Average Primary School Teacher Salary in United Kingdom for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Primary School Teacher salary for 2024 in United Kingdom and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the British pound. To keep things simple, we are using the GBP currency code instead of the currency symbol £.

How Much Does a Primary School Teacher Make in United Kingdom?

A Primary School Teacher working in United Kingdom will typically earn around 53,300 GBP per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 25,300 GBP to the highest average salary of 83,300 GBP.

Average Annual Salary
53,300 GBP
Average Monthly Salary
4,441 GBP

Lowest Annual Salary
25,300 GBP
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,108 GBP

Highest Annual Salary
83,300 GBP
Highest Monthly Salary
6,941 GBP

These are average salaries for a Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Primary School Teacher to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Primary School Teacher salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Primary School Teacher Salaries in United Kingdom

So we've looked at the average salaries a Primary School Teacher will earn in United Kingdom. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Primary School Teacher can earn between 25,300 GBP and 83,300 GBP on average in United Kingdom. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom is 54,200 GBP. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 54,200 GBP, and 50% of the population earn more than 54,200 GBP.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Primary School Teacher salary in United Kingdom, 25% of the population are earning less than 35,300 GBP while 75% of the population earn more than 35,300 GBP.

75% of the population earn less than 73,700 GBP, and 25% of the population earn more than 73,700 GBP.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Primary School Teacher Salary by Experience Level in United Kingdom

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average primary school teacher salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 26,500 GBP.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Primary School Teacher salary would increase to 34,900 GBP.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Primary School Teacher, the average salary would be 52,300 GBP.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 63,500 GBP.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Primary School Teacher with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 72,400 GBP.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Primary School Teacher with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 75,900 GBP.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
26,500 GBP
2-5 Years +34%
34,900 GBP
5-10 Years +48%
52,300 GBP
10-15 Years +22%
63,500 GBP
15-20 Years +9%
72,400 GBP
20+ Years +8%
75,900 GBP

Primary School Teacher Salary by Education Level in United Kingdom

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 32,200 GBP.

  • Master's Degree. A Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 58,800 GBP.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
32,200 GBP
Master's Degree +93%
58,800 GBP

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United Kingdom is around 29,600 to 88,700 GBP and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Primary School Teacher Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In United Kingdom, a male primary school teacher will earn an average of 54,300 GBP, while a female primary school teacher will earn around 51,600 GBP.

This means that a male primary school teacher earns approximately 5% more than a female primary school teacher for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in United Kingdom

Male
54,300 GBP
Female -5%
51,600 GBP

Primary School Teacher Average Pay Raise in United Kingdom

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom is around 11% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United Kingdom is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in United Kingdom for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United Kingdom.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
3%
Energy
6%
Information Technology
9%
Healthcare
3%
Travel
6%
Construction
9%
Education
3%

Primary School Teacher Bonus and Incentive Rates in United Kingdom

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Primary School Teacher is a low bonus based job, with 36% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

64% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
36%
No Bonus
64%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United Kingdom earn approximately 7% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
72,700 GBP
Private Sector -7%
68,200 GBP

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Primary School Teacher

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Primary School Teacher in United Kingdom.

