How much money teachers earn in South Africa in 2025

With public sector workers agreeing to a 5.5% wage increase for 2025, teacher salaries in South Africa are expected to rise.

The latest salary scales for teachers in South Africa show the various salary bands for government educators effective 1 April 2024.

On Wednesday, 19 February, public sector unions agreed to a multi-year wage increase with the government that will see these valued rise by 5.5% from 1 April 2025.

The Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC), which negotiates on behalf of various public sector unions, met with the state this week to sign draft agreements on the offer.

At the end of January 2025, the government submitted a final wage offer and cost-of-living adjustment for public service workers of 5.5% for 2025.

The offer included CPI-linked adjustments for 2026 and 2027, capped at 6% and bottoming out at 4% to contain any wild inflation fluctuations.

While the official salary adjustments will only be gazetted by the Department of Basic Education in June 2025, the agreed hikes do indicate where the increases will likely settle.

Teacher salaries in South Africa are structured around specific bands and ‘notches’ that vary according to experience level and position.

The lowest bands represent newly qualified entry-level teachers. The notches and bands increase as teachers gain more experience and take on more responsibilities in the field.

The upper bands represent the higher tiers of teaching and school management, typically reflecting the levels of principals or department heads.

Salaries are split across 432 “notches” as determined by the DBE and vary according to Relative Education Qualification Value (REQV) levels.

These are standardised levels representing the level of education and qualifications teachers hold.

REQV 10-12 represent teachers with matric and some relevant training, while REQV 13 and above have diplomas and degrees.

Teacher salaries in 2025

The lowest notch (001) reflects the lowest salary a teacher in South Africa can earn. This was R154,671 from 1 April 2024. Should the 5.5% wage hike be approved, this would lift to R163,178 in 2025. This is an entry point of R13,600 per month.

The upper end of the range, notch 432, reflects the highest salary in the sector, totalling R1,209,279. Factoring in the likely 5.5% increase, this should move to R1,275,798 in 2025. This is a maximum of R106,300 per month.

It should also be noted that teachers also receive benefits such as pension contributions, medical aid subsidies, housing allowances, and bonuses, so their total packages may be higher.

The tables below show how teacher salaries could change in 2025 based on the government’s offer of a 5.5% wage increase.

General Classroom Teacher

School Management

The full salary notches effective 1 April 2024 can be read here.