Teacher salary UK: what teachers really earn
Secondary and primary teachers have separate ONS salary ranges. See both official pay ladders, their monthly take-home estimates and how each compares with typical full-time UK pay.
How to read the two teacher salary figures
There is no single honest teacher salary figure. The ONS keeps secondary and primary teaching separate, so this page does the same. Their typical salaries are close, but the lower and higher pay points are not identical. These are UK-wide figures for full-time employee jobs. They are not the statutory pay scales for England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and they do not show the effect of leadership duties, London allowances or pension deductions.
That distinction matters. Pay scales tell you what a particular contract may offer. The ONS figures show what people in each teaching group were actually paid across the wider employee market. Read the two ranges side by side rather than blending them into one average.
Which teaching jobs are included
This page keeps primary and secondary teaching separate because ONS publishes them as different occupation groups. That gives a more honest answer than a blended teacher average.
Good fit for this page
- Full-time primary school teachers
- Full-time secondary and sixth-form school teachers
- Employee earnings across the UK, rather than one national pay scale
Use a different comparison for
- Teaching assistants, learning mentors or nursery practitioners
- Further education lecturers and university teaching staff
- Headteacher pay or a specific school vacancy without checking its scale
Lower, typical and higher secondary teacher pay
Only £2,007 separates the median from the published 60th percentile. A quick glance cannot show where your own pay sits inside that band or how close you are to the next salary point.
- Lower pay10th percentile£32,058
- Lower-middle pay25th percentile£39,059
- Typical payMedian£47,632
- Higher pay75th percentile£54,047
- Top 10% line90th percentile£62,402
Moving from the median to the published 60th percentile is £2,007 gross a year, or about £121 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Lower, typical and higher primary teacher pay
Only £2,580 separates the median from the published 60th percentile. A quick glance cannot show where your own pay sits inside that band or how close you are to the next salary point.
- Lower pay10th percentile£30,674
- Lower-middle pay25th percentile£37,847
- Typical payMedian£45,939
- Higher pay75th percentile£51,676
- Top 10% line90th percentile£60,620
Moving from the median to the published 60th percentile is £2,580 gross a year, or about £154 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Choose primary or secondary teaching, enter your salary and see where it sits inside the correct ONS pay range, with take-home pay and True Wage alongside it.
From the median to the published 60th percentile is £2,007 gross a year, worth about £121 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance. From the median to the published 60th percentile is £2,580 gross a year, worth about £154 more a month after standard tax and employee National Insurance.
Every published secondary teacher salary point
See every published salary point
| Pay point | Annual salary | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £32,058 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 20th percentile | £37,081 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 25th percentile | £39,059 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 30th percentile | £41,411 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 40th percentile | £44,425 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| Median | £47,632 | The published midpoint |
| 60th percentile | £49,639 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 70th percentile | £52,250 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 75th percentile | £54,047 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 80th percentile | £56,220 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 90th percentile | £62,402 | Above the occupation midpoint |
The paid report estimates a position between two published points. It does not claim an exact ranking of every worker.
Every published primary teacher salary point
See every published salary point
| Pay point | Annual salary | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £30,674 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 20th percentile | £35,648 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 25th percentile | £37,847 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 30th percentile | £39,954 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| 40th percentile | £43,185 | Below the occupation midpoint |
| Median | £45,939 | The published midpoint |
| 60th percentile | £48,519 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 70th percentile | £50,032 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 75th percentile | £51,676 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 80th percentile | £53,993 | Above the occupation midpoint |
| 90th percentile | £60,620 | Above the occupation midpoint |
The paid report estimates a position between two published points. It does not claim an exact ranking of every worker.
What the typical salary may look like after tax
At the typical secondary teacher salary of £47,632, take-home is about £3,151 a month. At the typical primary teacher salary of £45,939, take-home is about £3,050 a month.
The estimate uses the standard Personal Allowance, Income Tax bands for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and employee National Insurance. It does not include pension, student loan, salary sacrifice or a different tax code. Scottish Income Tax is different.
