Teachers in Switzerland earn more than teachers in 34 other countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to results of an OECD study published Sunday in the newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag.
They also have fewer students, but work more hours, Schweiz am Sonntag reported.
Only teachers in Luxembourg have higher annual salaries, according to the study. Primary school teachers earn CHF109,000 ($113,000) per year in Luxembourg, CHF71,000 per year in Switzerland, and an average of CHF44,000 in the 36 OECD countries surveyed.
Secondary school teachers earn up to CHF121,000 per year in Luxembourg, between CHF80,000 and CHF90,000 in Switzerland, and between CHF46,500 and CHF48,300 in OECD countries.
The figures were adjusted to take purchasing power into consideration.
Swiss classes are also smaller than classes in other OECD countries. At the primary school level, Swiss teachers have an average of 18.9 students, compared to 21.3 in OECD countries. At the secondary school level, classes have an average of 18.7 students in Switzerland and 23 students in OECD countries.
Swiss teachers work much more than their counterparts in other countries, however. According to the Swiss Teachers’ Association, the average Swiss teacher works 2000 hours per year, whereas the average in OECD countries is 1700 hours.
Salary increase called for
In spite of the fact that Swiss teachers are well paid in comparison to teachers in other countries, the Swiss Teachers’ Association is calling for a 20 per cent increase in teachers’ salaries over the next five years.
Salaries of teachers are up to 85 per cent lower than salaries of workers in the private sector, the association contends.
The association expects a «massive» shortage of qualified teachers in coming years, with more students due to increased birth rates and fewer teachers due to increasing retirement.
Beat Zemp, president of the association, said on Saturday in a radio interview on the «Samstagsrundschau» that teacher strikes would be an option if problrems are not addressed.
Commenting on the situation, a columnist for the Schweiz am Sonntag said Sunday: «With so much time spent battling unnecessary bureaucracy, endless meetings and reforms, teachers have less and less time to do their jobs. Instead, they should do what they like to do: teach.»