Average Teacher Salary in Russia: Moscow and the Regions

Contents:

• Comparative analysis of average monthly salaries of teachers in Russian regions
• The size of teachers' salaries and factors influencing them
• Additional financial rewards for teachers
• Additional sources of income for teachers
• New government initiatives to reform the remuneration system for teachers
• The size of teachers' salaries in private educational institutions

Last year, SuperJob conducted a study, the results of which revealed that the teaching profession is perceived as one of the most undervalued in the labor market. This is a cause for concern: despite efforts aimed at raising the status of the teaching profession, the issue of extremely low salaries of teachers is often raised in public statements by the authorities and in the media. However, are they really that paltry? Perhaps we are talking only about a fixed portion of income, which can be called a salary, and if we take into account various allowances and bonuses, the final amount will be more acceptable. We decided to look into this issue in more detail.

In this article, you will learn the following:

• The average salary of teachers in Russia is determined by the Federal State Statistics Service, known as Rosstat. This process involves the collection and analysis of data on teachers' salaries in different regions of the country. Rosstat takes into account various factors, such as education level, length of service, and the type of educational institution, which allows for a more accurate picture of salaries in the education sector. This data is then used to generate statistical reports that help assess teachers' financial status and identify salary trends in the education sector.
• Teachers' salaries depend on several key factors. First and foremost, a teacher's level of education and qualifications play a significant role. Teachers with higher education and additional certifications typically receive higher salaries.

  Seniority also influences salary: the longer a teacher has worked at a school, the more likely they are to receive a salary increase. Furthermore, salaries can vary by region—salaries in large cities are often higher than in rural areas.

  The type of educational institution is equally important. Teachers in private schools sometimes earn more than their colleagues in public institutions. Working conditions and additional responsibilities, such as participating in clubs or developing curricula, are also important factors, as they may also impact wages.

• The reasons why some teachers need to go to court to receive even the minimum wage can vary. In some cases, this is due to delays or insufficient payments from educational institutions. Unfortunately, the financial difficulties of many schools and universities mean that salaries do not meet legal standards. Furthermore, the situation is exacerbated by a lack of transparency in calculations and inadequate support from education authorities. As a result, teachers find themselves in a situation where they must defend their rights through the courts to obtain at least the minimum wage.
• Compensation, incentive, and other types of payments for teachers represent various forms of financial remuneration intended to support and motivate teachers in their professional activities.

  Compensation payments are usually aimed at reimbursing costs associated with the performance of official duties. This may include payment for extra hours, materials, or other needs that arise during the teaching process.

  Incentive payments are designed to reward teachers for their achievements, contribution to the educational process, or high student outcomes. Such payments may depend on various factors, including the quality of teaching, student engagement, and the overall success of the educational institution.

  In addition, there are other payments, which may include bonuses, allowances for special working conditions, or for performing additional responsibilities. These forms of financial reward help create more favorable working conditions for teachers and contribute to improving the quality of education.

• Authorities are planning to reform teacher remuneration. This change is aimed at overhauling the existing system to make it fairer and more effective. It is expected that the new approaches will take into account not only the qualifications and experience of teachers, but also their work results and the quality of the educational process. An important aspect of the reform will be the introduction of incentive mechanisms that will reward the most successful specialists. Thus, the goal is to create more attractive working conditions for teachers, which should have a positive impact on the overall level of education.
• Teacher salaries in private educational institutions can vary significantly. Typically, the salary depends on many factors, such as the location of the school, its reputation, the level of education and the experience of the teacher. In some cases, salaries can exceed the average, especially at prestigious institutions. However, in other private schools, especially those that are just starting out or have limited resources, salaries can be lower than in public institutions. Thus, the overall picture looks quite varied and requires an individual approach to each specific situation.

Comparative analysis of average monthly salaries of teachers in Russian regions

According to Rosstat, in the first half of 2024, the average monthly salary of teachers in Russia was 71.4 thousand rubles. However, it should be noted that this figure varies significantly by region. Each year, the highest average teacher salary in the country can be four to six times higher than the lowest.

