Profession · 2026/27
Graduate Teacher (NQT) Salary 2026/27
First-year teacher pay in England follows STPCD. Rest-of-England Main Scale M1 is £31,650 (2024/25) with large premia in London. Under the Early Career Framework it's a two-year induction programme.
Typical pay & take-home
- Median gross
- £31,650
- Typical range
- £31,650–£34,000
- Take-home at median
- £26,308
England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn 15% below the UK full-time median (£37,430), placing you in the bottom 35% of UK earners.
What influences graduate teacher (nqt / ect) pay
STPCD sets six spine points on the Main Pay Range (MPR). In most of England you progress M1 → M6 over six years, reaching £43,607 (2024/25). London has uplifted scales — Inner London M1 £38,766, Outer London M1 £35,916, Fringe M1 £32,788.
Welsh teachers follow Welsh Government pay (very similar to England rest-of-country). Scottish teachers have their own SNCT scales — entry M1 around £33,400 in 2024/25, rising through 6 spine points to £51,000 at top of Main Scale. Northern Ireland uses its own close-to-England structure.
Teachers Pension Scheme contributions sit at 9.1% for most NQT pay points (2024/25 tiers), increasing in higher tiers. Contributions are net pay arrangement so you get full IT relief but no NI relief — similar structure to NHS.
Career progression
- M1 (first year): £31,650 rest-of-England, £38,766 inner London.
- M6 (top of Main Scale after 6 years): £43,607 rest-of-England.
- UPS (Upper Pay Scale — post-threshold): UPS1 £45,646 up to UPS3 £49,084.
- TLR (Teaching and Learning Responsibility points), leadership group (HoD, HoY, deputy head).
Frequently asked questions
- What does an NQT earn after tax outside London 2026/27?
- M1 gross £31,650 with 9.1% Teachers Pension → approximately £22,500–£23,000 take-home per year after IT, NI and pension. Our salary calculator with Pension = 9.1% gives the exact number.
- Is a teacher pension a good deal at this salary?
- Yes — the Teachers Pension Scheme is a CARE (Career Average Revalued Earnings) DB scheme accruing 1/57th of career-average pensionable pay per year. At teacher-level contributions it's typically equivalent to an employer contribution of 20%+. Strong value, especially early career.