A person working as Secondary School Teacher in Colombo typically earns around 80,200 LKR. Salaries range from 36,900 LKR (lowest) to 127,000 LKR (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Secondary School Teacher salaries in Colombo vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Minimum Salary 36,900 LKR |
Median 76,600 LKR |
Maximum 127,000 LKR |
Salaries for the position Secondary School Teacher in Colombo range from 36,900 LKR (starting salary) to 127,000 LKR (maximum salary). It should be noted that the given figure is not the legally mandated minimum wage; rather, it represents the lowest figure reported in a salary survey that included thousands of participants and professionals from all regions of the country.
With a median salary of 76,600 LKR, half of the professionals who work as Secondary School Teacher in Colombo earn less than this amount, and the other half earn more. The median salary denotes the middle value of salaries. Ideally, you would want to belong to the group earning more than the median salary, located on the right side of the salary distribution graph.
The median is closely associated with two other values known as the 25th and 75th percentiles. By examining the salary distribution chart, it can be determined that 25% of professionals employed as Secondary School Teacher in Colombo earn less than 61,800 LKR, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 88,300 LKR while 25% earn more.
To provide a better understanding of expected salaries, we categorized the frequently occurring salaries into different ranges. This approach provides a more precise representation of salary distribution for the job title Secondary School Teacher in Colombo compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 45,900 LKR to 66,600 LKR. About 20% of salaries are below the 45,900 LKR mark, while 10% fall within the range of 66,600 LKR to 76,000 LKR. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 76,000 LKR.
0 - 2 Years | 41,900 LKR | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 55,900 LKR |
5 - 10 Years | +48% | 82,600 LKR |
10 - 15 Years | +22% | 101,000 LKR |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 110,000 LKR |
20+ Years | +8% | 119,000 LKR |
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally, the more years of experience the higher the wage. We broke down salaries by experience level for people working as Secondary School Teacher and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 41,900 LKR.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 55,900 LKR, 34% more than someone with less than two year's experience.
Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 82,600 LKR, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.
Additionally, professionals whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 101,000 LKR, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.
If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 110,000 LKR, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.
Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 119,000 LKR, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Bachelor's Degree | 48,700 LKR | |
Master's Degree | +93% | 93,900 LKR |
We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down salaries by education level for the position Secondary School Teacher in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 48,700 LKR.
At this level, the average salary becomes 93,900 LKR, 93% more than the previous level.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Sri Lanka costs anywhere from 450,000 LKR to 1,350,000 LKR and lasts approximately two years. That is quite an investment.
You can't really expect any salary increases during the study period, assuming you already have a job. In most cases, a salary review is conducted once education is completed and the degree has been attained.
Many people pursue higher education as a tactic to switch to a higher-paying job. The numbers seem to support the theory. The average increase in compensation while changing jobs is approximately 10% more than the customary salary increment.
If you can afford the costs of higher education, the return on investment is definitely worth it. You should be able to recover the costs in roughly a year or so.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? For the people who work as Secondary School Teacher in Sri Lanka, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 10%.
Male | 82,000 LKR | |
Female | -9% | 74,500 LKR |
Individuals working as Secondary School Teacher in Sri Lanka are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately % every months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 17 months.
