The average teacher's salary in the Czech Republic crossed CZK 43,000 in 2020

Prague, Aug 18 (ČTK) - The average monthly gross income of teachers in the Czech Republic grew to CZK 43,318 last year, CZK 3,600 more year-on-year. But while the teachers' salaries rose by 40 percent in the past three years, this pace slowed down in 2020, Jan Cieslar a spokesperson for the Czech Statistical Office (CSU) told ČTK today.

Compared to the average wage in the Czech Republic, which was CZK 35,285 in the first quarter of this year, teachers receive an above-average salary. However, in comparison with professionals with a university education, they earn less on average, Cieslar said.

The CSU reports that monthly teacher salaries rose from CZK 31,000 in 2017 to more than CZK 43,000 last year. While 2018 and 2019 saw the salaries of education staff in kindergartens and primary and secondary schools grow by more than 10 percent, this figure dropped to 9.2 percent.

A government directive promised salaries in the education sector would rise to 150 percent of their 2017 levels, which would be roughly CZK 47,000. Education Minister Robert Plaga (for ANO) said earlier that teachers should get at least CZK 45,000 on average this year.

Secondary school teachers grew the most to CZK 45,800 a month. In contrast, their colleagues in kindergartens received the lowest salary, roughly CZK 36,500.

Salaries in private kindergartens and those operated by churches grew less significantly in the past years, Cieslar noted. While public institutions saw a 9.1 percent pay rise, employees of private and church-run kindergartens earned only 1.3 percent more. In 2020, the difference between these two came to CZK 10,500, Cieslar said.

From 2013 to 2017, salaries in the education sector grew less than in the other sectors. Last year, teachers earned roughly CZK 10,000 less compared to their colleagues with a university diploma in other professions.

Overall, teacher's pay equaled 112 percent of the average wage in the Czech Republic in 2020. Compared to other employees with university education, teachers gained 74 percent of their salaries.

The average teaching salary depends on the age and length of practice. "Teachers in regional education under the age of 35 received an average of CZK 37,600 in 2020, their colleagues over the age of 55 earned CZK 9,000 more," said Jitka Wichová from the CZSO's Department of Development Statistics. 

According to Wichová, the earnings of teachers over the age of 55 in primary schools increased the most between 2015 and 2020, improving by CZK 18,000. On the contrary, the smallest growth was achieved by teachers under the age of 34 in kindergartens, by CZK 11,000.

The difference between teachers' salaries in individual regions was relatively small last year. Teachers received the most in the Vysočina region, with an average teacher salary of CZK 44,500. They are paid the least in the Hradec Králové and Olomouc regions, where they earn up to CZK 42,700. Teachers in Prague, despite being the second-highest earners reached only 92 percent of the average gross salary of employees in the Czech capital.