Children stayed at home Wednesday last week as teachers went on a nationwide strike. The protesters feel that wages, particularly in primary education, aren’t high enough. But salaries in higher education don’t always reach sky-high levels either.

A primary school teacher earns between 2,563 and 4,228 euros gross per month. Most teachers (seventy five percent) are categorized in a pay scale up to €3,910. One in four teachers are categorized in the next scale.

And teachers in higher education? A comparison conducted by the Higher Education Press Agency (HOP) shows that they by no means earn more than their counterparts in primary education.

Universities of applied sciences
Almost 80 percent of teachers at universities of applied sciences are categorized in scale 11 or 12, with a salary between 3,561 and 5,564 euros. Still, a considerable number of teachers at these universities (nine percent) are categorized in scale 10. The salary cap of that scale is €4,192.

The salary in that scale is comparable to that of a primary school teacher. And this is not unusual. In fact, some members of the teaching staff at universities of applied sciences are categorized in the scales beneath that (6 percent in total).

Research universities
Is the situation at research universities better? Not for everyone. Assistant professors are categorized in scale 11 or 12 (from 3,637 to 5,656 euros per month). They combine research and education. Associate professors make an extra 500 euros per month.

But some members of personnel merely ‘teach’ and do not conduct research. Figures from the Association of Universities in the Netherlands provided at the HOP’s request show that a considerable number of these teachers are categorized in scale 10, which runs from 2,709 to 4,274 euros.

The difference with primary education is only marginal. Approximately one in ten members on the teaching staff at an institution of higher education (excluding full professors) earn the same salary as teachers in primary education.

Vacation
And what about vacation days? Teachers at universities of applied sciences and those who teach pre-university secondary school are basically entitled to six weeks of vacation. Teachers in primary education get ten weeks of vacation. This is considerably longer.

Flex
These lower paid teachers at the university don’t always automatically have permanent contracts either: over half has a temporary contract. The situation for teachers in primary education is significantly different: they sometimes refer to themselves as world champions of permanent contracts. All in all, only eleven percent has a temporary appointment.

How is it possible?
How is it possible that working conditions for these teachers in higher education aren’t of the same level as those for teachers in primary education? The Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) doesn’t want to respond.

Marijntje Jongsma of academic union VAWO however, does wish to respond. She believes that the low salary of so many teachers deserves more attention. “This is a result of underfunding in academic education. Our primary focus in recent years was on reducing the number of temporary appointments and on addressing the problem of structural overtime. We work an average of twenty percent more than what we get paid for. It’s positive that salary levels in the entire education sector are brought under the attention.”