Teacher pay scales in Scotland 2026/27
You are training to teach in Scotland, or comparing a Scottish post with one in England, and want the real figures. From 1 August 2026 a probationer earns £36,159 and a fully registered teacher starts on £43,383, rising to £54,453 at the top of the main grade. After Scottish tax, National Insurance and the pension, that is £2,634 to £3,115 a month.
Teacher pay in Scotland is agreed by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), where the EIS and the other teaching unions sit with councils and the Scottish Government. That is why people search for both the SNCT and the EIS pay scales: they are the same figures. They apply in every council, with no London-style pay areas.
Main grade scale from 1 August 2026
| Point | From 1 April 2026 | From 1 August 2026 | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 (probationer) | £35,022 | £36,159 | £2,286 |
| 1 | £42,018 | £43,383 | £2,634 |
| 2 | £44,400 | £45,843 | £2,766 |
| 3 | £46,977 | £48,504 | £2,898 |
| 4 | £49,959 | £51,582 | £2,994 |
| 5 | £52,740 | £54,453 | £3,115 |
Take-home is full time, from August 2026, after Scottish Income Tax, National Insurance and the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme, tax code S1257L, no student loan. You start on point 0 for your probation year, move to point 1 when you are fully registered with the GTCS, and then up one point each year, reaching point 5 five years after probation. Progression on the main grade is automatic: there is no threshold application as in England.
How the 2025 to 2027 pay deal works
The current deal covers two years. Pay went up 4% from 1 August 2025, topped up to 4.25% from 1 April 2026, and then a further 3.25% from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027. The deal had a clause to reopen the second year if inflation ran high, but average CPI for April 2025 to March 2026 was 3.4%, below the 3.75% trigger, so the 3.25% went ahead as agreed. Pay for August 2027 onwards is still to be negotiated.
Promoted posts and other scales
| Scale | Points | From 1 August 2026 | Take-home a month at the bottom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chartered teacher | 1 to 6 | £56,142 to £66,759 | £3,185 |
| Principal teacher | 1 to 8, job-sized | £59,367 to £76,617 | £3,300 |
| Lead teacher | 1 to 3 | £61,818 to £87,810 | £3,402 |
| Depute and headteacher | 1 to 19, job-sized | £67,332 to £124,365 | £3,631 |
| Instrumental music instructor | 1 to 6 | £37,878 to £50,346 | £2,341 |
Principal teacher, depute and headteacher posts are job-sized: the council scores the post and that fixes the point you are paid on, so two principal teachers in different schools can be on different salaries. The chartered teacher scale is closed to new entrants and is kept only by teachers already on it.
Your pension contribution
| Actual pensionable pay | Rate on your whole salary |
|---|---|
| Up to £36,195 | 7.35% |
| £36,196 to £48,724 | 8.88% |
| £48,725 to £57,775 | 9.9% |
| £57,776 to £67,975 | 10.61% |
| £67,976 to £92,693 | 11.73% |
| £92,694 and above | 12.14% |
These are the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme rates from 1 April 2026, set on what you actually earn, so part-time teachers pay the rate for their real salary. One line matters on the main grade: point 3 (£48,504) sits just under the £48,725 boundary, and point 4 (£51,582) pays 9.9% on the whole salary instead of 8.88%. So the move from point 3 to point 4 adds £3,078 to your salary but only about £96 a month to take-home.
Where the 42% tax rate starts
The Scottish higher rate of 42% applies to taxable pay above £43,662. The pension comes off before tax, so what matters is your salary minus your pension. Points 0 to 2 stay in the 21% band. From point 3 (£48,504) part of your pay is taxed at 42%, which is why the steps near the top of the scale add less to take-home than the salary figures suggest.
Scotland or England: who takes home more?
Year by year from qualifying, against a classroom teacher outside London in England on the September 2026 scale:
| Year | Scotland | Take-home a month | England | Take-home a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £36,159 (point 0) | £2,286 | £34,069 (M1) | £2,169 |
| 2 | £43,383 (point 1) | £2,634 | £36,042 (M2) | £2,278 |
| 3 | £45,843 (point 2) | £2,766 | £38,400 (M3) | £2,369 |
| 4 | £48,504 (point 3) | £2,898 | £40,941 (M4) | £2,507 |
| 5 | £51,582 (point 4) | £2,994 | £43,529 (M5) | £2,647 |
| 6 | £54,453 (point 5) | £3,115 | £46,940 (M6) | £2,831 |
A teacher in Scotland takes home more in every year shown, by about £356 a month in year two, when the Scottish teacher has moved to point 1. The gap narrows near the top because of the Scottish 42% rate and higher pension tier. An English teacher who crosses onto the upper pay range can reach £52,835 at U3, but that takes an application and usually several more years. Scottish teachers also have a 35-hour working week and a cap on class contact time.
If you are thinking of moving to teach in Scotland
You need to register with the General Teaching Council for Scotland before you can teach, and teachers who trained elsewhere are usually placed on the main grade according to their experience. Your pension would move to the Scottish scheme, and you would pay Scottish Income Tax as soon as Scotland is your main home.
Common questions
How much does a probationer teacher earn in Scotland?
£36,159 from 1 August 2026, which is about £2,286 a month after Scottish tax, National Insurance and the pension.
What is the top of the main grade for teachers in Scotland?
Point 5, which is £54,453 from 1 August 2026. Most teachers reach it five years after their probation year.
Are the EIS pay scales the same as the SNCT pay scales?
Yes. Pay is agreed nationally by the SNCT, which includes the EIS and other unions. The EIS publishes the same agreed tables.
When is the next pay rise for teachers in Scotland?
The current deal runs to 31 July 2027. A new award would normally start on 1 August 2027, once agreed through the SNCT.
Do Scottish teachers pay the same pension as teachers in England?
No. They are in the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme, with rates from 7.35% to 12.14% of actual pay in 2026/27. In England the Teachers’ Pension rates run from 7.4% to 12%.