Wage gap between FE and school teachers worsens

Teachers in Further Education (FE) colleges may earn nearly a quarter less than teachers in schools, according to a new NFER study.

FE teachers also tend to earn less than their peers in industry jobs in the construction, engineering and digital sectors, and these gaps have widened significantly over the last decade, contributing to ongoing challenges for FE teacher recruitment and retention in England.

The report was commissioned by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.

The analysis was based on interviews with FE college teachers and Heads of Department in construction, engineering and digital in the North East, South East and the West Midlands, alongside analysis of secondary data sources.

Data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings reveals that in 2021, engineering and digital FE teachers earned 11 per cent less than those working in industry. 

In construction, FE teachers earned three per cent less than in industry, though this excludes pay in self-employment which the analysis suggests might make the construction pay gap larger.

NFER economist and report co-author, Dawson McLean said: “Further Education plays a key part in England’s education system by delivering the technical and academic training vital to the supply of skilled workers. 

“However, a historical lack of policy focus on the FE workforce, alongside insufficient funding for colleges to maintain competitive teacher pay, has led to enormous challenges. Worsening pay gaps with industry and school teachers, together with high workload, puts the FE workforce at a significant disadvantage for recruitment and retention."

The research goes on to suggest some college strategies designed to close industry pay gaps can in the longer term exacerbate the problem. Recruiting new teachers at the top of the pay scale can lead to subsequent poor pay progression, and impact on morale and retention.

Interviewees also complained of high workload, often relating to unfulfilling administrative work. Worsening student behaviour and mental health challenges since the pandemic have also exacerbated the challenge of retaining FE teachers.

The report called on the government to increase funding to the FE sector so colleges can at least match teacher pay in secondary schools.

It also calls for a long-term strategy and concrete resources to help reduce workload – a principle that already exists for state-sector primary and secondary teachers.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, commented: “Our colleges are starved of the funding they require and they are unable to offer salaries which match those of school teachers or the private sector. This means they frequently struggle to recruit staff with industry-specific training skills. 

“The new government has made matters worse by failing to extend to colleges the funding recently allocated for the school teachers’ pay award for 2024/25. 

“This has happened at the same time as it is launching a new quango, Skills England, to support delivery of the skills training that is needed by young people and the UK. However, this strategy will not be a success without the necessary investment in the FE workforce.”