I provide several examples based on federal statistical monitoring data for the period from January to June 2024. These data show that teachers receive the highest average salaries in the capital, Moscow. In St. Petersburg, by the way, for the same period, the average teacher salary was 98.6 thousand rubles per month. Interestingly, even outside the capitals and northern regions, there are significant differences in teacher salaries - in some areas of the same federal district, their salaries can vary by 1.5-2 times.

Average salary of teachers in general education institutions by federal district for the period from January to June 2024.

In practice, it is difficult to find teachers whose actual salaries correspond to the stated statistical averages. For example, on the social media accounts of the "Teacher" trade union, one can see numerous posts from teachers who, even with a full workload, earn only 20,000 to 40,000 rubles per month. Experienced colleagues explain in the comments to young professionals that in Moscow, newcomers can easily earn 80,000 to 100,000 rubles without working extra hours. However, in the neighboring Moscow region, the situation is radically different: even working two shifts, achieving such an income is impossible. An analysis of recruiting platform data and survey results clearly demonstrates a significant disparity in wages between different regions, even if the specific figures are lower than those reported by Rosstat. According to information obtained from the hh.ru platform for the period from January to August 2025, the median teacher salary was 54,400 rubles. Salary offers varied widely among job postings for teachers: in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, it reached 115,000 rubles, in Moscow, 86,300 rubles, and in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Kamchatka Krai, 85,000 rubles each. The lowest median salary was recorded in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, where it was only 28,500 rubles.

Furthermore, the Avito Jobs platform revealed differences in salary levels for teachers of various subjects: Russian language and literature teachers can expect a salary of 85,000 rubles, while for other teachers the minimum threshold is 35,000. Moreover, the maximum amount offered to most teachers in advertisements posted on the service is 70 thousand rubles.

Where does such a significant difference come from? Formally, everything seems logical: according to the presidential decree signed back in 2012, regional leaders are obliged to ensure that the average salary of teachers is not lower than the regional average. According to Rosstat, this standard was observed in almost all regions in 2024: teachers' salaries ranged from 92% to 152% of the average salary in the respective region. Thus, the gap in teacher salaries is similar to that observed among other budget-funded employees.

There is another important aspect: the average salary presented in Rosstat data does not simply represent a teacher's fixed salary for a full-time workweek at a school. If an analysis were conducted solely on teachers' income for teaching at a single rate, the figures in the tables would be significantly lower.

Teacher salaries in the statistical data reach the regional average, primarily because many teachers hold multiple positions. Secondly, a complex system of additional payments and allowances plays a significant role. In addition, the size of each component of a teacher's salary varies by region, making it uneven across the country.

The Size of Teachers' Salaries and Factors Affecting It

According to experts, the basic component of the salary, which can be conditionally called the salary, averages only about 30% of a teacher's total income. This amount is determined based on the number of teaching hours that a teacher spends directly in the classroom per week. In this case, the calculation is based on the payment for the standard teacher's rate established by Order No. 269 of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation dated April 4, 2025, which is equal to 18 teaching hours per week.

In a number of regions, alternative approaches exist, such as calculating wages using the "student-hour" model. In this system, a teacher's teaching load is converted into conventional units, where one "student-hour" corresponds to the time the teacher spends with one student in a classroom. This method is used, for example, in Moscow, where the cost of one "student-hour" is 37 rubles. However, the main factor influencing the salary remains the number of teaching hours allocated to a teacher per week. The salary calculation does not imply that a teacher must spend exactly 18 hours in class, with the rest of the time simply spent resting. This number of hours includes only the actual classroom lessons, which require preparation, as well as the frequent need to check homework. Although experienced teachers may require relatively little preparation, overall, 18 hours of workload is comparable to a typical work week. The Labor Code establishes a reduced working time for education workers - 36 hours per week.

Teachers' salaries for one full-time position remain low. According to the Ministry of Education, in the fall of 2024, only ten regions in Russia had a salary exceeding the minimum wage. For example, in Moscow, a teacher with a higher education, working 18 teaching hours per week, could expect to earn 65,189 rubles, while in St. Petersburg, they could earn 47,542 rubles. Meanwhile, in a number of regions, the salary is significantly lower than the minimum wage, such as in the Amur Region, where it is only 5,531 rubles. This situation did not arise in 2024 due to the increase in the minimum wage—similar problems were recorded by the "Teacher" trade union back in 2023.

