some things; how long does it take to rise to 30k~? How hard is it to find extra roles such as head of subject or head of year etc? I would be comfortable earning 35-40k long term which I'm sure would require taking on extra role(s). Is it possible to be head of science with only biology knowledge? The only science I did at a-level was biology (not counting maths).

If you can answer any, thanks

Are you talking before tax or after tax?
Before tax my salary is around €38k. This comes to about €29.5k after tax. I'm in the classroom 24 hours a week and the way my school works is that you are only paid per hour that you are in the classroom - all of the time you spend planning etc is effectively unpaid. That salary also includes what I get for being head of year 11. However, I don't know how indicative that is of salaries in general (I work in France, in the private sector). I try to top up my income, though, through translation, examining work, and private tuition, so in reality I probably earn more than that. The above figures are what I get from my school alone.

I have lessons every day and with being head of Year 11 I have to be there for registration every morning and afternoon as well. I finish at 3 on Wednesdays and at 6 on Fridays, with all the other days letting me finish teaching in between. However, sometimes you do end up staying even after your teaching is done, as the planning and marking and photocopying etc won't do itself. Technically, though, you can leave the premises outside that 24 hours' teaching time, so if I want to have a long lunch with a friend (I am free between 12 and 2pm two days a week) or pop to the supermarket or whatever, I can do. But when I take the whole school day into account (including travel to and from - which takes more than an hour each way) I'd say that I regularly put in 50-60 hours a week. So some people would say my salary is pretty crappy for a 50-60 hour week.