Starting salaries are low, but 15-year veteran Korean elementary, middle, and high school teachers earn more than the OECD average

Ministry of Education Announces OECD Education Indicators 2020
15th-Year Elementary Teachers Earn 9.78 Million KRW More

Trend of Decreasing Students per Class
Number of Students per Teacher Higher than Average

The above photo is not related to the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] While the number of students per class in South Korea is showing a decreasing trend, teachers with 15 years of experience in elementary, middle, and high schools were found to receive higher salaries than the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The Ministry of Education and the Korea Educational Development Institute announced these key findings from the 'OECD Education Indicators 2020,' which the OECD released on the 8th at 11 a.m. (France time).

The number of students per class in South Korea is 23.1 in elementary schools and 26.7 in middle schools, maintaining or decreasing compared to the previous year. The number of students per teacher in high schools was 12.2, which is lower than the OECD average. A lower number of students per teacher is considered to indicate higher quality education. However, the numbers for elementary and middle schools were still higher than the OECD average, at 16.5 and 13.5 respectively.

The starting salary for public elementary school teachers in South Korea was 31.78 million KRW, 31.84 million KRW for middle school teachers, and 31.12 million KRW for high school teachers, all lower than the OECD average.

Public Education Expenditure per Student Increased by 6% from Previous Year
Higher Education Enrollment Rate at 50.0%, Youth at 69.8% Among Top OECD Countries

On the other hand, after 15 years, salaries exceeded the OECD average. The statutory salary for a 15-year elementary school teacher was 56 million KRW, surpassing the OECD average of 46.32 million KRW, with middle school teachers earning 56.06 million KRW and high school teachers 55.34 million KRW, both higher than the OECD average. For the highest salary step, elementary school teachers earned 89.09 million KRW, middle school teachers 89.15 million KRW, and high school teachers 88.43 million KRW. The highest salary step is based on a retirement age of 62. A Ministry of Education official explained, "This difference is because other countries often employ contract-based teachers, but South Korea applies a seniority-based pay system where salaries increase with years of service."

Public education expenditure per student increased by 6% compared to the previous year, exceeding the OECD average. In 2017, South Korea's public education expenditure per student was $11,981, a 6% increase from the previous year. Spending on elementary and secondary education was higher than the OECD average, while higher education spending was lower than the OECD average but increased by 1% compared to the previous year.

South Korea's higher education enrollment rate was 50.0%, higher than the OECD average, and especially among youth (ages 25?34), it was 69.8%, ranking among the top OECD countries. However, the overall employment rate for adults (ages 25?64) across all education levels was 74.0%, lower than the OECD average of 76.9%. Employment rates were 72.2% for high school graduates, 77.0% for junior college graduates, and 77.0% for university graduates. The wage gap by education level has narrowed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.