Secondary education teaching professionals: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time secondary education teaching professionals in the UK earned a median £47,632 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 22% more than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
That ranks 73rd of 382 occupations on this measure.
One in ten full-time jobs paid under £32,058; one in ten paid over £62,402.
Median full-time pay: women £45,840 a year, men £49,046 a year.
Full-time paid hours are shorter than usual, a median of 32.5 a week.
About 76% of the roughly 545,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 15.3%, from £41,326, slower than the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 504,100 people in this line of work, 15% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £32,058 | £659.30 | £19.78 | £21,640 | £479.80 | £19.93 |
| 20th percentile | £37,081 | £750.70 | £22.99 | £30,440 | £617.70 | £23.34 |
| 25th percentile | £39,059 | £783.30 | £24.44 | £33,464 | £670.30 | £25.13 |
| 30th percentile | £41,411 | £835.70 | £25.71 | £35,839 | £725.80 | £25.85 |
| 40th percentile | £44,425 | £894.50 | £27.68 | £40,655 | £816.30 | £27.77 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £47,632 | £942.70 | £28.95 | £44,246 | £888.60 | £29.01 |
| 60th percentile | £49,639 | £1,000.60 | £30.65 | £48,018 | £953.00 | £31.00 |
| 70th percentile | £52,250 | £1,057.00 | £32.61 | £50,253 | £1,015.80 | £33.52 |
| 75th percentile | £54,047 | £1,103.30 | £33.96 | £52,098 | £1,052.50 | £34.90 |
| 80th percentile | £56,220 | £1,157.80 | £35.44 | £54,369 | £1,106.00 | £36.63 |
| 90th percentile | £62,402 | £1,292.70 | £39.47 | £60,615 | £1,254.30 | £41.21 |
| Mean | £47,170 | £970.60 | £29.47 | £42,850 | £873.40 | £30.02 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £41,326 | £797.30 | £24.50 | £39,223 | £763.40 | 636 |
| 2022 revised | £41,605 | £814.10 | £24.98 | £39,165 | £778.40 | 548 |
| 2023 revised | £42,781 | £867.60 | £26.14 | £40,356 | £814.70 | 491 |
| 2024 revised | £45,353 | £907.30 | £27.51 | £42,446 | £859.90 | 530 |
| 2025 provisional | £47,632 | £942.70 | £28.95 | £44,246 | £888.60 | 545 |
Secondary education teaching professionals by region
UK: 504,100 (± 27,500), April 2025 to March 2026.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 76,800 | ± 11,000 |
| London | 73,700 | ± 14,000 |
| West Midlands | 55,500 | ± 9,800 |
| East of England | 50,900 | ± 9,700 |
| North West | 49,700 | ± 8,500 |
| South West | 46,200 | ± 7,700 |
| Scotland | 40,900 | ± 7,300 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 35,000* | ± 6,900 |
| East Midlands | 30,200* | ± 7,300 |
| Wales | 16,300* | ± 3,600 |
| Northern Ireland | 15,300* | ± 4,000 |
| North East | 13,600* | ± 3,700 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What secondary education teaching professionals do
Secondary (and middle school deemed secondary), and sixth form education teaching professionals plan, organise and provide instruction in one or more subjects, including physical education and diversionary activities, within a prescribed curriculum. (ONS SOC 2020, 2313)
Also covers: curriculum leader (secondary school), deputy head teacher (secondary school), head of year (secondary school), secondary school teacher, sixth form teacher, teacher (secondary school), art teacher, assistant head, assistant headteacher, assistant principal, biology teacher, chemistry teacher, curriculum leader, dance lecturer, dance teacher, dancing teacher, deputy head and deputy headteacher (128 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Prepares and delivers courses and lessons in accordance with curriculum requirements and teaches one or more subjects
- Prepares, assigns and corrects exercises and examinations to record and evaluate students’ progress
- Prepares students for external examinations and administers and invigilates these examinations
- Maintains records of students’ progress and development
- Supervises any practical work and maintains classroom discipline
- Undertakes pastoral duties
Entry is with a first degree that provides QTS (qualified teacher status) or, in Scotland, TQ (teaching qualification); or other relevant degree followed by further postgraduate training (most commonly PGCE – Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary Education, or, in Scotland, PGDE – Professional Graduate Diploma in Education). Further and higher professional qualifications are required for some teaching posts. A DBS check is mandatory.
Related
Teaching professionals (median £47,328) · Further education teaching professionals · Primary education teaching professionals · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026