Teachers typically hold multiple positions. According to a study conducted by the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the average teacher workload in the country in 2024 is 1.44 positions. However, this figure conceals significant variations across subjects and regions. For example, for mathematics teachers, the average workload reaches approximately 1.6 positions. In some regions, such as Khabarovsk, Kemerovo and Samara, the average number of positions per teacher exceeds 1.8.

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In 2025, at a meeting of the Council of Legislators of the Russian Federation, the Minister Sergei Kravtsov, the Minister of Education, announced that the Ministry is setting workload limits for school teachers. According to the new regulations, this workload should not exceed 1.4 full-time positions, which implies 5-6 lessons per day. According to Kravtsov, this limitation will be based on standard staffing schedules developed for educational institutions. The implementation of such rules could reduce teachers' chances of increasing their income.

Difficult working conditions associated with a high workload primarily affect teachers in urban schools. In contrast, teachers in rural areas face a completely different problem: they cannot increase their income by increasing the number of teaching hours, since their schools do not have enough students to do so. In a number of regions, a situation is observed where teachers' salaries for actual hours worked (and not for a full-time position) are below the established minimum wage. In attempts to improve their financial situation, teachers are often forced to turn to the courts.

In some cases, the courts have ruled against the teachers. They argued that, taking into account payments for additional work (which will be discussed in the next section), teachers' salaries exceed the minimum wage, and therefore no violations were observed. However, in 2024, the Constitutional Court heard a complaint filed by a teacher from the Arkhangelsk Region challenging a district court decision and sided with her. The court ruled that employers are obligated to pay wages no less than the minimum wage if the employee has completed the established working hours and labor standards for the month. Moreover, any additional duties must be paid separately, above and beyond the minimum wage. Several similar court cases subsequently emerged that had ruled in favor of teachers, including the case of a teacher from Komsomolsk-on-Amur.

Additional financial rewards for teachers

Because the basic salary for teaching is low, a large part of the total salary of teachers is formed through various additional payments. These payments can be of several categories: compensatory payments, payments for performing additional duties, incentive payments, and one-time bonuses.

Not all teachers are eligible for compensatory payments; such payments are provided only to those who work in highly challenging conditions. This applies, in particular, to employees of educational institutions located in the Far North regions, as well as those who work in correctional facilities or with children with disabilities. In addition, in some cases, such payments are provided to teachers working in rural areas. This category also includes federal benefits provided to teachers working in villages under the Law on Education, which guarantees them compensation for utilities.

Additional pay for additional duties includes payments for classroom management, marking written assignments, managing classrooms, laboratories, and workshops, and leading methodological associations. According to the instructions of the Ministry of Education, these types of activities are considered work that exceeds the standard teaching load of a teacher.

The most diverse part of the remuneration system are motivational or incentive payments. These include bonuses granted for attaining the first or highest qualification category, which teachers are awarded based on the results of certification conducted every five years, as well as for teaching experience and the possession of honorary titles at the federal or regional levels. However, it is worth noting that incentive payments are also available to newcomers to the profession who do not yet have either categories or experience. These payments are established for active participation in work, involvement in competitions, student achievements in Olympiads and academics, and for the use of innovative approaches in teaching. For example, in Moscow, there was previously a practice of providing additional payments to teachers using the Moscow Electronic School services. At the federal level, there is no unified system of payments, either incentive or otherwise. Regional authorities manage teachers' salaries, and each school independently sets the criteria for calculating the incentive portion of the salary. Only one document of an all-Russian nature contains standards regarding these payments - this is the section dedicated to education workers in the "Uniform Recommendations for Establishing Remuneration Systems for Employees of State and Municipal Institutions for 2025" at the federal, regional and local levels.

This document presents consolidated lists of payments related to the performance of additional tasks, as well as incentive rewards.

• for excellent mentoring;
• for assessing written assignments;
• for managing classrooms, laboratory complexes, workshops, and educational and practical sites;
• for coordinating the work of methodological associations and commissions on various subjects;
• for mentoring;
• for possessing the first or highest qualification category;
• for performing the duties of an advisor to the director on educational work;
• for work in agricultural districts.

