"This has been, for me and likely for the education sector as a whole, the first exercise in negotiating, reaching agreements and declaring shared principles in the field of education. These principles address teachers' working conditions, career models and workload calculations – ensuring that we can secure a pipeline of future teachers in Estonia," said Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas (Eesti 200).

"The work teachers do must be valued. It must have clear boundaries and the issue of teacher overwork in Estonia must be resolved," Kallas outlined.

The minister noted that one of the most significant achievements in the nine-month negotiations was reaching an agreement on a career model. According to the minister, it is crucial to make long-term decisions in education rather than planning only year by year. All institutions responsible for education should be involved in negotiations, she added.

The agreement will introduce a three-tier minimum wage system for teachers starting in January. The first tier is the base minimum wage for teachers, which also applies to new teachers, Kallas explained. The second tier is the senior teacher minimum wage, which is 10 percent higher than the base wage, and the third tier is the master teacher minimum wage, which is 30 percent higher than the base wage.

The education agreement was signed by the Education Personnel Union, the Estonian Trade Union Confederation and the Association of School Principals.

Among local governments, the agreement was signed by Lääne-Harju Municipality, Kadrina Municipality, Setomaa Municipality, Peipsiääre Municipality, Tartu Municipality, Kose Municipality, Lüganuse Municipality, Toila Municipality and Ruhnu Municipality.

Most local governments, including Tallinn and Tartu, chose not to sign the agreement, citing insufficient financial resources and too little additional funding from the central government to achieve the agreement's objectives.

Among private schools, the Estonian Christian Private Schools Association, the Association of Estonian Free Waldorf Schools and Kindergartens, the Association of Estonian Private General Education Schools, MTÜ Inimeselt Inimesele, MTÜ School in the 21st Century and the Tartu Catholic Education Center MTÜ announced their adherence to the agreement.

The government plans to allocate funds for implementing the career model in the state budget for 2026. Details on the specific sources of funding will be determined during the preparation of the 2026 budget.

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