The term Annual Salary Increase usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rare that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one-year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 / Increase Frequency
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
100% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while % said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from % to % of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | % | |
No Bonus | 100% |
The most standard form of bonus, where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually, jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fixed amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
The minimum pay rate per hour for people working as Secondary School Teacher in Colombo is 210 LKR. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
Job Title | Average Salary |
Teaching / Education | -100% | |
Academic Advisor | 104,000 LKR | +30% |
Academic Assistant | 75,700 LKR | -6% |
Academic Coach | 110,000 LKR | +37% |
Academic Librarian | 79,900 LKR | -0% |
Academic Manager | 123,000 LKR | +53% |
Academic Specialist | 90,400 LKR | +13% |
Academic Staff | 84,500 LKR | +5% |
Accompanist | 89,600 LKR | +12% |
Achievement Coach | 108,000 LKR | +35% |
Admissions Specialist | 95,600 LKR | +19% |
Agricultural Sciences Teacher | 79,600 LKR | -1% |
Anthropology Teacher | 85,500 LKR | +7% |
Arabic Language Teacher | 77,500 LKR | -3% |
Archeology Teacher | 87,500 LKR | +9% |
Architecture Teacher | 92,900 LKR | +16% |
Archivist | 74,300 LKR | -7% |
Art Teacher | 80,400 LKR | +0% |
Assistant School Principal | 108,000 LKR | +35% |
Assistant Teacher | 72,600 LKR | -9% |
Biochemistry Professor | 148,000 LKR | +85% |
Biology Teacher | 90,900 LKR | +13% |
Blended Learning Specialist | 112,000 LKR | +40% |
Bursary Scheme Manager | 97,400 LKR | +21% |
Business Teacher | 91,300 LKR | +14% |
Careers Advisor | 109,000 LKR | +36% |
Careers Consultant | 110,000 LKR | +37% |
Chemistry Teacher | 85,000 LKR | +6% |
Chief Remote Learning Officer | 142,000 LKR | +77% |
Child Care Coordinator | 85,600 LKR | +7% |
Child Care Worker | 67,400 LKR | -16% |
Childcare Worker | 69,500 LKR | -13% |
Classroom Assistant | 70,100 LKR | -13% |
Clinical School Psychologist | 120,000 LKR | +50% |
Coding Coach | 93,000 LKR | +16% |
College Aide | 112,000 LKR | +40% |
College and Career Readiness Specialist | 116,000 LKR | +45% |
College Dean | 198,000 LKR | +150% |
College President | 190,000 LKR | +140% |
Communications Teacher | 91,100 LKR | +14% |
Community Education Officer | 76,200 LKR | -5% |
Computer Science Teacher | 85,200 LKR | +6% |
Computer Teacher | 84,300 LKR | +5% |
Creative Writing Trainer | 104,000 LKR | +30% |
Credit Counselor | 104,000 LKR | +30% |
Cultural Studies Teacher | 80,900 LKR | +1% |
Curriculum Coordinator | 102,000 LKR | +27% |
Curriculum Developer | 108,000 LKR | +35% |
Curriculum Specialist | 116,000 LKR | +45% |
Dean of Faculty | 195,000 LKR | +140% |
Demonstrator | 77,400 LKR | -3% |
Deputy Controller of Examinations | 105,000 LKR | +31% |
Digital Citizenship Educator | 85,500 LKR | +7% |
Digital Literacy Instructor | 88,700 LKR | +11% |
Director of Learning Technology | 111,000 LKR | +38% |
Distance Learning Coordinator | 90,900 LKR | +13% |
E-Learning Consultant | 119,000 LKR | +48% |
E-learning Content Developer | 111,000 LKR | +38% |
