Teacher pay in Scotland

Teachers in Scotland are paid on the scale agreed by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT). From 1 August 2026 a probationer earns £36,159 and a main grade teacher earns between £43,383 and £54,453. The scale is separate from the one used in England, so figures from there do not carry over.

The scale from 1 August 2026

The current deal covers two years. It gave 4% from 1 August 2025, then 4.25% from 1 April 2026, then 3.25% from 1 August 2026. The year-two reopener clause in the deal has not been checked for this guide, so look at the SNCT or your union for any change.

The pay figures below are the 1 August 2026 values. The pounds figures come from a secondary source (Tes), so check them against your council’s pay circular before relying on them for an offer or a contract.

Grade	Annual salary from 1 August 2026
Probationer	£36,159
Main grade	£43,383 to £54,453
Chartered teacher	£56,142 to £66,759
Principal teacher	£59,367 to £76,617
Depute and head teachers	£67,332 to £124,365

The last row is wide because it covers both deputes and head teachers. A single job sits at one point inside that range, and the advert for the post should say which.

Probationers

A probationer’s salary is a single figure, £36,159, with no points to climb. The step from there to the bottom of the main grade, £43,383, is a rise of £7,224 (the difference between the two figures above).

Once a teacher is on the main grade, pay runs up to £54,453. The next move up is a promoted post, which is where the principal teacher and depute and head ranges start.

Main grade and promoted posts

The main grade runs from £43,383 to £54,453, a spread of £11,070 between the bottom and the top.

Principal teacher posts run from £59,367 to £76,617, and depute and head teacher posts from £67,332 to £124,365. The size of the school and the council’s own job evaluation decide where a particular post falls, so two head teachers in the same council can be on very different pay.

The Tes scale also lists a chartered teacher grade of £56,142 to £66,759. It is unlikely to be advertised as a vacancy and tends to show up in the pay of teachers who hold the title already.

Tax on a Scottish salary

Scottish taxpayers use the Scottish income tax bands for 2026/27. After the £12,570 personal allowance, 19% applies to the first £3,967 of taxable pay, 20% to the next £12,989, and 21% to the next £14,136. That takes you to £43,662 gross. Above it the rate is 42% up to £75,000 gross.

Take a teacher on £43,383, the bottom of the main grade. All their pay is inside the 21% band or below. A teacher at the top of the main grade, £54,453, pays 42% on the £10,791 above £43,662. The tax code starts with S when HMRC has you as a Scottish taxpayer, and that follows where you live, not where the school is.

The guide to Scottish S tax codes and rates has the full table. For a net figure on a specific salary, use the take-home pay calculator.

How this compares with the England award

England’s 2026/27 teacher award is 3.5% from 1 September 2026, and it is explained in Teacher pay award 2026/27. Scotland has a two-year deal with its own dates, so the percentages do not line up one for one. For the English scale itself, see Teacher pay scales in England 2026/27.

Tax bands, pension schemes and pay points all differ, so a Scottish job and an English one compare best on take-home pay and pension contributions, with the headline salary a poor guide.

Allowances and where to check

Allowances for extra responsibilities sit in the SNCT handbook. The values were not confirmed for this guide, so look at the handbook or your council’s pay circular for the current amounts.

The SNCT, the EIS and your council’s HR pages are the places to confirm the current figures for the scale itself. For wider context on working in Scotland, see Public sector jobs in Scotland.