Teachers feel severely underpaid and are worried about keeping up with their household bills, according to a new survey from the National Education Union.
A snapshot survey of 4,536 NEU teacher and leadership NEU members working in English state-funded schools, carried out in November 2023, found that:
- 85% say they are underpaid, given their skills, qualifications, and workload. Only 7% say their pay is fair.
- 56% are either “very” or “extremely” worried about keeping up with household bills and finances. A further 39% say they are “a little” worried about meeting bills.
Between September 2010 and September 2023, the cost of living as measured by RPI rose by 68%. Over the same period, pay for experienced teachers outside the London region rose by just 27%. Given this, teachers have suffered deep and lasting real-terms pay cuts on any measure.
