How Much Teachers Earn in Singapore? Salary Singapore Guide
TL;DR: Teaching Salary Singapore
| Role/Track (includes senior/leadership positions) | MOE Teacher | Early Childhood Educator (Educarer/Teacher/Leader Tracks) | Special Education Teacher | Private Full Time Tutor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Pay With CPF Contributions (+17% employer contribution) |
~$3,022 – ~$9,263 | ~$2,106 – ~$8,892 | ~$3,065 – ~$7,687 | – |
| Monthly Pay W/O CPF | – | From $5,022 (Based on 35 hour work week assumption & teaching students from Primary school) |
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Do note that these numbers are before the planned salary increases of 5 to 10 per cent for Ministry of Education (MOE) teachers, allied educators and MOE kindergarten educators from 1 October 2022. Also, note that these are career tracks stated and include senior/leadership positions.
Jump to:
- MOE Teacher Salary
- Early Childhood Teacher Salary
- Special Education Teacher Salary
- Private Tutors in Singapore Salary
MOE Teacher Salary Singapore
| Entry Qualifications | GCE O Level holders | GCE A Level, Polytechnic Diploma, International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma holders | Degree holders | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Programme | Art and Music/Chinese Language Teacher/Tamil Language Teacher Training Sponsorship | Diploma in Education (DipEd) at NIE | Bachelor of Arts (Education) and Bachelor of Science (Education) Teaching Scholars Programme | Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) at NIE | PGDE Physical Education (PE) at NIE |
| Training Duration/Cost | 3 years (Tamil)/4 years, funded by MOE | 2 years, funded by MOE | 4 years, funded by MOE | 16 months, funded by MOE | 2 years, funded by MOE |
| Bond | 3 – 5 years | 3 years | 4 years | 3 years | 3 years |
| Salary during untrained teaching stint and NIE | Allowance of $800 during your studies at NAFA/NP and a gross monthly salary of $2,350 during the final year at NIE |
$1,800 to $2,450 | Unspecified | $2,810 to $3,650 | $2,810 to $3,650 |
Note: For O-level holders, you’ll need to be accepted for MOE’s Teacher Training Sponsorship which is not included in the above table.
Contrary to popular belief, teachers are paid according to their educational qualifications and not the level they teach.
For example, Primary School teachers with university degrees and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) will be given roughly the same amount of salary as Junior College teachers with the same qualifications.
But the caveat is that teachers who enter teaching with lower qualifications are typically sent to Primary and Secondary schools.
For example, an Art Teacher who studying for a Diploma in Education may be teaching in a Primary school and earning a salary of $1,800 – $2,450 during their untrained teaching stint in school and if enrolled, their NIE training as well.
After graduating, they may be given a slight pay raise of $100 – $200 a month.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at total salary estimations from benchmarking website Payscale.com for Primary school teacher salaries and Secondary school teacher salaries.
These salaries also include the annual bonuses of teachers who will receive the same annual bonuses as civil servants.
| Average Early Career Salary (Monthly) | After 5-9 Years | After 10-19 Years | 20+ Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary School | ~$2,583 – ~$3,000 ($31,000 -$36,000 a year)
~$3,022 – $3,510 w/CPF |
~$4,417 ($53,000 a year)
~$5,168 w/CPF |
~$5,417 ($65,000 a year)
~$6,338 w/CPF |
~$6,250 ($75,000 a year)
~$7,313 w/CPF |
| Secondary School | ~$4,833 ($58,000 a year)
~$5,655 w/CPF |
~$5,500 ($66,000 a year)
~$6,435 w/CPF |
~$6,667 ($80,000 a year)
~$7800 w/CPF |
~$7,917 ($95,000 a year)
~$9,263 w/CPF |
Also do note that the salaries mentioned above do not include the planned salary increases of 5 to 10 per cent.
MOE Teacher Benefits
- Bonuses, such as Non-Pensionable Annual Allowance, performance bonus and other variable bonuses.
- The CONNECT Plan, rewards you for your commitment to teaching with pay-outs at defined points of your career.
- Eligible MOE teachers (General Education Officers) will be given ($2,400 to $8,320) every year. This would be paid out at key points (every three to five years) in a teacher’s teaching career.
- At the end of 30 years of service, the cumulative payouts amount to $168,000. But, teachers will forfeit their CONNECT payout if they quit before key points.
- The CONNECT plan will be further enhanced from 2023, by about 20 per cent overall.
- Time off during school holidays, as long as your services are not required during that time.
- Subsidised medical and dental benefits.
- 14 days of medical leave (without hospitalisation), and up to 60 days of hospitalisation leave.
- 10 days of urgent leave for private matters, subject to approval.
Although teachers earn respectable salaries in Singapore after CPF contributions, there are many more hidden costs you have to take note of. Some teachers fork out their own money and time for the sake of their students. Others may even find themselves working overtime to coach students or provide emotional support.
I urge you to read this comic first before you make any decision as many MOE teachers are also struggling with burnout and are switching to becoming private tutors.
Early Childhood Teacher Salary Singapore
According to a recent Ministry of Manpower (MOM) report, early childhood educators in Singapore can generally expect to receive salaries in this range:
| Track | Definition | Salary Range (Monthly)¹ |
|---|---|---|
| Educarer Track² | Educators on this track will work with children aged two months to four years in both kindergartens and childcare centres | $1,800 – $3,150
($2,106 – $3,686 w/CPF) |
| Teacher Track³ | Educators on this track will work with children aged four to six years in both kindergartens and childcare centres | $2,200 – $3,550
($2,574 – $4,154 w/CPF) |
| Leader Track | Educators on this track will take on centre or teacher leadership positions in both kindergartens and childcare centres | $3,150 – $7,600
($3,686 – $8,892 w/CPF) |
¹’The salary ranges are aggregated from public and private sources and provide a reference of the general monthly salaries for educators at different job roles, based on information current as of 2019.’
²’Infant/Toddler Educarers will work with children aged 2 months to 3 years, while Beginning Educarers and related job roles will work with children aged 18 months to 4 years.’
³’Educators with a Diploma in Early Childhood (Teaching) or equivalent, will be able to work with children aged 18 months to 6 years. The Teacher Track and related job roles are specific to educators currently deployed to work with children aged 4 to 6 years old.’
Typically, Educarers (teachers who care for young children aged two months to four years old) can earn between $1,800 – $3,150 a month depending on their educational qualifications (professional certificate) and experience.