Where in the world do teachers get paid the most

The first comprehensive attempt to compare the status of teachers across the world was published on Thursday last week – just ahead of World Teacher Day (October 5) – by the Varkey Gems Foundation.

The 2013 Global Teacher Status Index, written by Peter Dolton, Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex and Dr Oscar Marcenaro-Gutierrez, Associate Professor at the Department of Statistics and Econometrics at the University of Malaga, is based on in-depth opinion polling by Populus in 21 countries that explores the attitudes of the public around the world towards teachers.

The countries have then been ranked in an index based on these results.

According to the index, teachers have the highest status in China and the lowest status in Israel. China, South Korea, Turkey, Egypt and Greece respect their teachers more than all other European and Anglo Saxon countries. The UK and the US are ranked in the middle of the Teacher Status Index.

The Index, published by the Dubai-based Varkey Gems Foundation, does not include the UAE. According to a media statement, 1,000 respondents were polled each in the following 21 countries: Brazil, China, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Turkey, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the United States.

The public in these countries were asked questions exploring how teaching is compared to other professions, whether teachers’ earnings are judged to be fair, whether people would encourage their own children to become teachers, and how far people think that pupils respect teachers.

People were also asked about comparative attitudes towards primary school teachers, secondary school teachers and head-teachers as well as their general attitudes towards the education system. Finally, they were asked whether teacher unions have too much power over teachers’ pay and conditions.

There have been many international education comparisons such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) annual Education at a Glance. But this is the first time that there has been a comparative study of the status of teachers around the world, the statement added.

So where do teachers earn the most among those 21 countries? It’s Switzerland, for a starting gross salary of $47,783.79 (Dh175,509.86), which works out to a monthly pay of Dh14,625.82 for beginners. And it’s the least in Egypt, where starting gross salary of teachers is less than one-tenth of what teachers in Switzerland get. It’s just $4,199.57 (Dh15,425) per year – or a mere Dh1,285.42 per month.

However, when looked at from an overall perspective, it’s teachers in Singapore that emerge as the best paid, with a gross income of $45,755.47 (Dh168,059.84) per year, or Dh14,005 per month. Gross income is an average of teacher salaries across all levels and is calculated after taxation, and that’s where teachers in Switzerland are relegated to the No. 5 slot, with a gross income of $39,326.04 (Dh155,197.73) per year, or Dh12,933.14 per month.

Others in the Top 5 include the US, South Korea, Japan and Germany, at No. 2 through No. 4. Teachers in Egypt, on the other hand, still end up at the bottom of the 21-country table although their gross income improves to $10,604 (Dh38,948.53) per year, or Dh3,245.71 per month.

[Image via Shutterstock]

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