The salaries of school staff, and in particular teachers and school heads, make up the largest single cost in formal education, yet teachers in most European countries are often considered underpaid relative to their level of education.
Some studies put teachers' starting salaries at around 40% less than the earnings of other professionals with a tertiary education, and while the gap narrows as they reach the top of the payscale, a stark geographic divide across Europe persists.
In the 2024/2025 school year, Luxembourg was the EU country that paid teachers the most across most of the education levels they taught at, for both those at the beginning and the peak of their careers.
That's according to Eurydice, the European Commission-funded education information network.
The Grand Duchy paid professionals at the start of their careers between €55,000 and €62,000, while it paid €97,000 and €109,000 at the top of their careers.