Additional payments for young specialists, as well as performance-based bonuses, may also be introduced. However, educational institutions are not obligated to implement all of the listed payments—these are merely recommendations, not strict requirements. Furthermore, schools also take into account the rules established in a particular region.

Starting in the 2025/2026 academic year, changes were made to the teacher remuneration system in Moscow. Incentive payments will now depend on student academic performance, including OGE and USE results. Bonuses based on category, length of service, or assessment of written assignments are no longer provided. In addition, the standard remuneration regulations developed for Moscow schools stipulate that subject-specific increasing coefficients should be taken into account when calculating salaries. Mathematics teachers receive the highest coefficient, making one student-hour 30% more expensive compared to other subjects. This partially compensates for the elimination of additional payments for grading notebooks.

Additional Sources of Income for Teachers

Due to limited prospects for increased earnings in public educational institutions, many teachers are forced to seek additional sources of income. The most common form of income for them is tutoring—giving private lessons. According to the results of a survey conducted in 2021 among a thousand teachers, 59% of them were engaged in this activity.

After the end of the pandemic, a large number of teachers began to switch to online platforms, where the level of earnings is higher than in traditional educational institutions, Although their workload increases significantly. A study conducted by the National Research University Higher School of Economics found that even if a teacher decides to leave the online platform, they typically do not return to school, preferring to work as a private tutor. According to data from 2022, combining school work with additional tutoring or online resources increased teachers' income by approximately one-third.

According to more recent research conducted by Avito Services in collaboration with the ProgressMe platform, which is available on Skillbox Media, the majority of tutors work less than 20 hours per week. This is due to the fact that they combine this activity with their main job. On average, tutors' income does not exceed 80,000 rubles per month. The experience of those specialists who work in educational institutions and simultaneously teach private lessons indicates that it is difficult to earn more than 20,000–40,000 rubles per month with this combination. A primary workload at school limits the ability to offer more private lessons. On the contrary, those who devote themselves entirely to tutoring report incomes starting from 100 thousand rubles per month and above.

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"Not all teachers will be able to become tutors, it is simply not feasible": what employment paths exist for teachers.

According to the data According to a VTsIOM survey, the overwhelming majority of Russian adults do not consider teaching to be well-paid. In 2025, the rating was 2.51 on a five-point scale, where 1 represents low income and 5 represents high income. This value indicates that teachers' salaries are even below average. Not surprisingly, teachers' status in society also received a rating of "C" in the same study. Furthermore, only 35% of Russians consider the teaching profession prestigious. According to a recent study by the "Teacher" trade union, approximately 70% of teachers who had already submitted resignation letters or were planning to do so cited low salaries as the main reason for their decision. This data was provided by Skillbox Media.

New Government Initiatives to Reform the Remuneration System for Teachers

As shown in previous materials, teacher salaries are far from simply low—they vary based on a multitude of factors. Different parts of Russia, as well as individual educational institutions, have their own unique rules, which can vary significantly. Recently, Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov noted that there is currently a "clear understanding" of the criteria by which incentive payments are assigned in different regions.

Government agencies are not remaining aloof from this issue. In early 2020, the Federation Council sent a request to the Government proposing to explore the possibility of implementing a unified pay system for all teachers across the country. A pilot project was planned for 2022 in several regions, where all teachers were promised a fair base salary. It was also planned that all additional payments and bonuses would not exceed 30% of their total salary.

However, the government never approved the corresponding resolution. Apparently, the pilot project was indeed implemented, as at a meeting of the Presidential Council on State Policy for the Protection of Families and Children in April 2023, Sergei Kravtsov mentioned testing the new system in six regions. In the fall of that year, the ministry even announced its readiness to implement this system.

However, by the end of 2023, only one document had been adopted—salary recommendations for state and municipal institutions, which included a unified list of incentive and compensatory payments. This document was later updated for 2025, and we have already mentioned it in this article in the context of additional payments. The decision to introduce certain payments remains with educational institutions, which take into account regional legislation.

