Glossary
Glossary
Education levels and programmes
The Eurydice–OECD joint data collection on teachers’ and school heads’ salaries and allowances covers pre-primary, primary and general secondary education (lower and upper). The definitions used are those set down in the International standard classification of education (ISCED 2011)
Pre-primary education (ISCED 02)
Programmes at this level are typically designed with a comprehensive approach, to support young children’s early cognitive, physical, social and emotional development and to introduce them to organised instruction outside the family context. These programmes must have an intentional education component. Pre-primary education (ISCED level 02) is designed for children aged at least 3 years.
Primary education (ISCED 1)
Programmes at this level are typically designed to provide students with fundamental skills in reading, writing and mathematics (i.e. literacy and numeracy), and to establish a solid foundation for the learning and understanding of core areas of knowledge in preparation for lower secondary education. They also seek to promote children’s personal and social development. Age is typically the only entry requirement at this level. The customary or legal age of entry is usually between 5 and 7 years old. This level typically lasts 6 years, although its duration can range between 4 and 7 years, depending on the country.
Lower secondary education (ISCED 2)
Programmes at the lower-secondary level are typically designed to build on the learning outcomes from ISCED level 1. human development upon which education systems may then expand further educational opportunities Programmes at this level are usually organised around a more subject-oriented curriculum, introducing theoretical concepts across a broad range of subjects. Students typically enter ISCED level 2 between the ages of 10 and 13 (age 12 being the most common). The ISCED designator 24 denotes lower general secondary education.
Upper secondary education (ISCED 3)
Programmes at the upper secondary level are typically designed to complete secondary education in preparation for tertiary education or to provide skills relevant to employment, or both. Programmes at this level offer students more varied, specialised and in-depth instruction than programmes at ISCED level 2. They are more differentiated, with an increased range of options and streams available. Students typically enter this level between the ages of 14 and 16. The ISCED designator 34 denotes upper general secondary education.
Post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED 4)
Programmes at post-secondary non-tertiary education are typically designed to provide individuals who completed ISCED level 3 with non-tertiary qualifications required for progression to tertiary education, or for employment when their ISCED level 3 qualification does not grant such access.
Short-cycle tertiary education (ISCED 5)
Short-cycle tertiary education programmes are practically based, occupationally specific programmes that aim to prepare students to enter the labour market. However, these programmes may also provide a pathway to other tertiary education programmes.
Bachelor’s or equivalent level (ISCED 6)
Bachelor’s or equivalent level programmes are often designed to provide participants with intermediate academic and/or professional knowledge, skills and competencies, leading to a first degree or equivalent qualification. Programmes at this level are typically theoretically based, but may include practical components, and are informed by state-of-the-art research and/or best professional practice. They are traditionally offered by universities and equivalent tertiary educational institutions.
Master’s or equivalent level (ISCED 7)
Master’s or equivalent level programmes are often designed to provide participants with advanced academic and/or professional knowledge, skills and competencies, leading to a second degree or equivalent qualification. Programmes at this level may have a substantial research component but do not yet lead to the award of a doctoral qualification. Typically, programmes at this level are theoretically based, but may include practical components, and are informed by state-of-the-art research and/or best professional practice. They are traditionally offered by universities and other tertiary educational institutions.
Doctoral or equivalent level (ISCED 8)
Programmes at ISCED level 8 are designed primarily to lead to an advanced research qualification. Programmes at this ISCED level are devoted to advanced study and original research and are typically offered only by research-oriented tertiary educational institutions such as universities. Doctoral programmes exist in both academic and professional fields. ISCED level 8 usually concludes with the submission and defence of a thesis, dissertation or equivalent written work of publishable quality, representing a significant contribution to knowledge in the respective field of study.
Decision-making levels
Top-level authorities
These refer to all government bodies at the national (state) level that make or participate in different aspects of decision making. In ‘federal’ countries, or countries with a similar type of governmental structure, they may refer to the first level of territorial authority immediately below the national level. The communautés in Belgium, the Länder in Germany and the comunidades autónomas in Spain are responsible or share responsibility with the state level for all or most areas relating to education. These administrations are considered the top-level authority for the areas where they hold the responsibility, while for the areas where they share the responsibility with the national (state) level, both are considered to be top-level authorities.
