Kindergarten teacher salary, primary school teacher salary, secondary school teacher salary, high school teacher salary or Vocational school teacher salary – find out what your colleagues earn.
It turns out that a teacher's salary and career opportunities are determined by where they teach. The differences between school level and canton are significant.
A secure job, a good salary, dealing with young people, compatibility of career and family: there are many reasons to become a teacher - and many opportunities to practice the profession.
This blog post provides you with a comprehensive cantonal overview of teachers' salaries across all school levels.
Our report shows that teachers' salaries vary greatly depending on the canton and school level.
What salary or wage does a kindergarten teacher earn?
Compared to other teachers, kindergarten teachers earn the least. There are also significant differences across Switzerland. Below is an overview:
- Kindergarten teachers in Zurich earn significantly the most. With starting salaries of around CHF 86,000, earnings in Zurich are approximately CHF 5,000 higher than in other cantons.
- Employees in Graubünden earn the lowest salaries, around CHF 60,000.
- Compared to the previous year, earnings have increased in the canton of Schaffhausen (+ CHF 7800.-), Basel-Stadt (+CHF 5000.-) and Bern (+CHF 3300.-).
- In Schaffhausen, the salary of kindergarten teachers and primary school teachers is now in the same salary bracket.
What salary does a primary school teacher earn?
Primary school teachers in the canton of Geneva earn the most. Interestingly, teachers in the canton of Geneva earn the highest salaries across all levels (primary and secondary school). & High school students receive a similar wage.
The canton of Ticino gets the red lantern, as primary school teachers there earn the same as kindergarten teachers.
If you look at the maximum wage, the earning potential is highest in Zurich.
- Average starting salary: CHF 77,800 (+CHF 320 compared to 2019)
- Average maximum salary: CHF 117,700 (+CHF 592 compared to 2019)
- The highest wage increase since 2012, at +9,250 CHF, is in the canton of Jura.
What salary or wage does a secondary school teacher earn?
With a starting salary of CHF 100,000, teachers in the canton of Zurich earn the most in this category as well. Geneva is the second highest earner. and recently the best place is Appenzell Innerrhoden.
- Secondary school teachers in the canton of Nidwalden earn the least.
- Average starting salary: 90,800 Swiss francs (+230 CHF compared to 2019)
- Average maximum salary: 137,300 Swiss francs (+276 CHF compared to 2019)
What salary or wage does a high school teacher earn?
Teachers in secondary schools in the canton of Zurich no longer earn the most. Looking at starting salaries, the highest are in the canton of Zug. After Zug, the highest salaries are in the cantons of Zurich and Thurgau. Comparing salaries... from 2020 compared to Compared to 2012, Schaffhausen saw the largest increase, with a rise of CHF 2,740. The canton of Neuchâtel is at the bottom of the ranking. When comparing maximum wages, the canton of Ticino comes in last.
- Average starting salary: CHF 101,400 (+CHF 220 compared to 2019)
- Average maximum salary: CHF 156,400 (+CHF 194 compared to 2019)
What salary or wage does a teacher at a vocational school earn?
Where available (Appenzell Innerrhoden has no such schools), we compared the salaries of students at vocational schools and vocational baccalaureate schools. Since this comparison is more difficult, we focused on salary comparisons within German-speaking Switzerland.
Here too, the starting salary is highest in the canton of Zug. After Zug, the cantons of Graubünden, Glarus, and Zurich offer the best salaries. The canton of Basel has the lowest starting salary, at around CHF 90,000 per year.
- Average starting salary in German-speaking Switzerland: CHF 99,900 (+CHF 240 compared to 2019)
- Maximum salary in German-speaking Switzerland: CHF 153,100 (+CHF 200 compared to 2019)
What salary or wage does a teacher at a vocational high school earn?
Comparing salaries for teachers at vocational high schools is also more difficult, which is why we focused exclusively on German-speaking Switzerland.
The results regarding teachers' salaries at vocational baccalaureate schools are similar to those at vocational colleges. Earnings remain highest in the canton of Zug, followed by the canton of Zurich.
- Average starting salary in German-speaking Switzerland: 103,340 Swiss francs (+245 CHF compared to 2019)
- Average maximum salary in German-speaking Switzerland: 159,370 Swiss francs (+201 CHF compared to 2019)
Source: Salary data collection of teachers (regionalkonferenzen.ch)
