Graduates Underestimate Teachers Salary
Despite evidence of increased recognition of the rewarding career teaching provides, results of the UK Graduate Careers Survey show misconceptions still persist when it comes to teachers’ pay.
In fact, one in three students are being deterred from a career in teaching because of inaccurate salary perceptions, with four in five (82%) of final year university students underestimating the figure, by as much as £4,000.
The research also revealed that the majority of students, 64%, do not realise the long term earning potential of teachers. Teachers are seeing their salaries rise by an average of around 30% after their first four years in the job.
In addition to competitive salaries, the Coalition Government has introduced a number of financial incentives in the last 12 months such as tax free bursaries of up to £20,000 to attract the recruitment of top graduates to train to teach in maths, physics, chemistry or modern foreign languages.
Lin Hinnigan, chief executive of the Teaching Agency commented: “While it’s heartening to see the positive attributes of teaching being recognised by top graduates, it appears that some graduates are basing important career decisions on inaccurate perceptions. Teaching is increasingly a career for the most able graduates as demonstrated by its pay, benefits and prospects that compare favourably to other graduate professions. I’d urge anyone considering a career in teaching to investigate just how well the profession compares to alternative careers.”
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