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French teachers are the worst paid in the OECD relative to GDP — a long-standing crisis
French starting teacher salary (€27.000 gross) is the lowest of any OECD country as a percentage of GDP per capita. German starting teachers (€42.000) earn 56% more gross. Dutch starting teachers (€36.500) earn 35% more. The OCDE 2025 report ranked France 30th of 37 OECD countries for teacher starting salary relative to GDP. The Pacte Enseignant reform added voluntary supplementary income but did not address base salary competitiveness.
Source: OCDE Regard sur l'Éducation 2025
The Pacte Enseignant allows teachers to earn up to €3.900/year extra — optionally
The 2023 Pacte Enseignant introduced voluntary missions for teachers paying additional supplements of up to €3.900 gross/year. Tasks include additional tutoring hours, exam invigilation, vocational guidance sessions, and remplacement (covering absent colleagues). Uptake has been approximately 30% — many teachers reject the additional workload as it does not address base salary and represents 1-3 additional hours/week for modest extra income.
Source: MEN Bilan Pacte Enseignant 2025
French teacher shortage has reached 3.000+ unfilled positions at start of school year
France began the 2025 school year (rentrée 2025) with approximately 3.000 unfilled teacher positions — a historic high. Competitive examination (concours) applications have halved since 2010 as graduates choose better-paid alternatives. The MEN has responded with contractuels (non-tenured fixed-term teachers) to fill gaps — creating a two-tier system of fonctionnaires and lower-paid, less secure contractuels.
Source: MEN Bilan rentrée 2025 + SNES-FSU statistiques
Teacher Starting Net Monthly — EU Comparison 2026 (EUR)
MEN + DUO + KMK + AGODI + STRB
📋 Reference Data
French Teacher Salary by Corps — 2026
MEN Grilles Indiciaires 2026 — gross annual
| Corps | Qualification | Start Gross | Max Gross | Net/mo Start | Net/mo Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professeur des Écoles (PE) | 3yr MEEF master | €27.000 | €42.000 | €1.690 | €2.310 |
| Certifié (CAPES) | 4-5yr master | €28.000 | €48.000 | €1.740 | €2.590 |
| Agrégé (Agrégation) | Competitive exam | €33.000 | €58.000 | €2.010 | €3.040 |
| CPE (conseillers) | 3yr MEEF equiv. | €27.500 | €43.000 | €1.710 | €2.360 |
| Contractuel (non-tenured) | Licence min. | €23.000 | €30.000 | €1.480 | €1.890 |
| Prof de lycée professionnel | Technical master | €29.000 | €48.000 | €1.790 | €2.590 |
ⓘ French teachers are fonctionnaires titulaires (permanent civil servants) following competitive concours (CAPES, agrégation). The agrégation requires an additional competitive exam after the CAPES and produces a higher-paying corps. Contractuels (approximately 10% of teaching workforce) are non-tenured and paid at lower scales.
EU Teacher Salary Comparison — Primary Entry Level 2026
MEN + DUO + KMK + AGODI + STRB — all EUR, gross and net
| Country | Entry Gross | Entry Net/mo | Max Gross | Max Net/mo | vs France Entry Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | €27.000 | €1.690 | €48.000 | €2.590 | Baseline |
| Belgium | €34.500 | €1.990 | €52.000 | €2.750 | +€300/mo |
| Netherlands | €36.500 | €2.310 | €53.000 | €3.060 | +€620/mo |
| UK | €37.664 | €2.499 | €59.645 | €3.545 | +€809/mo |
| Germany | €42.000 | €2.570 | €72.000 | €3.740 | +€880/mo |
ⓘ France has the lowest teacher entry salary of any major Western European country — in gross and net. Germany's starting teacher earns €880/month more net than France. Even Belgium (€300/month above France) significantly outperforms. This disparity drives France's growing teacher shortage and exodus of teacher graduates to the private sector.
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Average Salary France 2026
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Average Teacher Salary Germany 2026
German Beamte teachers net €880/month more than France
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Tax Data
Income Tax Rates France 2026
French cotisations further reduce already low teacher gross
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Salary Data
Average Teacher Salary Netherlands 2026
Dutch LA scale nets €620/month more than French PE entry
🔬 Methodology & Sources
French Teacher Pay (Grille Indiciaire + Pacte)
French teacher salaries are calculated using the valeur du point d'indice (value of one index point), set nationally and updated by government decree. Each corps and échelon is assigned a certain number of indices. Fonctionnaire teachers pay approximately 20% in cotisations (lower than private sector due to RAFP pension at 5% vs full CNAV), then impôt sur le revenu. The Pacte Enseignant supplements are gross and subject to the same deduction structure.
Formula
Annual_gross = Indices × Valeur_du_point (€4,92 in 2026) | Net_monthly = (Gross − Cotisations_FP ~20% − IR) / 12
CitationMEN Grilles Indiciaires 2026; DGAFP Statistiques RFP 2025; OCDE Regard sur l'Éducation 2025.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Starting professeurs des écoles (primary teachers) earn approximately €27.000 gross — the lowest of any major Western European country. After cotisations and income tax, net take-home is approximately €1.690/month. Experienced teachers (11th échelon) gross €42.000 / net €2.310. Agrégés (competitive-exam teachers) can reach €58.000 gross / €3.040 net at top échelon.
France ranks 30th of 37 OECD countries for starting teacher salary relative to GDP per capita. German starting teachers net €880/month more (€2.570 vs €1.690). Dutch €620 more (€2.310). UK €809 more (€2.499). Belgium €300 more (€1.990). France's teacher salary crisis is the most severe of any major Western European country — directly contributing to a 50% decline in teacher exam (concours) applications since 2010.
The Pacte Enseignant (2023) allows teachers to earn supplementary income by voluntarily taking on additional tasks — tutoring struggling pupils, exam invigilation, covering absent colleagues, providing career guidance. Maximum supplement is approximately €3.900 gross/year (€325/month). Approximately 30% of teachers have signed the Pacte. Critics argue it doesn't address base salary competitiveness and essentially pays teachers extra to do what should be covered in normal working conditions.
The agrégation is an additional competitive examination (available to CAPES-qualified teachers and others) that, if passed, places teachers in the higher agrégé corps with better pay scales. Agrégé teachers start at approximately €33.000 gross (vs €28.000 for certifiés) and reach €58.000 at maximum — 21% more than certifié maximum (€48.000). Agrégés typically teach in lycées (upper secondary) and classes préparatoires (preparatory school for grandes écoles). The agrégation has no UK or Dutch equivalent.
Insufficiently — the Pacte Enseignant is widely seen as a palliative. Structural solutions (significant base salary increases comparable to Germany or Netherlands) have not been implemented due to fiscal constraints. The government has increased reliance on contractuels (non-tenured, lower-paid teachers) to fill vacancies — which maintains classroom coverage at the expense of teaching quality and job security. France's teacher shortage is structural and is expected to worsen as the baby boom generation of teachers retires through 2028-2032.
Sources & References
Data sourced from official institutional publications. Results are for informational purposes only. Last reviewed Jan 2026.
Data Disclaimer
Salaries sourced from MEN (Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale) grilles indiciaires 2026. French teachers are fonctionnaires paid per index points. Net estimates include cotisations salariales (~20% for fonctionnaires, lower RAFP rate) and impôt sur le revenu.
Salaries sourced from MEN (Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale) grilles indiciaires 2026. French teachers are fonctionnaires paid per index points. Net estimates include cotisations salariales (~20% for fonctionnaires, lower RAFP rate) and impôt sur le revenu.