Teachers’ earnings in Poland are among the lowest in Europe, regardless of whether it is a kindergarten or secondary school teacher. The highest salaries in the profession are earned in Germany, according to the report ‘Teachers’ and school heads’ salaries and allowances in Europe – 2021/2022′.

According to the data collected by the authors of the report, in Poland beginning teachers (qualified, employed full-time), regardless of the place of work (kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, secondary vocational school) earn less than in most European countries.

The report’s authors are experts from the European Commission and the Eurydice network for collecting information on education systems – use the PPS or purchasing power standard. This is an artificial, common currency that eliminates price differences between countries to facilitate international comparisons.

In this comparison, Poland is ranked 7th last out of 37 countries included. Teachers are paid PPS 14 839 per year in Poland. Only beginning teachers in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Latvia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia earn less than PPS 20 000 per year.

Teachers in Germany have exceptionally high salaries. They exceed PPS 50 000 per year. In second place is Luxembourg, where teachers’ salaries are around PPS 50 000 per year. More than PPS 30 000 per year is paid to entry-level education workers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Switzerland and Turkey.

From the report it is also reported that, depending on the country, starting salaries can increase over the course of a teacher’s career from 14 % (in Albania) to 143 % (in Cyprus). The average number of years needed to reach the top of the salary range ranges from 12 years in Denmark and the Netherlands to 42 years in Hungary. In Ireland, Cyprus, the Netherlands and Poland, teachers’ statutory starting salaries can increase by more than 60 % in the first 15 years of service.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński