OECD (2000)

D1
Statutory Salaries of Teachers in Public Primary and Secondary Schools
countries and are frequent only in the Czech Republic, Mexico and the
United Kingdom. In a number of countries, teachers can also augment their
salaries by teaching more hours than are required in their contract or by
leading special activities or taking on special tasks.
In some cases, salary adjustments are based on fixed criteria established
by higher levels of government and in others the school itself has some discretion.
While data on the level of enhancement of basic salary (other than for
experience or educational qualifications) are unavailable for many countries,
the sums can be substantial. In the Czech Republic, Finland, Japan, Spain and
the United States, “bonuses” range from 15 to 30 per cent for primary-school
teachers to between 25 and 80 per cent for teachers in upper secondary
general programmes.
Data are from the 1999
OECD/INES survey
on Teachers and
the Curriculum and
refer to the school
year 1997/98.
DEFINITIONS
The starting salaries reported refer to the average scheduled gross salary
per year for a full-time teacher with the minimum training necessary to be fully
qualified at the beginning of his or her teaching career.
Reported salaries are defined as the sum of wages (total sum of money
that is paid by the employer for the labour supplied) minus the employer’s
contribution to social security and pension (according to existing salary scales).
Salaries are “before tax”, that is before deductions are made for income taxes.
Bonuses that constitute a regular part of the salary (such as a 13th month,
holidays or regional bonuses) are included in the figures. Additional bonuses
(for example, remuneration for teachers in educational priority areas, for participating
in school improvement projects or special activities, or for exceptional
performance) are excluded from the reported gross salaries but
reported separately in percentage terms.
Salaries after 15 years’ experience refer to the scheduled annual salary of a
full-time classroom teacher with the minimum training necessary to be fully qualified
and with 15 years’ experience. The maximum salaries reported refer to the
scheduled maximum annual salary (top of the salary scale) of a full-time classroom
teacher with the minimum training to be fully qualified for his or her job.
Salary data are reported in accordance with formal policies for public
institutions.
Data are from the 1999 OECD/INES survey on Teachers and the Curriculum
and refer to the school year 1997/98. The purchasing power parity (PPP)
exchange rates used to convert salaries into US dollars come from the OECD
National Accounts.
© OECD 2000
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