Australia has emerged as one of the most lucrative countries for teachers, according to the latest report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). However, the report also highlights that Australian teachers face shorter school holidays and more classroom hours compared to their international counterparts.
The OECD’s annual education-at-a-glance survey, released on Tuesday, reveals that primary and secondary teachers in Australia earned an average of nearly $US74,000 (approximately $112,000 AUD) last year. This figure is 42 percent higher than the average salaries of teachers in other surveyed countries.
Comparative Salaries and Global Rankings
In terms of global rankings, Australian primary school teachers’ salaries are the seventh highest, trailing behind countries such as Austria, Ireland, and Germany, which boasts the highest-paid teachers. Pre-primary teachers in Australia also enjoy competitive salaries, earning an average of $78,527.
The salary comparison utilizes purchasing power parity (PPP), a method for measuring the relative value of different currencies. This approach ensures a more accurate comparison of living standards across countries.
“Teachers’ salaries relative to other occupations with similar education requirements, and their likely future earnings, may have an influence on whether individuals choose a teaching career.”
Attracting Talent Through Competitive Pay
Relative to other professions requiring a tertiary degree, Australian teachers rank fifth globally in terms of pay. This is a crucial metric for attracting new talent into the teaching profession, as noted in the report.
Despite the high rankings, the actual salaries of primary school teachers in Australia are 3 percent lower than those of other full-time tertiary-educated workers. This is significantly better than the OECD average, where teacher salaries are 17 percent lower than those of similarly educated professionals.
The report’s data comes at a time when New South Wales teachers have been awarded significant pay increases, with the most experienced educators expected to earn nearly $130,000 this year.
Workload and Educational Outcomes
Australian teachers face a demanding workload, with school holidays lasting just 12 weeks compared to the OECD average of 13.5 weeks. Australian students also spend a considerable amount of time in the classroom, with 11,000 hours from primary to lower secondary education. This is double the classroom time of students in Poland, where students have outperformed Australian teens in mathematics according to recent international tests.
“Higher levels of expenditure on education cannot automatically be equated with better performance by education systems,” the report cautions.
The cost per student in primary education in Australia stands at $US4958, which is $US965 above the OECD average. This reflects the impact of higher teacher salaries and more instructional time, although larger class sizes and longer teaching hours per teacher help to offset these costs.
University Education and International Students
In the realm of higher education, the report highlights that only 20 percent of Australian university graduates hold degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), falling short of the OECD average of 23 percent. Despite this, Australia saw a significant increase in bachelor degree completions during the pandemic, rising from 33 percent to 48 percent.
The proportion of international students in Australia has also seen a slight increase, now constituting 27.2 percent of the student population. This trend aligns with a broader increase in international student numbers across OECD countries, where they now represent 7.4 percent of all students.
The findings of the OECD report underscore the complexities of the education sector in Australia, where competitive salaries are balanced against demanding workloads and the need for strategic investment in educational outcomes.
