Salary for secondary school teachers lags behind the market sector
The wages of teachers in secondary education lag behind the market sector. In particular, first-degree teachers who teach a science subject, such as mathematics or physics, were able to earn more in the corporate world with a difference of 9 percent in 2016. AOb- board member Ben Hoogenboom: “If we want to attract master's graduates to secondary education, the salaries must be competitive.”
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Since 2006, teachers with a first-degree qualification earn less than in the private sector. For example, first-grade English teachers earned three euros less per hour (8 percent); for Dutch teachers, the difference was 5 percent in 2016. First-graders who teach geography, history or social studies earn 7 percent less.
This is evident from one report published today: 'What a secondary school teacher earns' of SEO Economic Research commissioned by the labor market platform Voion. The researchers took a closer look at secondary education wages between 2006 and 2016 and compared them to the wages of employees with the same background characteristics from the market sector.
Smaller difference
The average salary of secondary education teachers has been lower than that in the private sector for years. However, the wage difference has narrowed considerably. In 2006 it was still a difference of 10 percent, in 2016 it was 1 percent. According to AOb-director Ben Hoogenboom, this could be because the job mix, scaling up lecturers to a higher salary scale, is better applied or because of the extra wages from the 2016 collective labor agreement. However, he warns: “Now that the crisis is over, wages in other sectors will increase because they need highly educated people. The secondary education must continue to pay attention to remain competitive.”
AObdirector Ben Hoogenboom: “Now that the crisis is over, wages in other sectors will rise because they need highly educated people. The secondary education must continue to pay attention to remain competitive.”
The salary differences between education and the private sector vary per teacher. First-degree teachers have been earning less for years than they could get in the private sector. For second-degree teachers, this depends on the field of study. Second-degree teachers who teach a science subject could earn more in the business world. In 2016 it was 6 percent. But colleagues who taught history or geography earned 2016 percent more in 9 than in the private sector. Second-degree English teachers have also earned more in recent years.
Age
The report shows that teachers with a master's degree who are younger than 35 earn relatively more than in the private sector. It only turns around from the age of 35 and this group earns less than employees in the corporate world, about 10 to 12 percent. This also applies to female teachers with a master's degree, but this is a smaller percentage. The wage difference from the age of 35 is 7 to 9 percent.
There is less pay discrimination in secondary education. Women and part-timers earn better than comparable workers in the market. “These favorable results raise the total wage bill,” says Hoogenboom. “Wages have to go up in the sector, especially if you look at the shortages that already exist in certain subjects. That will only get worse if wages fall behind.”
