Salary and benefits*

The latest data (on Goldsmiths postgraduate students who graduated in 2009), shows that 74% of those for whom details are available went into full-time teaching employment after completing their degree, with many others either gaining part-time employment or going on to further study.

You may be surprised by how rewarding a teaching career can be. With starting salaries matching what you’d receive in many other professions, your experience and performance can see you achieve rapid progression, and enjoy the financial rewards to match.

All qualified teachers are paid according to pay scales updated each September by the Government. Starting on the 'main' pay scale, each year, subject to performance, you will move up a step until you reach the maximum level or move on to a scale associated with a different position or level of experience.

Once you have completed your initial teacher education and achieved Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you can expect to start as a newly qualified teacher (NQT) on a minimum annual salary of £20,627 (£25,000 in inner London).

In addition to your basic salary, you will receive a range of benefits, including:

• teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments: additional money if you take on additional responsibilities
• teachers’ pension: the second largest public sector pension scheme in the country
• long holidays: more days than many people in other professions.

If you work in London you may be eligible for a key worker Low Cost Home Ownership scheme (LCHO).

For more information about careers in teaching, please contact the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (+44 (0)871 468 0469, www.gttr.ac.uk) or the Training and Development Agency for Schools (+44 (0)845 6000 991, www.tda.gov.uk).

*Salary and benefits information from www.tda.gov.uk

Due to policy changes made by the Government, some details on this page may become out of date.