How primary and secondary teacher pay compares
Secondary teachers have a typical salary of £47,632, compared with £45,939 for primary teachers. The gap is £1,693 a year. The simple averages are £47,170 and £45,535 respectively.
Secondary teaching has the higher typical salary in this release, but the gap is modest. Both ranges are broad enough that responsibility, location, school type and career stage can matter more than the national difference between the two groups. For a live decision, check the relevant pay scale as well as the ONS figures here.
What usually changes teacher pay
The difference between the primary and secondary medians is smaller than many differences inside the profession. Career stage, nation, school, responsibility and location can matter more than the label primary or secondary on its own.
Nation and pay scale
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate arrangements. Use the ONS figures for the UK occupation picture, then check the live scale that applies to the school.
Career stage
A newly qualified teacher, an experienced classroom teacher and a leadership post should not be benchmarked against the same point. The median sits across those stages.
Responsibility and specialism
Curriculum leadership, pastoral work, special educational needs responsibilities and management duties can change pay as well as workload.
Location and allowances
London and some hard-to-fill posts may include additions. Compare the base salary, any allowance and whether the payment is permanent or tied to a particular duty.
The job behind the salary figure
The National Careers Service describes both primary and secondary teaching as work that extends beyond classroom time. Planning, marking, parent contact, safeguarding, meetings, training and trips all sit around the timetable, so contracted hours do not always capture the full working week.
In England, qualified teacher status is normally needed for most state-school teaching. Routes include an undergraduate course with QTS, postgraduate teacher training and teaching apprenticeships. Other UK nations have their own registration and training arrangements.
Progression can lead to curriculum leadership, pastoral or special educational needs work, head of year, deputy head and headteacher posts. Primary teachers can also move into lead practitioner roles, while secondary teachers may move into exam boards, local education work or further education.
What to check in a teaching offer
The advertised annual salary should be matched to the scale, point and duties in the contract.
- Which nation, pay scale and salary point applies?
- Are teaching and learning responsibilities or other allowances included?
- Does the post include leadership, pastoral, SEN or examination duties?
- What pension, timetable, directed time and expected work outside lessons come with the role?
Where the salary and industry information comes from
The pay figures are from the Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14, 2025 provisional edition. They cover full-time employee jobs, and annual figures normally relate to people who have been in the same job for more than one year. They do not cover self-employed people.
| Official job group | Secondary education teaching professionals |
|---|---|
| Quality | ONS rates this estimate precise (CV of 5% or less). The published median CV is 1.1%. In plain English, this is one of the more dependable ONS estimates for the occupation. |
| Jobs in the estimate | About 358,000 employee jobs |
| Official job group | Primary education teaching professionals |
| Quality | ONS rates this estimate precise (CV of 5% or less). The published median CV is 1.5%. In plain English, this is one of the more dependable ONS estimates for the occupation. |
| Jobs in the estimate | About 289,000 employee jobs |
| Career and role source | National Careers Service: Secondary school teacher Secondary teaching duties, routes, hours and progression. View source |
| Career and role source | National Careers Service: Primary school teacher Primary teaching duties, routes, hours and progression. View source |
The page stops at the published 90th percentile. It does not turn that point into a claim about the maximum salary.
View the ONS salary tableCheck the 2026/27 tax and NI figures
Teacher salary questions
What is the typical teacher salary in the UK?
The ONS full-time median is £47,632 for secondary teachers and £45,939 for primary teachers.
Why are there two teacher salary figures?
ONS publishes secondary and primary teaching as separate occupation groups. Keeping them separate avoids hiding a real difference in the official data.
What do higher-paid teachers earn?
The published 90th percentile is £62,402 for secondary teachers and £60,620 for primary teachers. This means the top 10% line starts at those figures; it is not a maximum salary.
How much is teacher take-home pay at the typical salary?
The standard 2026/27 estimate is about £3,151 a month for the secondary median and £3,050 for the primary median, before pension or student loan.