The table provides data on the salaries of secondary and high school teachers in five countries in 2009, comparing starting salaries with those earned after 15 years of experience. It also outlines the maximum salary available and the number of years required to achieve it.
Overall, teachers in Luxembourg received by far the highest salaries among the five countries. In contrast, teachers in the Asian countries, Korea and Japan, began with relatively low salaries but experienced more significant growth over time. Another noticeable trend is that countries offering higher maximum salaries required teachers to work for more years to reach that level, whereas lower-paid countries had shorter salary progression timelines.
At the start of their careers, teachers in Luxembourg earned an impressive $80,000 annually, far exceeding the figures for the other countries. Teachers in Denmark followed at $47,000, earning less than two-thirds of Luxembourg’s starting salary. In contrast, starting salaries in Korea ($30,500) and Japan ($28,000) were among the lowest, while Australia offered $34,600 to new teachers.
After 15 years of experience, teachers in Luxembourg earned $112,000, reflecting a $32,000 increase (40%). Although teachers in Korea and Japan started with lower salaries, they experienced more substantial growth in percentage terms. Japanese teachers saw a 75% increase, from $28,000 to $49,000, while Korean teachers experienced a similar surge, rising by 72% to $52,600. By comparison, salaries in Australia and Denmark peaked at $48,000 and $54,000, respectively, after just 9 and 8 years, with no further increases thereafter.
In terms of maximum salaries, Luxembourg again led the chart, offering $139,000 annually after 30 years of service—a 75% rise from the starting salary. Korea and Japan, while offering significantly lower maximum salaries, showed steeper percentage growth. Korean teachers’ salaries increased nearly threefold, reaching $84,500, though they required 37 years to achieve this level. Similarly, Japanese teachers saw a smaller maximum salary of $62,400 but could attain it after 34 years of experience.
