Irish Teachers: ‘Among Best Paid in the World’

Irish teachers are among the best paid in the world it was revealed by the Education at a Glance annual report which was released by OECD this morning. The report found that Irish primary teachers are the sixth highest in the world in terms of pay, while secondary school teachers came in seventh in the world according to the same report. The comparison was done based on salaries from the 2012 year and notes that many countries including Ireland were extremely affected by the economic crisis of 2008. Even after the public service pay cuts two years ago, primary teachers in Ireland remain ranked near the top. Taking the top scale of the Irish teacher’s salary, the salaries of teachers across the world were measured, compared and ranked. Luxembourg were revealed to be the top payer, with both primary and secondary school teachers receiving in excess of €90,000. Other top payers include Korea, Switzerland, Austria and Germany. The report also shows that Irish primary teachers spend more than 915 hours a year in the classroom in comparison to a European average of 768. Irish primary schools also spend 183 days in school, ahead of Europe’s 182 days. Meanwhile, secondary schools in Ireland fall way behind the 180-day European average, with just 167 days in the academic year.