Starting in 2025, a new pilot project will begin, aimed at achieving similar goals: increasing the guaranteed portion of teachers' income and developing uniform salary calculation standards for all educational institutions in the country. This initiative was initiated as a result of the president's directive on the need to develop new compensation models for all public sector employees, including not only teachers. Sakhalin Oblast, Vladimir Oblast, and the Udmurtia Republic are reportedly participating in this pilot project. At the class teachers' forum held in October 2025, Sergei Kravtsov noted that the three regions mentioned above are only just beginning to prepare for the implementation of the new approaches. Therefore, it can be concluded that a new phase of the pilot project is beginning. It is planned that the new methods will be introduced in all Russian schools starting in 2027.

At the same time, as noted in the Telegram channel "Science and Universities", State Duma deputies seem to have entered into An informal competition is underway, with various initiatives being put forward to provide benefits and salary supplements for teachers, while leaving aside the issue of increasing base salaries. Among the proposed measures, for example, is a special allowance for clothing renewal before the start of the new school year, as well as free hot meals for schoolchildren. However, in various parts of the country, teachers are expressing dissatisfaction with the cancellation of planned payments for the 2025/2026 school year. These payments relate to such aspects as working in rural areas, length of service, category status, classroom management, and notebook grading. According to information provided by the "Teacher" trade union, similar complaints have been received from at least nine regions. The Ministry of Education, however, claims that in September they received only five inquiries on this matter from five different regions. Furthermore, the All-Russian Trade Union of Education also noted that they only record individual requests and that changes to the payment system are occurring in only two regions.

Thus, today it is not possible to provide a clear and universal answer to the question of teachers' incomes and the components of their salaries that would reflect the situation in various regions of Russia.

Teachers' salaries in private educational institutions

Private educational institutions are independent of local budgets, which allows them to more flexibly determine the salaries of their teachers. However, they still depend on their own financial revenues, which leads to significant fluctuations in salaries, as is observed in public schools. For example, in a prestigious gymnasium in the capital, where the number of students reaches several hundred and the cost of education exceeds 1 million rubles per year, salaries can be significantly higher than in a small school located in a remote region.

It should be noted that private educational institutions in Russia are represented quite limitedly. According to the statistical dataset "Education in Figures: 2024," prepared by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in collaboration with the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Education and Science, and Rosstat, in 2024, there were only 915 private schools in the country, while the number of state and municipal educational institutions reached 38,890. Given the small number of private schools, it is not surprising that there are significantly fewer teaching positions in them compared to state institutions, leading to intense competition among applicants.

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• The problem of a shortage of young teachers in educational institutions is not limited to salary levels. There are many factors influencing this issue. Firstly, young professionals face a low status for the profession, which makes it less attractive to graduates. Secondly, working conditions often leave much to be desired: overwork, lack of support from administration, and a lack of career advancement.

  Furthermore, today's young people seek not only financial stability but also the opportunity for self-fulfillment, which also influences their choice of profession. It is important to note that the education system requires changes to attract a new stream of teachers. Measures are needed to create a more comfortable and supportive environment where young teachers can develop and feel in demand.

• Which countries provide teachers with the best living and working conditions? Let's consider various aspects influencing the situation in different countries.
• In the Russian Empire, the standard of living and earnings of teachers varied significantly depending on the region, type of educational institution, and the status of the teacher. In cities, especially large ones, incomes were somewhat higher than in rural areas. Typically, teachers working in gymnasiums or universities received higher salaries compared to teachers employed in primary schools.

  Wages could range from modest amounts to relatively decent incomes. For example, at the beginning of the 20th century, the average salary for a teacher in urban schools was around 30-50 rubles per month, which was quite low compared to other professions. Meanwhile, teachers working at prestigious educational institutions could earn up to 100 rubles or more. Living conditions for teachers also left much to be desired. Many faced financial difficulties, especially if they had families. They often had to supplement their income by tutoring or other activities. Educational institutions often did not provide teachers with housing, and they were forced to rent apartments or live in dormitories.

  Overall, the lives of teachers in the Russian Empire were quite difficult, which reflected the general state of society at the time, where education was not always properly valued, and the work of teachers remained undervalued.

• Among all professions in the labor market, teaching ranks among the lowest in terms of recognition and evaluation.
• "Educational institutions expect new teachers to appear, but they greet them as if no one was expecting them."