Teacher salaries depend on more than just their base pay. Factors such as experience, location, and additional responsibilities also play a significant role.

The editorial team of Novini.LIVE submitted an official inquiry to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and received a response regarding this matter.

How Teacher Salaries are Determined

The salary scales for educational staff in institutions depend on the Unified Tariff Scale of grades and coefficients for the remuneration of employees in institutions, establishments, and organizations of specific sectors of the budget sphere (hereinafter referred to as ETS). This is established by the order of the Ministry of Education dated September 26, 2005, No. 557, and the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers dated August 30, 2002, No. 1298.

Appendix 6 to the order contains tariff grades used to calculate the salaries of teachers. The rates depend on the qualification category. For instance, if a teacher has no category, their tariff grade is 10-11. The grades increase as follows:

• second category — 12 tariff grade;
• first category — 13 tariff grade;
• highest category — 14 tariff grade.

"The note to this appendix states that specialists with an educational and qualification level of a specialist or master's degree (higher education) are assigned a tariff grade of 11. The assignment of categories and the establishment of tariff grades are carried out based on the results of certification," — responded the Ministry of Education to the inquiry from Novini.LIVE.

Additionally, according to the resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 22 dated January 11, 2018, all educational staff, including teachers of general secondary education institutions, are entitled to a 10% increase in their salaries. This increase forms a new salary, from which other allowances and bonuses are calculated.

What Allowances Do Teachers Have in Ukraine

In addition to the salary, there are mandatory allowances for certain types of educational activities in state and municipal educational institutions. These can be established for the entire volume of educational workload or just for part of it. The list of such allowances includes:

• longevity allowance — paid monthly as a percentage of the salary rate depending on the length of pedagogical service (more than 3 years — 10%, more than 10 years — 20%, and more than 20 years — 30%);
• prestige allowance — set at a maximum of 30% of the salary, but not less than 5% (the amount is determined by the head of the institution within the salary fund).

Teachers may also receive bonuses based on regulations approved by the school management. The procedures and amounts are determined according to the teacher's contribution to the overall results of the work.

"The state's guarantees include the payment of an annual monetary reward of up to one salary for conscientious work, exemplary fulfillment of assigned duties, as well as assistance for health improvement in the amount of one monthly salary when taking annual leave," — clarified the ministry.

Moreover, in 2025, the Ministry of Education introduced an allowance for working under unfavorable conditions. This refers to a regular payment to all educational staff of state and municipal general secondary education institutions of 1,000 UAH (from January 1) and 2,000 UAH (from September 1).

Let us remind you that the Ministry of Education provided recommendations on salary payments in kindergartens. The issue of monetary support for educators in preschool institutions was regulated by the ministry's order No. 100, which will be applied starting January 1, 2025. The Ministry warned against certain decisions.

We also reported that educators in Ukraine receive low salaries, but job offers with incomes up to 40,000 UAH regularly appear on job portals. Such amounts can be earned by mathematics tutors and foreign language teachers.