How much do teachers get paid?
Do you want to become a teacher but feel confused about your earning potential? Here, we look at how much teachers get paid across all the different teaching roles.
Average teacher salaries vary significantly depending on your job role, the type of place you work for, and your location. This means that working out your salary as a teacher can be a bit of a minefield.
In this article, we’ve brought together all the information you need to understand how much teachers get paid. Whether you’re eyeing up a career as a teaching assistant or have ambitions to be a headteacher, we’ve got you covered.
Newly qualified teacher salary
When you first begin your career as a teacher, you’ll start at the bottom of the pay scale. However, there are opportunities to quickly make your mark, and receive pay rises as you develop your teaching skills and gain more experience.
Newly qualified teacher salaries in the UK include:
- England and Wales – £28,000 to £34,000
- Scotland – £28,000
Approximate newly qualified teacher salaries from other native English-speaking countries:
Qualified teacher salary
After becoming a newly qualified teacher, you’ll be promoted in line with performance. How much you earn will be determined by what stage you’re at in this process, with salaries ranging from lower to upper pay scales.
You can expect the following from qualified teacher salaries in the UK:
- England and Wales – £28,000 to £38,000
- Scotland – £34,000 to £42,000
If you’re interested in knowing what this looks like in other native English-speaking countries, we’ve thought about that too:
ESL teacher salary
English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers normally earn roughly £30,000 a year in the UK. However, this will vary depending on the place you work for and your experience.
Approximate ESL teacher salaries from around the world include:
Supply teacher salary
Work isn’t guaranteed for the entire school year as a supply teacher, which means you’re mostly paid at a daily rate. This is usually calculated on a pro-rata basis, dividing the annual salary of your pay range by the number of teaching days in a school year.
In England and Wales, three rates of pay are offered depending on your level of qualification and teaching standards.
- Unqualified – £18,000 to £28,000
- Main – £25,000 to £36,000
- Upper – £38,000 to £41,000
If you’re a supply teacher in Scotland, then your pay will be calculated based on length of service.
Supply teacher salaries from other native English-speaking countries include:
Headteacher salary
Headteachers usually earn more money than any other teaching professional. However, how much headteachers get paid can differ quite significantly, as it depends on the school, experience, and location.
Approximate headteacher salaries in the UK are:
- England and Wales – £50,000 to £123,000
- Scotland – £52,000 to £99,000
In other native English-speaking countries, headteachers can expect to earn the following:
Teaching assistant salary
In the UK, there’s no national pay scale for teaching assistants, which means it’s decided by the Local Education Authority (LEA). Therefore, all teaching assistants will be on slightly different pay depending on their specific role and who they work for.
However, the average salary for a teaching assistant in the UK ranges from £15,000 to £25,000.
Approximate teaching assistant salaries from around the world are:
Private school teacher salary
Unlike public schools, private schools set their own pay scales and don’t tend to follow strict salary guidelines. While most people think you’re likely to earn a lot more as a teacher at a private school, this often isn’t the case. The average private school teacher’s salary tends to fall between £36,000 and £50,000.
In the US, the approximate private school teacher salary is $65,239.
Online teaching courses at FutureLearn
Now that you’re armed with the scoop on teacher salaries, you’re all set to make a super-informed call on what kind of teacher you want to be.
If you’re passionate about being a teacher and want to take the next step on your journey to becoming fully qualified, why not support your learning with the help of FutureLearn?
Our range of teaching courses will have you covered, whether you want maths teaching courses, STEM teaching courses, or language teaching courses.
Find a course today
- Preparing for a PGCE by the University of Warwick
- Teacher Training: Choosing the Right PGCE for You by Coventry University
- Introduction to Digital Education by Universiti Malaya
- Global Education for Teachers by University College London
- Educational Leadership: Improving Schools through Effective Leadership by Coventry University
