Irish teachers at primary and second level are paid reasonably well compared to their counterparts in other states, the latest figures from the OECD indicate.
Figures included in the OECD's Education At a Glance 2002 report put an Irish primary teacher's salary (after 15 years ) at $35,760, while the salary at second level is put at $36,145. The report translates all salaries into US dollars because of the problem of trying to compare using different currencies.
After 15 years of teaching, Irish primary salaries are the ninth highest of the 27 countries surveyed by the OECD. At second level, the salary of an Irish teacher comes in at 11th position of 27 countries surveyed.
The report also looks at salaries at the top of the teacher's pay scale. At primary level an Irish primary teacher is paid a maximum of $40,365. This is the eighth highest salary paid of the 27 countries surveyed.
At second level the maximum salary paid to a teacher is $40,750. Compared to salaries paid to upper secondary school teachers (a classification used mainly on the continent) this is 11th highest salary.
Teachers have long complained that while salaries are not necessarily that low, the time it takes an Irish teacher to reach the upper reaches of the scale is too long.
The teachers' unions have also called into question over the years the usefulness of the OECD figures. The second level teachers' union, the ASTI, in particular, has said that the salaries of Irish teachers should be compared with similar graduate professions within the Republic.
They have also argued that standard of living and inflation figures should be factored into any comparisons between the wages of Irish teachers and their counterparts in the west.
The number of teaching hours in Ireland is relatively high, according to the report. At primary level each year there are more than 900 teaching hours and at second level there are almost 800 teaching hours a year. These two figures mean the Republic has the eighth highest total of teaching hours, only exceeded by Mexico, New Zealand, United States, Scotland, Netherlands, Switzerland and Australia.
Last night the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, welcomed the Republic's performance in the report. "Ireland comes out well in many of the OECD's comparisons, which is a reflection of the quality of our schools and teachers," he said. He was concerned about lack of access to education for adult learners.