Teachers come out top over pay and hours, claims expert

SCOTTISH teachers are paid better than most other professions and work fewer hours than their English counterparts, a controversial study has found.

The research, carried out by Professor David Bell, of Stirling University, found that pay levels among teachers continue to be better than among those in sectors such as healthcare, business, science and the media.

The report also found teachers in Scotland work fewer hours than those south of the Border and are more likely to seek to reduce their hours than other professions.

But the report, which was undertaken as part of Professor Gerry McCormac’s review into pay and conditions within the profession, has been labelled “extraordinary” by those representing Scotland’s teachers.

Ann Ballinger, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, said the report had failed teachers by comparing hourly rates rather than annual salaries.

She said: “He has completely failed to understand the situation. This is a statistical analysis with only a very tenuous link to real life.

“He’s looked at hourly rates and assumed all teachers work a 35-hour week. The harsh reality is that many teachers work a 45-hour week and don’t get paid for ten of them. Frighteningly, some teachers are working a 60-hour week.”

Drew Morrice, assistant secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), added: “This report does not add significantly to the debate around teachers’ pay and conditions.

“The matter of teachers’ pay not only requires to be recognised, but also addressed, otherwise the gap with our professions will widen and recruitment and retention will become more difficult.”

The study found that although average pay levels are lower for teachers than other professions, comparisons of median pay and average hourly pay showed teacher remuneration in a “much more favourable light”.

It described teachers’ hourly pay as “relatively high” when compared to other professions and said that while Scottish teachers do more “unpaid” overtime than other workers, they do less than their counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Prof Bell concluded: “On balance, teachers are more likely than non-teaching professionals to express a desire to reduce their hours, but the proportion seeking such a reduction has changed little in the last decade. In international terms, Scottish teachers are reasonably well rewarded.”

The highest classroom teachers in Scottish state schools can earn is £34,200, with those who have completed their probationary year starting on a salary of £25,716. Headteachers can expect to earn between £42,288 to £82,542.