E-Learning Designer | 116,000 LKR | +45% |
Economics Lecturer | 146,000 LKR | +82% |
Economics Teacher | 82,900 LKR | +3% |
EdTech Compliance Manager | 91,300 LKR | +14% |
EdTech Consultant | 102,000 LKR | +27% |
EdTech Content Creator | 93,200 LKR | +16% |
Education Administrator | 95,000 LKR | +19% |
Education Assistant | 78,000 LKR | -3% |
Education Assistant Director | 110,000 LKR | +37% |
Education Assistant Librarian | 64,600 LKR | -19% |
Education Assistant Principal | 95,500 LKR | +19% |
Education Assistant Professor | 126,000 LKR | +57% |
Education Associate | 85,700 LKR | +7% |
Education Consultant | 107,000 LKR | +33% |
Education Coordinator | 92,800 LKR | +16% |
Education Counselor | 99,600 LKR | +24% |
Education Director | 147,000 LKR | +83% |
Education Policy Analyst | 120,000 LKR | +50% |
Education Program Specialist | 110,000 LKR | +37% |
Education Researcher | 121,000 LKR | +51% |
Education Resource Specialist | 89,700 LKR | +12% |
Education Services Facilitator | 102,000 LKR | +27% |
Education Technology Specialist | 95,100 LKR | +19% |
Educational Content Writer | 103,000 LKR | +28% |
Educational Data Privacy Officer | 107,000 LKR | +33% |
Educational Psychologist | 135,000 LKR | +68% |
EFL Teacher | 91,500 LKR | +14% |
eLearning Trainer | 81,400 LKR | +2% |
Elementary School Teacher | 68,700 LKR | -14% |
Engineering Lecturer | 138,000 LKR | +72% |
Engineering Teacher | 118,000 LKR | +47% |
English Teacher | 78,800 LKR | -2% |
ESL Teacher | 83,700 LKR | +4% |
Faculty Assistant | 111,000 LKR | +38% |
Foreign Language Teacher | 77,700 LKR | -3% |
GED Teacher | 79,500 LKR | -1% |
Geography Teacher | 82,500 LKR | +3% |
Head of Mathematics Department | 117,000 LKR | +46% |
Head of School | 138,000 LKR | +72% |
High School Teacher | 90,200 LKR | +13% |
History Teacher | 83,600 LKR | +4% |
Infant Teacher | 63,400 LKR | -21% |
Instructional Assistant | 93,800 LKR | +17% |
Instructional Coach | 96,500 LKR | +20% |
Instructor | 97,400 LKR | +21% |
Kindergarten Teacher | 71,000 LKR | -11% |
Language Instructor For Expatriate | 73,000 LKR | -9% |
Law Teacher | 124,000 LKR | +55% |
Learning Designer | 103,000 LKR | +28% |
Learning Experience Designer | 119,000 LKR | +48% |
Learning Management System Administrator | 91,600 LKR | +14% |
Lecturer | 145,000 LKR | +81% |
Librarian | 73,000 LKR | -9% |
Library Assistant | 59,800 LKR | -25% |
Library Director | 102,000 LKR | +27% |
Library Specialist | 76,400 LKR | -5% |
Library Technician | 65,600 LKR | -18% |
Life Sciences Teacher | 86,300 LKR | +8% |
Makerspace Coordinator and Facilitator | 77,900 LKR | -3% |
Math Lecturer | 148,000 LKR | +85% |
Math Teacher | 98,800 LKR | +23% |
Mathematics Teacher | 91,500 LKR | +14% |
Mentor | 94,600 LKR | +18% |
Middle School Teacher | 89,600 LKR | +12% |
Music Teacher | 82,000 LKR | +2% |
Nursery Manager | 133,000 LKR | +66% |
Nursery Worker | 53,800 LKR | -33% |
Online Course Developer | 101,000 LKR | +26% |
Online Course Instructor | 92,900 LKR | +16% |
Online Learning Facilitator | 86,000 LKR | +7% |
Online Tutor | 78,600 LKR | -2% |
Paraprofessional | 120,000 LKR | +50% |
Personalized Learning Specialist | 106,000 LKR | +32% |
Physical Education Specialist | 94,000 LKR | +17% |
Physical Education Teacher | 73,900 LKR | -8% |
Physics Teacher | 87,700 LKR | +9% |
Political Science Teacher | 90,800 LKR | +13% |
