Irish teachers are amongst the best paid in the world, according to the OECD.
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The amount is two times more than institutions in Australia and about six times more than the fees paid in Switzerland and Italy, the study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said.
Teachers’ salaries represent the biggest share of current expenditures, and while the average number of hours taught by a teacher in the U.S.is high compared to other OECD countries, the salary cost of teachers in the U.S.is below the OECD average.
Overall, the USA still leads the way in attracting the most worldwide students, hosting 19 percent of all global students in 2013.
The starting salary for teachers in the United Kingdom are among the lowest in Europe, according to findings of a wide-ranging new report.
“In this regard, it must be borne in mind that up to half of teachers under-35 have less than full hours, with many struggling even to meet even modest financial commitments”.
“It’s sort of a middle position, basically very similar to many other countries”, Schleicher said, “not because it’s the worst, but because so many countries have made very heavy investments in equipping more people with university degrees or other types of tertiary education”.
Katherine Donnelly is education editor with the Irish Independent.
But in England, based on an analysis of secondary school teachers, pay had fallen, with only countries such as Greece and Portugal having a more substantial decline.
In several countries, almost 60 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds have a college education.
“Teachers in England earn more than their peers across the OECD and, after 10 and 15 years’ experience, salaries are substantially above the OECD average”. In 2013, 36 percent of secondary school teachers were 50 or older, up 3 percentage points from 2005.
On the finance side of higher education, USA institutions reap most of their money, 62 percent, from private sources, like students paying tuition fees – a much higher proportion than the OECD average of 30 percent. American students with master’s and doctoral degrees earn 143 percent more than their counterparts with just a high school diploma. US average spending was $11,030 and $12,442, respectively.
Mr Schleicher said personal learning is ” usually a big priority for teachers but not so much in England”. “And teacher compensation in relative terms is not that great”.
“Both Scotland and England are actually going backwards in real terms when you look at the salary between 2005 and 2013”.
However, women account for only 37% of university teaching staff, compared to an OECD average of 41%. With 41 percent of children age 3 and 66 percent of children age 4 enrolled in early childhood programs, the US has one of the lowest enrollment rates, and far below the OECD average enrollment rates of 74 percent for 3-year-olds and 88 percent for 4-year-olds.
The report also looked at early childhood education offerings among OECD countries.
In 2014, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto approved a series of controversial education reforms despite overwhelming opposition by the country’s teachers’ unions, which has introduced mandatory regular testing of teachers: the results of which are to influence appointments, salary levels and career progression.
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Schleicher added that he’s seeing proof that early childhood education makes a difference.
