Secondary school teacher: salary in the UK
ONS occupation: Secondary education teaching professionals (SOC 2313)
About £39,154 a year after tax (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 2026/27)
median salary a year, full-time, +3.8% on last year
£4,124 a month About £3,263 a month after tax 344 thousand full-time jobs
Gross pay before tax, including bonuses, commission and overtime. Not included: benefits in kind such as a company car. About the data
Pay range
The dark part is the middle half of full-time employees (25% to 75%); the light bar runs from 10% to 90%. ONS doesn't publish the highest or lowest salary, and x means a figure wasn't published.
Pay by year
The median went from £41,326 in 2021 to £49,492 in 2026 (+20%); for all full-time employees in the UK it changed by +31% over the same years.
Figures by year
| P10 | P25 | Median | P75 | P90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | £26,595 | £32,849 | £41,326 | £47,586 | £54,271 |
| 2022 | £26,941 | £33,872 | £41,605 | £48,432 | £55,452 |
| 2023 | £28,258 | £35,285 | £42,781 | £50,039 | £57,815 |
| 2024 | £30,598 | £37,136 | £45,353 | £52,434 | £60,037 |
| 2025 | £32,032 | £38,996 | £47,664 | £54,180 | £62,562 |
| 2026 | £33,297 | £40,184 | £49,492 | £56,331 | £65,268 |
ONS figures for each year, not adjusted for inflation. Years before 2021 used a different occupation classification, so they can't be compared. Earlier years are ONS's revised figures; the latest is provisional.
Half of full-time employees in this occupation earn less than £49,492 a year and half earn more. That is 21% more than the median for all full-time employees in the UK (£40,911).
The middle half earn between £40,184 and £56,331; the middle 80% between £33,297 and £65,268.
Ranked by median, it is number 71 of the 362 occupations with a published figure.
At the median salary, take-home pay after Income Tax and National Insurance is about £3,263 a month in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and £3,147 in Scotland.
The median for men is £50,885 and for women £47,377, a gap of 7% in men's favour. This compares full-time salaries only and doesn't account for seniority or hours.
Percentiles
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (P10) | £33,297 | £2,775 |
| 20th | £37,939 | £3,162 |
| 25th (P25) | £40,184 | £3,349 |
| 30th | £42,461 | £3,538 |
| 40th | £45,985 | £3,832 |
| Median (50th) | £49,492 | £4,124 |
| 60th | £51,736 | £4,311 |
| 70th | £54,493 | £4,541 |
| 75th (P75) | £56,331 | £4,694 |
| 80th | £58,618 | £4,885 |
| 90th (P90) | £65,268 | £5,439 |
Men and women
| Median | Mean | Jobs (thousands) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | £50,885 | £51,366 | 145 |
| Women | £47,377 | £47,221 | 200 |
Take-home pay at the median
| Where you live | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| England, Wales, NI | £39,154 | £3,263 |
| Scotland | £37,769 | £3,147 |
After Income Tax and National Insurance for 2026 to 2027, with the standard tax code and no pension or student loan. Work out your own take-home pay · Take-home pay on £49,000
Job titles in this occupation
ONS codes these 106 job titles to SOC 2313 Secondary education teaching professionals. Pay figures are for the whole occupation, not for each title.
- Art and design teacher
- Art teacher
- Assistant head
- Assistant head master
- Assistant head mistress
- Assistant head teacher
- Assistant headteacher
- Assistant principal
- Biology teacher
- Business studies teacher
- Chemistry teacher
- Comprehensive school teacher
- Computer science teacher
- Curriculum leader
- Dance lecturer
- Dance teacher
- Dancing teacher
- Deputy head
- Deputy head master
- Deputy head mistress
- Deputy head teacher
- Deputy headteacher
- Deputy principal
- Design and technology teacher
- Director of music
- Director of sport
- Director of studies
- Drama teacher
- Economics teacher
- English teacher
- French teacher
- Geography teacher
- German teacher
- Head of art
- Head of biology
- Head of chemistry
- Head of department
- Head of design and technology
- Head of drama
- Head of english
- Head of faculty
- Head of geography
- Head of history
- Head of humanities
- Head of mathematics
- Head of MFL
- Head of modern foreign languages
- Head of music
- Head of performing arts
- Head of physical education
- Head of physics
- Head of science
- Head of year
- History teacher
- Home economics teacher
- House master
- House mistress
- Humanities teacher
- Ict teacher
- Information and communication technology teacher
Show all 106 titles
- Information technology teacher
- Instructor
- IT teacher
- Italian teacher
- Language teacher
- Lecturer
- Master
- Mathematics teacher
- MFL teacher
- Mistress
- Modern foreign languages teacher
- Monk
- Music teacher
- Nun
- Pe teacher
- Physical education teacher
- Physical training instructor
- Physics teacher
- Politics teacher
- Principal teacher of guidance
- Psychology teacher
- Re teacher
- Religious education teacher
- School master
- School mistress
- Science teacher
- Secondary school teacher
- Secondary teacher
- Sixth form college teacher
- Sixth form teacher
- Social science teacher
- Sociology teacher
- Spanish teacher
- Sports teacher
- Teacher
- Teacher of art
- Teacher of geography
- Teacher of history
- Teacher of music
- Teacher of physics
- Teacher of science
- Tutor
- Unqualified teacher
- Upper school teacher
- Welsh teacher
- Woodwork instructor
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Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026 provisional, Table 14.7a (full-time employees, gross annual pay, UK, tax year ending 5 April 2026). Provisional figures may be revised.