On March 17, the President confirmed that he wanted to “better pay” teachers, if they undertook to replace their absent colleagues, to offer individualized monitoring of students and to support them more during the extracurricular period.
Teacher compensation: what new missions?
This March 17, during the presentation of his program for the presidential election, Emmanuel Macron gave more indications concerning the increase in teachers’ salaries. Rather than a national revaluation which “is not the most effective measure”, Emmanuel Macron offers a “pact” to teachers who are already in office, namely to improve their remuneration, provided that they agree to carry out new missions“. These new missions would consist of systematically replace the other absent teachers, to set up a more individualized follow-up of the pupils and to support the pupils more during the extracurricular period. The Head of State proposes to increase the remuneration of teachers in post “if they are ready to go towards these new missions and if they are ready to change their organization and their accompanying rules”. Finally, Emmanuel Macron would like new hires to be made “on the basis of this new contract”.
In an interview given to Parisian this January 4, Emmanuel Macron had already discussed the working time of teachers and their remuneration. “The teaching time in France is not satisfactory in relation to the number of teachers hired” noted the President, referring to the recent report of the Court of Auditors published in December 2021, according to which the budget allocated to National Education “does not produce the expected effects in terms of educational performance“. Faced with this “too rigid system”, Emmanuel Macron believed thatwe must “raise wages, of course, but above all rethink the function”. As in Marseilles where an experiment has been launched, school principals could be free to recruit their teachers, on the basis of an educational project. The Head of State also wanted “pay more for what teachers are already doingrewarding good work, and distinguishing those who do a good job from those who do an even better job”, he said. Teachers who engage in priority education networks for example receive a fixed bonus of 400 euros, as well as another flexible bonus of up to 600 euros net. According to him, teachers who invest in innovative educational projects, organize extracurricular outings or maintain the link between parents and teachers should be able to benefit from additional remuneration.
French teachers less well paid
According to the report Education at a Glance published by the OECD this september 16the salaries of mid-career teachers have stagnated in France between 2010 and 2020 and remain well below the average of the 38 OECD countries. They have therefore stagnated or increased by only 1% between 2010 and 2020 in elementary and secondary education, whereas they have increased by 6 to 7% on average in OECD countries. However, a catch-up was made from 2015, with an increase of four percentage points in the statutory salary over the period 2015-2020. The OECD notes that salary progression is slow at the start of a career and that mid-career teachers are “particularly disadvantaged”. At the start of the 2019 school year, the salary of elementary and secondary school teachers in France after 10 or 15 years of seniority was thus at least 15% lower than the average for OECD countries.. However, this difference is attenuated at the end of the career because French salaries at the end of a career are 76% higher than at the start, compared to 66% for the OECD average.
Increase in teachers’ salaries: how much?
The Minister of National Education had in turn specified in Le Parisien that the increase in teachers was a measure already announced. “That’s what we started. Their salary will have increased much more between 2017 and 2022 than between 2012 and 2017 (…) A teacher who previously earned 1700 euros now earns 1869 euros net. And in two or three years, no new teacher will start their career below 2000 euros net per month“. On August 25, he declared that an envelope of 245 million euros, intended for the revaluation of teachers would be provided for in the 2022 budget.. The Minister of National Education has indicated that the attractiveness bonuses will go from 57 euros net per month for teachers with one to two years of career, 29 euros for teachers with 14 to 22 years of career. This upgrading will concern both primary and secondary teachers. Thanks to this measure, nearly 58% of teachers will see their salaries increase in 2022. “Ct is a desire to promote the teachers and staff of National Education, because there were significant catch-ups in purchasing power to be made, especially for the youngest (…) Our objective is to no longer have teachers paid below 2000 euros net within a few years“, Jean-Michel Blanquer told us on August 27. From the Grenelle de l’éducation, the attractiveness bonus has been paid since May to teachers at the start of their career and who have up to fifteen years of seniority. and represents an amount between 41 and 116 euros per month.
