The last pay rise for teachers in Northern Ireland was in September 2020. Teachers in NI start at point M1 of a six point pay scale with annual increments until year six M6.Teachers then progress through what is known as ‘threshold’ onto the upper pay scale (UPS) which provides for three two-yearly increases.
A teacher with 12 (or more) years in post will therefore be at the top of the pay scale on UPS3. Classroom teachers can also be awarded one of five Teaching Allowances on top of their salary.
The increase in September 2020 provided for the following pay points:
| Point | Pay |
|---|---|
| M1 | £24,137 |
| M2 | £26,045 |
| M3 | £28,139 |
| M4 | £30,305 |
| M5 | £32,693 |
| M6 | £35,277 |
| UPS 1 | £38,216 |
| UPS 2 | £39,630 |
| UPS 3 | £41,094 |
Schools can award only one of five Teaching Allowances (TA) to a classroom teacher.
It is not possible to award more than one TA to a teacher to recognise different areas of responsibility.
TAs may be split between a combination of full-time teachers, part-time teachers or both, provided that the full value of the TA is used and not exceeded.
A part-time teacher may be awarded:
(i) a full Teaching Allowance provided the Board of Governors is satisfied that the duties of the Teaching Allowance are able to be fully and effectively carried out within the teacher’s available working hours; or
(ii) a Teaching Allowance on a pro rata basis commensurate with his/her hours and, the balance of that teacher’s allowance may be awarded to another part-time or full-time teacher.
The current value of Teaching Allowances (September 2020) are:
| TA | Amount |
|---|---|
| TA 1 | £2,066 |
| TA 2 | £4,174 |
| TA 3 | £7,166 |
| TA 4 | £9,869 |
| TA 5 | £13,318 |
The ‘leadership scale’ is the salaries for principals and vice-principals and ranges from L1 = £41,884, to L43 = £117,497.
Leaders progress incrementally up the leadership scale depending on the range that applies to their school.