Job Title Category Salary
Academic Advisor Teaching / Education 74,900 GBP
Academic Assistant Teaching / Education 57,900 GBP
Academic Coach Teaching / Education 73,800 GBP
Academic Librarian Teaching / Education 54,300 GBP
Academic Manager Teaching / Education 81,900 GBP
Academic Specialist Teaching / Education 66,900 GBP
Academic Staff Teaching / Education 58,500 GBP
Accompanist Teaching / Education 63,200 GBP
Achievement Coach Teaching / Education 77,300 GBP
Admissions Specialist Teaching / Education 67,400 GBP
Agricultural Sciences Teacher Teaching / Education 60,500 GBP
Anthropology Teacher Teaching / Education 58,000 GBP
Arabic Language Teacher Teaching / Education 55,700 GBP
Archeology Teacher Teaching / Education 62,600 GBP
Architecture Teacher Teaching / Education 70,100 GBP
Archivist Teaching / Education 51,500 GBP
Art Teacher Teaching / Education 54,600 GBP
Assistant School Principal Teaching / Education 78,700 GBP
Assistant Teacher Teaching / Education 54,600 GBP
Biochemistry Professor Teaching / Education 109,700 GBP
Biology Teacher Teaching / Education 62,600 GBP
Bursary Scheme Manager Teaching / Education 73,100 GBP
Business Teacher Teaching / Education 63,200 GBP
Careers Advisor Teaching / Education 78,700 GBP
Careers Consultant Teaching / Education 73,700 GBP
Chemistry Teacher Teaching / Education 57,100 GBP
Child Care Coordinator Teaching / Education 59,100 GBP
Child Care Worker Teaching / Education 50,300 GBP
Childcare Worker Teaching / Education 51,300 GBP
Classroom Assistant Teaching / Education 46,000 GBP
Clinical School Psychologist Teaching / Education 88,300 GBP
College Aide Teaching / Education 73,200 GBP
College and Career Readiness Specialist Teaching / Education 80,200 GBP
College Dean Teaching / Education 139,100 GBP
College President Teaching / Education 132,000 GBP
Communications Teacher Teaching / Education 59,500 GBP
Community Education Officer Teaching / Education 54,600 GBP
Computer Science Teacher Teaching / Education 58,200 GBP
Computer Teacher Teaching / Education 57,800 GBP
Creative Writing Trainer Teaching / Education 71,100 GBP
Credit Counselor Teaching / Education 74,000 GBP
Cultural Studies Teacher Teaching / Education 62,100 GBP
Curriculum Coordinator Teaching / Education 72,000 GBP
Curriculum Developer Teaching / Education 83,700 GBP
Curriculum Specialist Teaching / Education 72,300 GBP
Dean of Faculty Teaching / Education 130,500 GBP
Demonstrator Teaching / Education 50,600 GBP
Deputy Controller of Examinations Teaching / Education 69,800 GBP
Director of Learning Technology Teaching / Education 83,800 GBP
Distance Learning Coordinator Teaching / Education 67,400 GBP
Economics Lecturer Teaching / Education 105,800 GBP
Economics Teacher Teaching / Education 64,300 GBP
Education Administrator Teaching / Education 66,200 GBP
Education Assistant Teaching / Education 55,100 GBP
Education Assistant Director Teaching / Education 78,200 GBP
Education Assistant Librarian Teaching / Education 47,500 GBP
Education Assistant Principal Teaching / Education 67,400 GBP
Education Assistant Professor Teaching / Education 82,200 GBP
Education Associate Teaching / Education 55,300 GBP
Education Consultant Teaching / Education 74,200 GBP
Education Consultant Teaching / Education 90,000 GBP
Education Coordinator Teaching / Education 65,200 GBP
Education Counselor Teaching / Education 70,500 GBP
Education Director Teaching / Education 103,600 GBP
Education Program Specialist Teaching / Education 75,800 GBP
Education Researcher Teaching / Education 89,900 GBP
Education Resource Specialist Teaching / Education 64,100 GBP
Education Services Facilitator Teaching / Education 68,100 GBP
Educational Psychologist Teaching / Education 95,000 GBP
EFL Teacher Teaching / Education 62,100 GBP
eLearning Trainer Teaching / Education 54,100 GBP
Elementary School Teacher Teaching / Education 48,000 GBP
Engineering Lecturer Teaching / Education 102,700 GBP
Engineering Teacher Teaching / Education 80,800 GBP
English Teacher Teaching / Education 55,200 GBP
ESL Teacher Teaching / Education 61,200 GBP
Faculty Assistant Teaching / Education 74,500 GBP
Foreign Language Teacher Teaching / Education 54,100 GBP
GED Teacher Teaching / Education 51,300 GBP
Geography Teacher Teaching / Education 58,500 GBP
Head of Mathematics Department Teaching / Education 84,800 GBP
Head of School Teaching / Education 103,600 GBP
High School Teacher Teaching / Education 64,600 GBP
History Teacher Teaching / Education 60,500 GBP
Infant Teacher Teaching / Education 45,000 GBP
Instructional Assistant Teaching / Education 59,800 GBP
Instructor Teaching / Education 69,100 GBP
Kindergarten Teacher Teaching / Education 45,000 GBP
Language Instructor For Expatriate Teaching / Education 49,400 GBP
Law Teacher Teaching / Education 86,600 GBP
Learning Designer Teaching / Education 68,200 GBP
Lecturer Teaching / Education 102,700 GBP
Librarian Teaching / Education 49,400 GBP
Library Assistant Teaching / Education 38,000 GBP
