Which countries pay international school teachers the most? It's often said that schools in China, Thailand, and Singapore offer the best salaries for teachers and, as someone who taught in Hong Kong for five years at two different schools, I can vouch for this claim.
The state with the highest teacher salaries is actually the Northern Territory.
Most recent OECD data indicates that salaries for primary teachers with 15 years of experience are highest in Luxembourg, where educators earn $101,360 per year, on average. In the United States, teachers make closer to $62,101 behind Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Australia and Ireland.
High-school teachers with a Master of Teaching (Secondary) earn $75,500 on average. This is 18% more than high-school teachers with a Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education), who earn $64,100 on average.
Many private schools are able to pay salaries that outstrip those in the public system. In the past 12 months, jobs advertised in inner-city private schools have offered base salaries up to $160,000, and rural principals have reported high offers in the regions too.
Teacher salaries in Australia can range from $45,000 to $200,000 per year (for full time) depending on the role. There are a range of teaching jobs in Australia including casual teachers through to lead teacher, so depending what role you have your pay can vary quite significantly.
Find out what the average Teacher salary is
The average teacher salary in Australia is $84,721 per year or $43.45 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $74,301 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $117,093 per year.
How much does a Professor make in Australia? The average professor salary in Australia is $162,786 per year or $83.48 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $151,265 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $200,923 per year.
Highest reported salary offered at International School is ₹50lakhs. The top 10% of employees earn more than ₹30lakhs per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping ₹50lakhs per year.
Where teachers are paid the least. On the other side of the pay scale, teachers, on average, earn as little as $47,156 a year in Hawaii, the lowest-paying state. It may be especially difficult to make ends meet on wages that don't keep up with the state's notoriously high cost of living.
Comparable teachers receive the same pay, whether they teach primary school or high school. High school teachers often have more experience than primary school teachers, which impacts the national average pay. It's also more common for high school teachers to pursue a master's degree in their chosen subject.
Six hundred public school teachers will earn salaries of up to $152,000 as part of a NSW election pledge, designed to stop them abandoning classroom positions and to lift student outcomes. Premier Dominic Perrottet said the government was investing $100 million in “future-proofing education”.
The average school principal salary in Australia is $134,731 per year or $69.09 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $127,928 per year, while most experienced workers make up to $167,335 per year.
Teacher shortages have reached critical levels in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Europe and Africa. The supply and demand of teachers, particularly in “hard-to-staff” locations, continues to be an issue, and was heightened over the pandemic due to a lack of effective policy solutions.
A Master of Arts in teaching (MAT) is a great, practical degree for the educator hoping to take the next step in their teaching career.
Dan Jewett Just Became the World's Richest Teacher (and We're Only a Little Jealous) One of the world's richest women just married a science teacher.
About the Author
Andrew Hallam is a high school teacher at an American international school who built a million dollar investment portfolio on a teacher's salary. He has been writing personal finance articles since 2002, and he has been nominated a finalist for two National publishing awards.
In many communities in the United States, the local school district is the largest employer. While teachers and principals have the most visible jobs in schools, many instructional, administrative, and support roles are necessary for schools to function.