High school teachers in the United States earn a median pay of $47,760, while the mean pay in Canada is C$54,987. Those in the United Kingdom make between £22,500 and £66,750. The high school teacher salary is AU$64,623 ($48,163 USD) in Australia, CHF64,082 ($64,767 USD) in Switzerland, and NOK548,400 ($63,712) in Norway.
High School Teacher Salary Influencers
The work setting, experience, and performance play significant roles in the compensation of high school teachers. With the emphasis government leaders and the public place on education, employers have devised incentives to draw high school teachers into high-demand academic disciplines and areas with rural or troubled schools. Bonuses seek to encourage teacher and student performance.
1. Industry
High school teachers work in public and private schools. Nonpublic schools include private secular academies, churches, and other religious institutions.
Collective bargaining or enterprise agreements cover many high school teachers, especially in public or government-operated schools. In the United States, teachers are unionized in higher proportions compared with other occupations overall. Approximately 89 percent of teachers in Canada belong to unions, compared with 31 percent of workers overall in that country.
Pay for public sector high school teachers may turn on government budgets and funding. Generally, high school teachers in public school systems tend to earn more than their private sector counterparts.
2. Geographical Area
| High School Teacher Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | Switzerland | Norway |
| Hourly Wage | $20.68 | C$25.92 | £21.63 | AU$32.43 | CHF30.81 | NOK263.65 |
| Annual Wage | $47,760 | C$54,987 | £45,000 | AU$64,623 | CHF64,082 | NOK548,400 |
High School Teacher Salary in the US
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2016, the median salary for high school teachers stands at $58,030, with the top ten percent of earnings making above $92,920 per year. While PayScale reports a mean salary of $47,760.
High School Teacher Salary in Canada
According to Payscale, the mean pay is C$54,987 for high school teachers in Canada. While, Job Bank Canada states that the median pay for Canadian high school teachers is C$37.91 per hour, which translates to a full-time annual median of C$78,853 per year.
High School Teacher Salary in the UK
The pay for secondary school teachers in the United Kingdom runs from £22,500 to £66,750 per year, says the National Careers Service.
High School Teacher Salary in Australia
The median pay is AU$64,623 for high school teachers in Australia. Earnings run between AU$44,689 and AU$93,515. However, public schools in Australia pay high school teachers according to “Enterprise Agreements,” which classify pay according to experience and performance.
High School Teacher Salary in Switzerland
PayScale says that the mean salary for high school teachers in Switzerland is CHF64,082 per year. While the reported total pay starts at CHF20,800 and climbs to CHF99,002.
High School Teacher Salary in Norway
The mean pay for secondary education teachers in Norway stands at NOK 45,700 per month, or NOK548,400 annually. Pay is NOK45,800 per month or NOK549,600 per year for those in the “Local government” sector. In the “Central Government,” the mean figures are NOK45,300 monthly and NOK543,600 annually. While the mean pay is NOK44,500 or NOK534,000 yearly, for secondary teachers in “Private sector and public enterprises.”
3. Experience
Entry-level high school teachers in the United States have a median pay of $41,000. The figure rises to $47,000 at five years of experience, $54,000 at ten years and $60,000 after 20 years.
Canadian high school teachers have an entry-level median pay of C$49,000. The median rises to C$58,000 at five years of experiences, C$63,000 at ten years of experience, and approximately C$77,000 after 20 years of experience.
In the United Kingdom, starters earn from £22,500 to £33,000; those in inner London make £38,000. At the “Experienced” level, pay ranges from £35,500 to £38,250, and rises to £46,750 in inner London. Secondary school teachers make between £39,000 to £59,250, and up to £66,750 in inner London as “Highly Experienced.”
For Australian high school teachers, the median is AU$61,000 at entry-level. Thereafter, the median steadily rises, reaching AU$70,000 with five years of experience AU$76,000 at ten years, and AU$82,000 after 20 years.
The median pay for Swiss high school teachers is CHF61,000 at entry-level. Teachers earn a median of CHF68,000 at five-years experience, which inches to CHF69,000 at ten-years of experience. With 20 years of experience, the median pay amounts to about CHF80,000 per year.
Working Hours
In the United States, work hours vary by the school districts that employee high school teachers. Those in certain schools may have duties as chaperones at school events or field trips. Certain high school teachers also coach sports teams or run extracurricular activities.
In Canada, approximately 88 percent of secondary teachers were full-time professionals. The average work week in the United Kingdom lasts about 37 hours.
According to the Australian Government’s “Job Outlook,” approximately three out of four secondary school teachers in Australia worked full-time. These full-time teachers logged a mean work week of 41.3 hours, slightly higher than the 40.2 hours for all full-time workers in Australia.
Bonuses & Benefit Packages
PayScale reports that high school teacher bonuses in the United States range from $389.16 to $7,901. Teachers in many districts in the United States may earn performance bonuses, tied to factors such as students’ standardized test scores. For instance, under one North Carolina incentive program, teachers in schools whose students exceed growth expectations can reap bonuses from $750 to $1,000. “Highly effective” teachers in New York could earn bonuses of $25,000.
In Canada, high school teachers fetch bonuses ranging from C$750 to C$15,000. While in Norway, secondary education teachers in the “Private and public enterprise” sector earn bonuses of NOK100 per month or NOK1,200 per year.
Bonuses for Australian teachers runs from AU$199.11 to AU$5,166. Depending on the system, enterprise agreements in Australia allow higher pay and bonuses for performance. For example, South Australia’s agreement has a “Highly Accomplished Teacher” category, paying AU$107,224 as of January 1, 2017.
Job Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment of high school teachers in the United States should rise by six percent through 2014. Job openings by that time should number an estimated 55,900.
Canada should have 44,000 job openings available for 43,000 seekers of secondary teacher positions. Retirement of current teachers accounts for approximately 68 percent of the openings, or about 30,100 openings.
Australia could have more than 50,000 openings for secondary school teachers by November 2019. As of November 2015, the profession numbered 134,000 occupants.
Education Business reports that, in 2016, the United Kingdom would have a demand for 3,102 additional trainee teachers in math at the secondary education level. Other teacher shortages often arise among RE, science and modern language teachers.
In Northern Norway, currently unqualified teachers and retirements will create a need for 4,000 new teachers, says Norway Today. Some classrooms in that area do not have secondary education teachers.
Conclusion
With shortages in many places, aspiring qualified high school teachers can readily find employment. Depending on the location, demand may prove strong in particular subjects such as math and science. You can also read about the elementary teacher salary.
Finally, high school teachers can improve their pay prospects with performance and experience. Bonuses and incentives may flow to those who demonstrate effective teaching or willingness to work in troubled school districts.
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