A four-stage career model has been proposed by educators, with each level granting the employee a 20 percent pay rise. The ministry says salaries should rise more slowly.

"Under the Ministry of Education's salary coefficients, an extra €2.3 million would be needed for next year, for example, but the graduation proposed by EHL would require an extra €9 million," said Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200). "If we are talking about €2.3 million, we do not see a problem in finding this money, because it can be found from the ministry's own expenditure. Any larger amounts would come from cuts or supplementary budget requests."

One of the biggest issues is whether the salary of a senior teacher automatically comes with the qualification or whether you have to apply for the post separately.

"If only 10 percent of teachers are affected, then the agreement to end the strike will have been breached and it will not be a career model that motivates and satisfies teachers," said Reemo Voltri, EHL chairman.

The new career model would also cap class sizes and working hours. On Friday, it was agreed that the teacher's workload is 21 contact hours per week, and there cannot be more than 24 students in the class.

Riho Raave, head of Tartu's education department, said Tartu would need approximately 170 additional teachers and more money to meet this promise.

"If we agree on these things, that teachers work 21 hours or there cannot be more than 24 pupils in a class or whatever, including the career model, the main question is still who is going to pay for it and where is the money coming from. Perhaps if we want to get everything we are going to agree for the same money, it is not really realistic," said Raave.

The next meeting will be held in September.

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