Teachers to Get a Minimum Monthly Salary of 715 Euros
The Ministry of Education has drafted a proposal to fix the minimum monthly gross salary for junior teachers at 715 euros.
The ministry said that a motion was sent out to other ministries today to be brought in unison. The previous minimum wages for the two lowest grades were 608 and 644 euros, meaning that the base monthly wage will increase by at least 71 euros. The base wage for senior teachers will remain the same at 736 to 889 euros, depending on qualifications.
Homeroom teachers will continue to receive 10 percent extra.
“The salary an average teacher takes home will certainly be higher than the minimum sum noted in the proposal. For that, the state allocation of funds for education, including teachers' salaries, to municipalities will be ample,” said the Minister of Education, Jaak Aaviksoo.
The state appropriates funds to municipalities to spend on salaries of teachers. The motion will increase those funds by 11.6 percent. The ministry will budget 860 euros per month toward each teaching position next year. The school will have freedom to divide the fund according to a teacher's experience and qualifications.
The fixed minimum is a state guarantee that a qualified teacher, who works full-time, cannot be paid less.
The motion was drafted after a meeting with teachers' unions and municipalities unions. According to the ministry, the proposal should come into effect in the beginning of January.