Provincial/regional/sub-regional/inter-municipal authorities or governments
These refer to the first level of territorial authority immediately below the national level in countries that do not have a ‘federal’ or similar type of governmental structure, and to the second level of territorial authority below the national government in countries with a ‘federal’ or similar type of governmental structure.
Local government authorities or municipalities
These refer to the lowest level of territorial authority in a nation. The local authority in terms of education may be the education department within a general-purpose local government or a special-purpose local government body where the sole area of responsibility is education.
School-level authorities
These refer to the decision-making bodies located within the school, which could be: (1) an external school board, which includes residents of the wider community; (2) an internal school board, which could include school heads, teachers, other school staff, parents and students; and (3) both an external and an internal school board. ‘School networks’, ‘networks of schools’, ‘didactic circles’ and ‘groups of schools’ or ‘school clusters’ are considered as school-level authorities.
Parents and teachers should be considered as one element of the school level, rather than a separate level. The school level also includes any individual employee (e.g. a teacher) in the school who is allowed to take decisions.
More than one authority level
This refers to a combination of two or more of the abovementioned authorities (e.g. central government and local authorities).
Collective agreements
These refer to collective agreements adopted by the relevant stakeholders when they are the only instrument used to determine teachers’ and school heads’ salaries.
Public and private schools
This data collection focuses on the salaries of teachers and school heads in public schools. However, in a few countries, the reported salaries may also apply to government-dependent private schools.
According to the 2016 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, OECD and Eurostat (UOE) manual for the data collection on education systems, an education institution is classified as public or private depending on whether it is under the overall control of a public or private body.
Public institutions
An institution is classified as public if it is controlled and managed directly by a public education authority or agency; or controlled and managed either by a government agency directly or by a governing body (council, committee, etc.), the majority of the members of which are either appointed by a public authority or elected by the public.
Private institutions
An institution is classified as private if it is controlled and managed by a non-governmental organisation (e.g. a church, a trade union or a business enterprise, a foreign or international agency), or its governing board consists mostly of members not appointed by a public agency.
A government-dependent private institution is one that either receives at least 50 % of its core funding from government agencies or one where its teaching staff are paid by a government agency. An independent private institution is one that receives less than 50 % of its core funding from government agencies and whose teaching staff are not paid by a government agency.
Teachers and school heads
This data collection generally refers to fully qualified, full-time teachers and school heads.
Fully qualified, full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers are those who have fulfilled all the training requirements for teaching (one or more subjects) and meet all other official requirements (e.g. probation period). Their professional tasks involve the planning, organisation and delivery of group or individual activities for a class of students with the purpose to develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes.
The designation ‘full-time teacher’ is usually based on statutory working hours, as opposed to actual total working time or actual teaching time. A teacher employed for at least 90 % of the normal or statutory number of hours of work for a full-time employee over a complete school year is considered a full-time teacher in the context of this survey.
Fully qualified, full-time school head
The term school head refers to any person whose primary or major function is heading a school or a group of schools alone or within an administrative body such as a board or council. The school head is the primary leader responsible for the leadership, management and administration of the school.
Depending on circumstances, school heads may exercise educational responsibilities (which may include teaching tasks, but also responsibility for the general functioning of the institution in areas such as the timetable, implementation of the curriculum, decisions about what is to be taught and the materials and methods used). They may also have, to a varying degree, other administrative, staff-management and financial responsibilities. School heads with teaching responsibilities accounting for more than 50 per cent of their working time are excluded since managing the school is not their primary or major function.
A school head employed for at least 90 per cent of the normal or statutory number of hours of work for a full-time employee over a complete school year is classified as a full-time school head in the context of this survey.
Statutory salaries
The annual statutory salary is the sum of the gross wages paid to full-time, fully qualified teachers or school heads in a year according to statutorily defined salary ranges. It includes any additional payments that all teachers or school heads receive and that constitute a regular part of the annual base salary such as the 13th month and holiday pay (where applicable). In the case of school heads, it also includes the allowance received for managing the school. This gross amount excludes the employer’s social security and pension contributions but includes those paid by employees.
Salary range for teachers
It is the range of pay that full-time, fully qualified teachers receive depending on the number of years in service. Salary ranges are statutorily defined either in regulations or agreements between stakeholders. This data collection provides salary information at four points on the salary range:
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starting salary,
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salary after 10 years of experience,
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salary after 15 years of experience, and
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salary at the top of the range.
