UK: education suffers as graduates shun teaching for higher paying jobs
Children’s entitlement to a high-quality education is at risk because of the widening pay gap between teaching and other professions, according to research commissioned by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers.
The report by Incomes Data Services (IDS) on teacher salaries at different career points shows that since 2010 the pay gap between teaching and other professions has widened.
The 2013 average starting salary for graduates among major recruiters was nearly 20% higher than the national starting point for a qualified teacher, and the lead over teachers in terms of average salary after three years is as high as 44%. After five years the graduate lead on average salaries is a shocking 73%.
The disturbing figures, which come on top of changes by the Coalition Government to pay progression, mean teaching is becoming a less attractive profession. Even fewer graduates of shortage STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)subjects such as maths, chemistry and physics are likely to be recruited to teach those subjects as a result of the pay gap.
According to Chris Keates, the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) General Secretary, “teaching has moved from being the number one choice for graduates in 2010 to one now where graduates are increasingly looking to other higher paid professions. There is already a recruitment and retention crisis in the Education Service. The stark differences in graduate pay highlighted in our research will unfortunately mean this crisis will worsen.”
