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Secondary school teacher : Salary and conditions

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Case studies

  • Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland start on the main salary scale, which rises incrementally from £21,588 to £31,552 for England and Wales. London salaries can differ depending on location.
  • In Scotland, salaries range from £19,997 to £34,200. In addition, there is a Distant Learning Allowance of £1,782 and Remote Schools Allowance of £1,074 or £2,010.
  • Experienced teachers may become advanced skills teachers (in England and Wales), in which they share their highly developed skills with other teachers. In Scotland this is recognised as chartered teacher status. Teachers may move into key stage or year leaders, mentoring and management roles. Management roles in particular attract considerable salary increases.
  • 39 weeks of the year are allocated for teaching and term-time hours may be long. Hours vary between schools and are usually from 8.30am until 3.30 or 4pm, but most teachers are in school before the school day starts and remain after school is finished. Marking and preparation are usually done at home. They often teach five periods a day, with lunchtimes sometimes being taken up with extracurricular or pastoral duties.
  • Parents' evenings, preparation for The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted)  inspections, breakfast and after-school clubs, and sport, drama and field trips may all take up extra hours.
  • Teachers have 13 weeks per year away from the classroom, but many use this time to work on marking, planning and preparation.
  • Mobility can improve prospects, but jobs are available in most areas, especially in towns and cities, throughout the country. Staff turnover is greatest in inner-city schools.
  • Teachers may be able to supplement their income through private tuition, national exam marking, teaching evening classes or writing textbooks. Part-time work and career break opportunities are available. Courses are provided for those returning to the profession. Supply teaching is an attractive and flexible option for some.
  • Approximately 55% of secondary teachers are women, but proportionally more head teachers are male. The gender balance varies across subject areas, e.g. more women teach English and modern languages and more men teach mathematics and science. An objective of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) is to recruit more people from Afro-Caribbean and ethnic minorities and more people with disabilities into teaching.
  • Secondary school teachers do not necessarily have a base classroom and may have to carry books and equipment from room to room between lessons. The physical condition of school buildings varies enormously, as does the availability and quality of resources.
  • Trips with pupils or staff development opportunities may occasionally involve staying away from home and/or overseas travel.
 
AGCAS
Written by Louise Sharland, AGCAS
Date: 
November 2010
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