Library Director Teaching / Education 68,200 GBP
Library Specialist Teaching / Education 51,100 GBP
Library Technician Teaching / Education 49,400 GBP
Life Sciences Teacher Teaching / Education 61,400 GBP
Math Lecturer Teaching / Education 107,300 GBP
Math Teacher Teaching / Education 68,900 GBP
Mathematics Teacher Teaching / Education 68,900 GBP
Mentor Teaching / Education 67,800 GBP
Middle School Teacher Teaching / Education 63,200 GBP
Music Teacher Teaching / Education 58,700 GBP
Nursery Manager Teaching / Education 87,900 GBP
Nursery Worker Teaching / Education 39,500 GBP
Paraprofessional Teaching / Education 83,000 GBP
Physical Education Specialist Teaching / Education 70,000 GBP
Physical Education Teacher Teaching / Education 53,600 GBP
Physics Teacher Teaching / Education 63,900 GBP
Political Science Teacher Teaching / Education 60,200 GBP
Post Doctoral Researcher Teaching / Education 97,200 GBP
Preschool Education Administrator Teaching / Education 69,400 GBP
Preschool Teacher Teaching / Education 49,700 GBP
Principal Teaching / Education 85,500 GBP
Product Specialist Teaching / Education 63,800 GBP
Professor - Accounting Teaching / Education 108,200 GBP
Professor - Architecture Teaching / Education 116,400 GBP
Professor - Biology Teaching / Education 102,700 GBP
Professor - Business Administration Teaching / Education 105,200 GBP
Professor - Chemical Engineering Teaching / Education 115,600 GBP
Professor - Chemistry Teaching / Education 107,700 GBP
Professor - Civil Engineering Teaching / Education 103,600 GBP
Professor - Communication Teaching / Education 105,200 GBP
Professor - Computer Science Teaching / Education 114,600 GBP
Professor - Dentistry Teaching / Education 109,700 GBP
Professor - Drama Teaching / Education 102,700 GBP
Professor - Economics Teaching / Education 114,900 GBP
Professor - Education Teaching / Education 105,800 GBP
Professor - Electrical Engineering Teaching / Education 112,700 GBP
Professor - English Teaching / Education 105,800 GBP
Professor - Environmental Engineering Teaching / Education 116,400 GBP
Professor - Foreign Languages Teaching / Education 99,900 GBP
Professor - Geological Sciences Teaching / Education 107,300 GBP
Professor - History Teaching / Education 109,700 GBP
Professor - Industrial Engineering Teaching / Education 100,700 GBP
Professor - Law Teaching / Education 114,600 GBP
Professor - Legal Support Teaching / Education 102,700 GBP
Professor - Liberal Arts Teaching / Education 111,700 GBP
Professor - Marketing Teaching / Education 111,700 GBP
Professor - Mathematics Teaching / Education 114,600 GBP
Professor - Mechanical Engineering Teaching / Education 114,600 GBP
Professor - Medical Administration Teaching / Education 115,600 GBP
Professor - Medicine Teaching / Education 137,100 GBP
Professor - Music Teaching / Education 97,600 GBP
Professor - Nursing Teaching / Education 103,600 GBP
Professor - Pharmaceutical Sciences Teaching / Education 108,200 GBP
Professor - Philosophy Teaching / Education 102,700 GBP
Professor - Physical Therapy Teaching / Education 112,700 GBP
Professor - Physics Teaching / Education 118,900 GBP
Professor - Psychology Teaching / Education 111,700 GBP
Professor - Rehabilitation Teaching / Education 96,600 GBP
Professor - Social Work Teaching / Education 95,400 GBP
Professor - Sociology Teaching / Education 109,700 GBP
Professor - Special Education Teaching / Education 102,700 GBP
Psychology Teacher Teaching / Education 89,300 GBP
Public Management Assistant Professor Teaching / Education 88,600 GBP
School Counselor Teaching / Education 82,300 GBP
Science Educator Teaching / Education 61,400 GBP
Science Laboratory Assistant Teaching / Education 51,800 GBP
Science Teacher Teaching / Education 61,300 GBP
Secondary Mathematics Teacher Teaching / Education 61,600 GBP
Secondary School Teacher Teaching / Education 54,500 GBP
Special Education Teacher Teaching / Education 63,200 GBP
Special Needs Assistant Teaching / Education 52,600 GBP
Statistics Lecturer Teaching / Education 97,600 GBP
Student Accounts Coordinator Teaching / Education 55,200 GBP
Student Development Specialist Teaching / Education 70,800 GBP
Student Employment Specialist Teaching / Education 65,700 GBP
Student Services Teaching / Education 53,300 GBP
Student Services Coordinator Teaching / Education 55,400 GBP
Student Support Manager Teaching / Education 72,300 GBP
Substitute Teacher Teaching / Education 50,700 GBP
Teacher Teaching / Education 52,800 GBP
Teacher Aide Teaching / Education 44,500 GBP
Teacher Trainer Teaching / Education 69,200 GBP
Teaching Assistant Teaching / Education 46,100 GBP
TEFL Teacher Teaching / Education 61,700 GBP
Training and Development Specialist Teaching / Education 78,500 GBP
Training Coordinator Teaching / Education 52,000 GBP
Tutor Teaching / Education 58,800 GBP
University Teacher Teaching / Education 103,600 GBP
Vocational Education Teacher Teaching / Education 59,500 GBP

