Pay raises drive surge in applications for senior teacher status in Estonia
Interest among teachers in obtaining senior‑ and master‑teacher qualifications has grown, as these come with higher salaries. But a larger number of higher‑paid teachers is putting additional pressure on school budgets.
This academic year, a national teacher career model took effect in Estonia, linking qualification levels to salary. Since higher levels bring a pay increase, interest has tripled in just a couple of years.
On Monday — Teachers' Day — the autumn application round ended. As of that day, 170 portfolios had been submitted for senior‑ or master‑teacher qualification.
"Already now we have as many senior‑teacher applications as we had in the entire previous year. We have several rounds, so the number will definitely rise," said Margit Timakov, board member of the Estonian Teachers' Union.
However, not all applications meet the criteria for a higher qualification level.
"It's clear from the portfolio whether a person takes the application seriously or not. When the number of applications grows, the number of rejections grows as well — we still have those who come just to try their luck," Timakov noted.
At Mahtra Basic School, five of the school's 60 teachers are considering applying for senior‑teacher status, and two senior teachers already work there. Mahtra school also pays both senior and master teachers more than one‑third above the national minimum salary. This makes managing the budget more difficult.
"I often wonder how to make ends meet, but in the end it works out. The most important thing is that the person standing in front of the class knows what they're doing and wants to be there. And they want to be there when they receive fair pay," said Mahtra Basic School director Edgar Roditšenko.
At Nõmme Basic School, three teachers are considering a higher career level. For now, there is enough salary funding.
"If you want good teachers, you must also find the finances. As far as I know, we currently have the resources, but what happens when interest grows significantly — that's hard to predict. School leaders are beginning to question how sustainable this system is," said Nõmme Basic School director Õnnela Leedo‑Küngas.
It is also unclear how many higher‑level teachers the education system actually needs.
"We haven't yet analyzed nationally how many master‑teacher‑profile teachers the system requires. Right now, it's trial and error," Timakov said.
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Editor: Mari Peegel, Argo Ideon
