§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish the average(a) starting and (b) top scale teachers' salaries in real terms in each of the last 20 years, in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools. [14413]
§ Mr. TimmsI will write to the hon. Member enclosing this information as soon as possible, and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish comparative figures for(a) starting and (b) top scale teacher salaries in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools. [14414]
§ Mr. TimmsThe information requested, which is published in the OECD annual "Education at a Glance", is shown in the following table and refers to 1999, the latest year for which information is available.
811W
Teacher statutory salaries by whether working in primary or secondary: 1999 Annual statutory pay, excluding bonuses converted to US dollars based on purchasing power parities
Primary Lower secondary Upper secondary Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum Greece 19,327 28,027 19,650 28,987 19,650 28,987 Hungary 5.763 11,105 5,763 11,105 6,908 13,217 Iceland 19,939 25,377 19,939 25,377 20,775 30,954 Ireland 21.940 40,141 23,033 40,532 23,033 40,523 Italy 19,188 28,038 20,822 31,062 20,822 32,602 Korea 23.759 62,281 23,613 62,135 23,613 62,135 Mexico 10.465 22,345 13,357 27,643 n/a n/a Netherlands 25.896 37,381 26,874 41,066 27,133 54,720 New Zealand 16.678 32,573 16,678 32,573 16,678 32,573 Norway 22.194 27,453 22,194 27,453 22,194 27,453 Portugal 18.751 50,061 18,751 50,061 18,751 50,061 Scotland 19.765 32,858 19,765 32,858 19,765 32,858 Spain 24.464 37,317 26,669 40,082 29,058 43,100 Sweden 18.581 n/a 18,704 n/a 20,549 n/a Switzerland 33.209 51,813 39,162 60,165 46,866 70,548 Turkey 9.116 11,541 8,144 10,568 8,144 10,568 USA 25.707 43,094 25,155 44,397 25,405 44,394 Notes:
1. The OECD asks for statutory salary scale points but, where these are not available, countries can use survey data on actual salary and use approximations to identify equivalents to bottom and top of the scale.
2. Some countries pay different salaries to teachers in primary and secondary schools although there is no such distinction in England. 'Lower secondary' is, broadly the 11–15 age range and upper secondary is 16–19.
3. These salary comparisons can be only broadly indicative. Thus, they exclude extra allowances and yet, in England, many teachers at the top of the scale would also get management allowances. The figures pre-date the introduction of performance related pay but the OECD definition would exclude that too. There are other differences, for example in the treatment of employer social security payments.
4. The time taken to get to the top of the scale varies markedly between countries and so, for example, a country with a high top scale point might require many years service to reach this and so the top point is not representative of the pay of most teachers.
5. 'Purchasing power parties' are different from currency exchange rates and aim to reflect differences in price levels between countries and are more appropriate for those comparisons. Teacher salaries will also reflect the overall levels of national incomes and wages in national economies which is one reason why the range of salaries is so wide. There will be other such factors such as the average age of entry to teaching of new qualifiers. Salary will also reflect non-pay elements of remuneration and features of the teaching job such as hours, workload, job security, status all of which might vary between countries.
Source:
Tables DI. la-c, OECD "Education at a Glance" 2001, published by OECD, Paris.