The salary range applies to teachers who hold the minimum qualification required to enter the teaching profession in the reference year. The following salary ranges are also provided where applicable:
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For a higher qualification that is held by the largest proportion of teachers.
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For the maximum qualification when none of the above.
Salary range for school heads
It is the range of pay received by school heads with the minimum qualification required to manage a school. Salary ranges are statutorily defined either in regulations or agreements between stakeholders. Data is provided for the minimum and maximum points of the salary range. In education systems where school heads’ salaries vary depending on the size of school (e.g. number of students, classes or teachers), data is provided for the smallest and biggest schools, and for any other most common size of school where applicable.
Actual salaries
The annual actual salary is the average gross annual salary actually received by all teachers or school heads within the 24–65 age range including the statutory salary and other additional payments or allowances. This amount excludes the employer’s social security and pension contributions but includes those paid by the employees. Actual salary data can be drawn from national administrative registers, statistical databases, representative sample surveys or other representative sources.
Allowances
Allowances are the various forms of regular or exceptional payments that teachers and school heads may receive in addition to their statutory salaries. Additional payments that all teachers or school heads receive are considered part of the statutory salary and not allowances in this data collection. Allowances can be granted for:
Additional responsibilities
Activities that might be carried out by teachers or school heads as distinct from those specified in their contract, which can include the following.
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Management duties (e.g. serving as head of department or teacher coordinator). The additional payment that school heads in some countries receive for managing the school is not considered an allowance (but part of their statutory salary).
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Teaching more classes or working more hours than required by the full-time contract of employment or in the conditions of service (overtime payments).
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Student counselling after classes, including student supervision, virtual counselling, career guidance and behavioural support.
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Running extra-curricular activities (e.g. sports, homework clubs, out-of-school workshops, visits to museums, drama clubs, summer schools).
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Training student teachers and providing support to other teachers.
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Acting as a form tutor or teacher.
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Participation in mentoring programmes and/or supporting new teachers in induction programmes.
Qualifications, training and performance
Further formal qualifications
Any postgraduate qualifications obtained in addition to the minimum qualification required to become a teacher or a school head.
Completion of continuing professional development activities
Formal and non-formal continuing professional development activities that may, for example, include subject-based and pedagogical training, training in the use of ICT for teaching and developing new teaching materials. In certain cases, these activities may lead to additional qualifications.
Outstanding performance
Teachers and school heads may be appraised, and rewarded, on the quality of their work (teaching or managing) through internal or external evaluation procedures or on the basis of the results obtained by their students in different types of examinations.
Working conditions
Geographical location
Location allowances are often used as incentives to encourage teachers and school heads to accept posts in remote or rural areas and in socially disadvantaged ones. Also included in this category are the allowances given for working in regions such as capital cities, where the cost of living is above the average.
Special educational needs or challenging circumstances
Teaching students with special educational needs integrated within mainstream classes and pupils with learning difficulties, language problems, and those from an immigrant background, etc. In the case of school heads, these activities also include tasks designed to coordinate and support specific groups of students.
Other
Accommodation allowance
Not related to the location of the school, for instance, when teachers are compensated part of their accommodation costs or for moving out of their family residence.
Family status
Depending on the number of children or other factors.
Terminology
- HICP
The harmonised index of consumer prices, abbreviated as HICP, is the consumer price index as it is calculated in the European Union (EU), according to a harmonised approach and a single set of definitions. It is mainly used to measure inflation.
- PPS
The purchasing power standard, abbreviated as PPS, is an artificial currency unit. Theoretically, one PPS can buy the same amount of goods and services in each country. However, price differences across borders mean that different amounts of national currency units are needed for the same goods and services depending on the country. PPS are derived by dividing any economic aggregate of a country in national currency by its respective purchasing power parities.
PPS is the technical term used by Eurostat for the common currency in which national accounts aggregates are expressed when adjusted for price level differences using PPPs. Thus, PPPs can be interpreted as the exchange rate of the PPS against the euro.
- GDP
Gross domestic product, abbreviated as GDP, is a basic measure of the overall size of a country's economy.
As an aggregate measure of production, GDP is equal to the sum of the gross value added of all resident institutional units engaged in production, plus any taxes on products and minus any subsidies on products. Gross value added is the difference between output and intermediate consumption.