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United Kingdom, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Aberdeen 55,700 GBP
Abingdon 51,600 GBP
Armagh 51,400 GBP
Bangor 45,800 GBP
Belfast 60,200 GBP
Birmingham 61,200 GBP
Bradford 58,400 GBP
Brighton 57,800 GBP
Bristol 60,900 GBP
Cambridge 49,800 GBP
Canterbury 49,700 GBP
Cardiff 57,800 GBP
Chester 53,600 GBP
Coventry 58,700 GBP
Derby 55,300 GBP
Derry 54,600 GBP
Dundee 53,600 GBP
Durham 49,800 GBP
Edinburgh 57,200 GBP
Exeter 52,600 GBP
Glasgow 65,500 GBP
Gloucester 50,700 GBP
Hartlepool 54,100 GBP
Inverness 49,100 GBP
Kingston upon Hull 60,200 GBP
Kirkwall 47,400 GBP
Leeds 61,500 GBP
Leicester 58,600 GBP
Lincoln 51,800 GBP
Lisburn 50,000 GBP
Liverpool 58,000 GBP
London 58,800 GBP
Manchester 64,900 GBP
Newcastle 58,800 GBP
Newport 51,400 GBP
Newry 53,300 GBP
Norwich 55,200 GBP
Nottingham 58,200 GBP
Oxford 52,300 GBP
Peterborough 53,500 GBP
Plymouth 55,700 GBP
Poole 55,500 GBP
Portsmouth 58,600 GBP
Ripon 49,400 GBP
Salisbury 51,500 GBP
Sheffield 61,400 GBP
Somerset 61,600 GBP
Southampton 56,100 GBP
St Davids 49,400 GBP
Stirling 49,300 GBP
Stromness 46,700 GBP
Strontian 46,400 GBP
Swansea 58,700 GBP
Truro 46,200 GBP
Wakefield 46,700 GBP
Wells 49,300 GBP
Winchester 50,000 GBP
Wolverhampton 55,300 GBP
York 55,100 GBP

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United Kingdom.

City Average Salary
England 107,700 GBP
Northern Ireland 49,700 GBP
Scotland 78,200 GBP
Wales 47,400 GBP

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