How much does a secondary school teacher earn?

If you are thinking about becoming a secondary school teacher, one of the most important considerations will be your earning potential. Understanding how much money you can make as a secondary school teacher will help you determine whether this is the right career choice for you.

Secondary school teachers salaries in the UK

The pay scale for secondary school teachers is varied. Obviously, the more time you spend teaching, the higher your salary will be as this can increase incrementally depending on your experience. For qualified secondary school teachers the starting salary point in England is over £25,000, rising incrementally to around £50,000. Headteachers can expect to earn £100,000 or more. Enhanced pay scales are applicable for those working in or around London.

So as you can see the range is massive and the earning potential quite impressive.

The good news for school teachers is that the government implemented a pay rise in 2021 and the rise has resulted in secondary educators benefitting from some of the highest salaries in the country. The Department of Education hopes this acknowledgement of the hard work teachers do will attract more people to the position and help to alleviate the teacher shortage problem across the country.

Checking out the teaching pay scale

To find out more precisely what you could earn as a secondary school teacher you can look at the pay scales for secondary schools in more detail here. The position you are applying for and experience required will have an affect on which salary point you start on.

As in most industries, salaries for secondary school teachers will depend upon their qualifications, experience, and the various responsibilities required of them. Job progression is possible by gaining experience, undertaking continuing education programs, and taking on additional responsibilities.

Earning more as a secondary school teacher

It is possible to earn extra income as a secondary school teacher by assuming more responsibilities or becoming a specialist in a particular area of teaching. Qualified Special Educational Needs (SEN) teachers and those who complete Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) programmes will be paid thousands extra on top of their standard salary.