In its annual report published during World Teachers Day, the Eurydice network – which is responsible for analysing European education systems and policies – confirmed on Wednesday 5 October that teachers' salaries had increased. Nevertheless, it also pointed out significant pay disparities between the member states.
Last year, the salaries of the teaching body rose in 24 countries, mainly due to wage adjustments for all civil servants. A significant increase was observed in Bulgaria, Estonia and Lithuania. Salaries in France and Belgium stagnated, whilst wages for teachers in Italy and Cyprus are still frozen.
The report does illustrate, however, the fact that salaries and working conditions vary significantly from one country to another in Europe. Thus, while the annual income of a secondary school teacher in a public school in Luxembourg stands at a minimum of €81,600 and maximum €141,840 gross, in Lithuania this salary stands at between just €4,580 and €6,986 gross. This observation is also true for the number of years of service required for a teacher to acquire the maximum salary: six years on average in Scotland, as opposed to 42 years in Hungary. (Original version in French by Thomas Régnier)