Irish teachers best paid but work longer hours in bigger classes

Irish teachers are among the best paid but work longer hours and with some of the biggest classes in the developed world in return.

The findings from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are based on the salaries of teachers with various levels of service, and do not include qualifications allowances paid to those who began teaching up to 2011. While an Irish teacher at primary or second-level earned €42,500 after 15 years’ service in 2012, the average among second-level teachers across 21 EU countries in the OECD (EU21) was €33,635, and for 34 OECD countries it was just under €33,092.

The comparable averages for primary teachers in EU21 and OECD countries were just over €30,000.

Pay levels here were lower only than those of primary teachers in Canada, Germany and Luxembourg; and only the second-level teachers of those countries, while those in Belgium, Denmark, and Netherlands are paid more than ours.

The statistics are in the OECD’s latest Education at a Glance report, comparing systems around the world under various headings.

But despite higher pay, only staff in primary schools in six other countries work longer than the 915 hours of teaching per year of primary teachers in Ireland.

That is 17% higher than the average 782 hours in the OECD and 20% more than the EU21 countries.

The 735 hours of teaching at second-level here annually are more than those of teachers in 23 countries.

They are 12% higher than the average hours of an OECD teacher of senior cycle students, and 7% higher than for junior cycle, with both figures being 15% and 12% more than EU21 averages, respectively.

Between 2008 and 2012, the average annual teaching hours at primary level dropped from 776 to 761 in the EU21 countries. But at the same time, their salaries also fell, from 103% of 2005 rates to 99%. In Ireland they rose from 7% higher than 2005 pay rates for the average Irish teacher with 15 years’ experience to 12% higher, but this 2012 figure is down from being 15% higher than 2005 rates in 2010.

Class sizes at primary, at 24.4 pupils each in the 2011/12 school year, were sixth highest out of 28 OECD countries where the average was 21.3 per class.

For second-level, only seven out of 30 other countries have bigger pupil-teacher ratios than our 15:1, and may be higher since changes two years ago to how guidance counsellors are allocated to schools.

Ireland is one of a number of EU countries where the OECD said teachers’ salaries were significantly affected by the economic crisis.

It recognises pressure on governments to cut public service costs, but also points to the influence of salaries on people’s decisions to become teachers, and it cautions about targeting teachers’ pay.

“Since compensation and working conditions are important for attracting, developing and retaining skilled and high-quality teachers, policy makers should carefully consider teachers’ salaries as they try to ensure both quality teaching and sustainable education budgets,” it says.

While teachers’ pay here is higher than in most other states, they earn just 81% of what other third-level graduates in full-time jobs make.

Although teachers in most countries are paid less than those with equivalent qualification levels, the ratio here is below the 85% OECD average for primary level, and an average 88% to 92% for second-level teachers.

“We estimate that up to half of teachers under 35 are on contracts of less than full hours,” said the Teachers’ Union of Ireland general secretary, John MacGabhann.