What does a teacher earn?
Teachers instruct, educate and advise in schools – from lesson planning and classroom management to parent communication and school development. The path usually leads via a degree and a paid teaching traineeship (Referendariat) into school service, often as civil servants or under collective agreements. Gross pay depends on federal state, school type, pay grade, experience and extra duties. As a guide, qualified teachers in Germany in 2026 often earn about €4,200–€5,200 gross per month; during the traineeship typical ranges are around €1,500–€1,900.
Salary by region (gross/month)
Orientation figures as of 2026. The training column refers to typical pay during the teaching traineeship (Referendariat); qualified means fully trained teachers in school service (e.g. A12/A13 or comparable scales). Actual pay depends on federal state, school type, seniority, civil-servant status and extra roles and is not a guarantee.
Further training options
Job and everyday work
Teachers shape school life between teaching, classroom leadership and the staff room: preparing lessons, supporting learning and assessing progress. Parent contact, conferences, supervision and often extra project, subject or school-development duties complete the day.
- Prepare, deliver and reflect on lessons: set learning goals, choose methods and assess attainment.
- Lead classes, establish rules and routines, and guide conflicts and disruptions pedagogically.
- Hold meetings with parents/guardians, agree support plans and run parents’ evenings.
- Contribute to conferences, subject departments and school development; produce documentation and reports.
- Use digital tools, differentiation and inclusion in class and exchange with colleagues.
- Organise and take responsibility for supervision, trips, projects and extracurricular activities.