A decree concerning the upgrading of teachers
On March 2, Jean-Michel Blanquer had already signed a decree concerning the revaluation of school teachers, principal education advisers (CPE) as well as psychologists of National Education (PsyEN) at the start of his career. “There are increases that have already taken place, and bonuses planned for the youngest teachers: 100 euros more per month, (since May, editor’s note), for the attractiveness bonus“announced Jean-Michel Blanquer on France Inter.
Attractiveness bonus: 100 euros for new teachers
Half of the overall envelope, i.e. 200 million euros, was devoted to allocating a attractiveness bonus for professors at the start of their career. Modular and degressive, it concerns all teaching and similar bodies in public education and private education under contract (school teachers, certified, agrégé, national education psychologists and CPE at the beginning and mid-career ). This attractiveness bonus concerns 31% full professors, during their first 15 years of career, then decreasing according to seniority. Thereby, a beginner teacher is increased by 100 euros net monthly. Contract workers at the start of their career earn an additional 54 euros net each month. The objective of this bonus, which came into effect from May 2021, is to be able to offer better remuneration to new teachers while strengthening the attractiveness of the teaching profession. This budget also makes it possible to carry out new recruitments. Finally, it helps to facilitate the installation in the new teaching functions and the smooth progress of the first years of career. From 2022, this bonus will be extended to teachers with up to 22 years of seniority and will represent 57 euros net per month for the youngest teachers, and 29 euros for mid-career teachers.
Computer equipment bonus: 150 euros for all
Since January 2021, a computer equipment bonus of 150 euros net has been paid each year to National Education teachers and psychologists.. This amount is fixed and identical whether you are a trainee, holder, contract worker, on a permanent or fixed-term contract, full-time or part-time, and whether you work in a public or private establishment. A bonus that allows them to acquire or renew their computer equipment in two or three years: computer, software, even printer. The ministry underlines via its press release the importance of equipping the teaching staff “in computers and adapted software”. “A necessity which was reinforced during the health crisis, with the development of distance education”. Why a bonus and not directly equipment? “Given the diversity of everyone’s needs and equipment, it is preferable that each teacher receives a bonus that allows him to buy the equipment best suited to his needs”.
School principals: compensation of 450 euros
An exceptional allowance of 450 euros has been granted to school principals since November 2020. This is a one-off payment intended to “recognize their attributions and the particular constraints that weighed on them during this new school year”. This indemnity, which is intended to “a permanent increase” salaries of directors, concerns the 45,000 school principals in office during the month of September 2020 for a total amount of nearly 21 million euros. This allowance is perpetuated for the start of the 2021 school year.
Grenelle of Education: what is it?
the Grenelle of Education addresses increasing teachers’ salaries and aims to enhance their profession, at a time that is all the more necessary after the assassination of Samuel Paty. “The Grenelle of education opens in special circumstances. Through the assassination of a history-geography professor, our entire institution was struck to the heart“, underlined Jean-Michel Blanquer in a press release of October 22. “The recognition of our staff obviously goes through a salary increase” with 500 million euros (over a full year) provided for in the 2021 law for improve salaries, especially at the start of a career. Teachers will also benefit from better support, better listening, team spirit will be strengthened to fight against the feeling of isolation, said the minister. “Creating bridges, identifying talents, encouraging experimentation, seizing the possibilities of digital technology: so many paths of progress to bring National Education into the 21st century“.
The objective of this Grenelle of education? Putting the teacher at the center of society. “Today, there is a subject of protection of teachers but also of recognition of teachers. This question existed before and we need to answer it” said Jean-Michel Blanquer on Wednesday October 21 in the Senate. This Grenelle de l’Education “is based on key words, that of financial recognition, cooperation, i.e. teamwork, modernization and protection” he added. Beyond this increase in teachers’ salaries “which will affect the youngest in particular, but which could also affect all the teachers, it is the transformation of our system, in particular for local human resources, in other words a much less anonymous national education system, much more committed to what happens to each professor and to follow him in his career, which will show the recognition of the country to all the professors and beyond the set of measures that we will take”.