Teachers in England are among the highest paid for the fewest hours in Europe and the developed world, analysis has found ahead of a mass walkout over pay.
Data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that average salaries for experienced teachers in England are higher than in countries including Sweden, Switzerland, France and Finland.
However, teachers in most state schools in England are legally required to be at work and available for work for a maximum of 1,265 hours over 195 days of the year – lower than the requirements for any other developed nation which provided data to the OECD, except for Luxembourg.
OECD research showed that for teachers with 15 years’ experience, average pay for primary school teachers in 2020, when adjusted to account for purchasing power in different countries, is $54,889 (£44,557) in England – higher than the OECD average of $49,245 (£39,976) and the EU average of $49,022 (£39,795).
