What is the salary for a teacher in Scotland?

In November 2025 a pay deal for all Scottish teachers was reached, impacting a range of teaching pay scales.

This deal is being applied to teacher salaries in Scotland in three stages, with the full effect on wages seen from 1 August 2026.

Teacher salaries in Scotland

The starting salary for teachers in Scotland who successfully complete their induction year (more informally known as probation) will now ultimately rise to £43,383 in August 2026, with probationers receiving £36,159 from that point. There is no distinction in teacher salary between the primary and secondary sectors.

Depute and headteacher salaries, meanwhile, will from that point start at over £67,332, rising to a maximum of £124,365.

The deal also affects other professionals working in Scottish schools, including instrumental music instructors, educational psychologists and quality improvement officers.

Details of the impact of the pay deal on their earnings are also set out in the tables listed below.

Teaching pay scales in Scotland

Teachers working in Scotland can find a full list of pay scales below.

• Main grade teacher pay scale
• Depute and headteacher pay scale
• Principal teacher pay scale
• Chartered teacher pay scale
• Lead teacher pay scale
• Instrumental music instructor pay scale
• Educational psychologist pay scale
• Education support officer pay scale
• Quality improvement officer and manager pay scales

Main grade teacher pay scale

Teachers on the main pay scale in Scotland will, from 1 August 2026, earn a salary of between £43,383 and £54,453. Those starting out in the job as probationers (Scotland provides eligible new teachers with a guaranteed one-year probationary post in a local authority school, under the Teacher Induction Scheme) will, from that date, earn £36,159.

Depute and headteacher pay scale

School leaders in Scotland at depute level and above will, from 1 August 2026, be paid between £67,332 and £124,365.

Principal teacher pay scale

Principal teachers will, from 1 August 2026, earn a salary between £59,367 and £76,617.

Chartered teacher pay scale

The chartered teacher scheme - for teachers who wanted to expand their role without leaving behind classroom teaching - ended in 2012. There are, therefore, an ever-diminishing number of these teachers in the system. Those who are still working in Scottish primary, secondary and special schools will, from 1 August 2026, earn a salary between £56,142 and £66,759.

Lead teacher pay scale

The role of lead teacher came into being in 2021. It was intended to provide promotion routes for teachers who wanted to further their careers without moving into school management, but according to the 2024 teacher census, the equivalent of just 11 full-time lead teachers are in post across all of Scotland’s primaries and secondaries (up from seven in 2023).

Lead teachers will, from 1 August 2026, earn a salary between £61,818 and £87,810.

Instrumental music instructor pay scale

Instrumental music instructors in Scotland will, from 1 August 2026, be paid between £37,878 and £50,346.

Educational psychologist pay scales

Educational psychologists in Scotland will, from 1 August 2026, earn between £63,423 and £77,718. Senior educational psychologists will earn £82,560 and depute and principal educational psychologists will earn between £82,560 and £95,589.

Education support officer pay scale

Education support officers will, from 1 August 2026, be paid between £61,818 and £66,759.

Quality improvement officer and manager pay scales

Quality improvement officers will, from 1 August 2026, earn between £78,696 and £87,810; quality improvement managers will be paid £91,605.

The teaching and learning responsibility (TLR) payments seen in other parts of the UK do not exist in Scotland, with extra responsibilities factored into the range of teaching and leadership pay scales.

However, there are extra one-off payments for probationer teachers who choose to be sent anywhere in Scotland during their induction year, under what is known as the preference waiver scheme. For this, secondary teachers receive £8,000, while primary teachers receive £6,000. Both preference waiver payments are subject to tax and national insurance contributions.

Details about teachers’ pensions in Scotland can be found here.