Post Doctoral Researcher | 132,000 LKR | +65% |
Preschool Education Administrator | 96,600 LKR | +20% |
Preschool Teacher | 73,300 LKR | -9% |
Primary School Teacher | 74,800 LKR | -7% |
Principal | 129,000 LKR | +61% |
Product Specialist | 98,700 LKR | +23% |
Professor - Accounting | 156,000 LKR | +95% |
Professor - Architecture | 155,000 LKR | +93% |
Professor - Biology | 146,000 LKR | +82% |
Professor - Business Administration | 154,000 LKR | +92% |
Professor - Chemical Engineering | 165,000 LKR | +110% |
Professor - Chemistry | 159,000 LKR | +98% |
Professor - Civil Engineering | 144,000 LKR | +80% |
Professor - Communication | 139,000 LKR | +73% |
Professor - Computer Science | 158,000 LKR | +97% |
Professor - Dentistry | 161,000 LKR | +100% |
Professor - Drama | 145,000 LKR | +81% |
Professor - Economics | 153,000 LKR | +91% |
Professor - Education | 162,000 LKR | +100% |
Professor - Electrical Engineering | 165,000 LKR | +110% |
Professor - English | 146,000 LKR | +82% |
Professor - Environmental Engineering | 153,000 LKR | +91% |
Professor - Foreign Languages | 153,000 LKR | +91% |
Professor - Geological Sciences | 155,000 LKR | +93% |
Professor - History | 152,000 LKR | +90% |
Professor - Industrial Engineering | 148,000 LKR | +85% |
Professor - Law | 156,000 LKR | +95% |
Professor - Legal Support | 151,000 LKR | +88% |
Professor - Liberal Arts | 154,000 LKR | +92% |
Professor - Marketing | 153,000 LKR | +91% |
Professor - Mathematics | 164,000 LKR | +100% |
Professor - Mechanical Engineering | 156,000 LKR | +95% |
Professor - Medical Administration | 170,000 LKR | +110% |
Professor - Medicine | 187,000 LKR | +130% |
Professor - Music | 140,000 LKR | +75% |
Professor - Nursing | 140,000 LKR | +75% |
Professor - Pharmaceutical Sciences | 160,000 LKR | +100% |
Professor - Philosophy | 157,000 LKR | +96% |
Professor - Physical Therapy | 162,000 LKR | +100% |
Professor - Physics | 163,000 LKR | +100% |
Professor - Psychology | 144,000 LKR | +80% |
Professor - Rehabilitation | 145,000 LKR | +81% |
Professor - Social Work | 140,000 LKR | +75% |
Professor - Sociology | 149,000 LKR | +86% |
Professor - Special Education | 148,000 LKR | +85% |
Psychology Teacher | 129,000 LKR | +61% |
Public Management Assistant Professor | 134,000 LKR | +67% |
School Counselor | 116,000 LKR | +45% |
Science Educator | 85,300 LKR | +6% |
Science Laboratory Assistant | 79,100 LKR | -1% |
Science Teacher | 86,300 LKR | +8% |
Secondary Mathematics Teacher | 91,600 LKR | +14% |
Secondary School Teacher | 80,200 LKR | +0% |
Special Education Advocate | 115,000 LKR | +43% |
Special Education Teacher | 86,800 LKR | +8% |
Special Needs Assistant | 72,600 LKR | -9% |
Statistics Lecturer | 146,000 LKR | +82% |
STEAM Educator | 80,000 LKR | -0% |
STEM Educator | 76,600 LKR | -4% |
Student Accounts Coordinator | 85,500 LKR | +7% |
Student Development Specialist | 105,000 LKR | +31% |
Student Employment Specialist | 97,400 LKR | +21% |
Student Services | 76,800 LKR | -4% |
Student Services Coordinator | 78,400 LKR | -2% |
Student Support Manager | 102,000 LKR | +27% |
Substitute Teacher | 67,100 LKR | -16% |
Teacher | 80,500 LKR | +0% |
Teacher Aide | 67,600 LKR | -16% |
Teacher Trainer | 101,000 LKR | +26% |
Teaching Assistant | 64,100 LKR | -20% |
TEFL Teacher | 87,400 LKR | +9% |
Training and Development Specialist | 114,000 LKR | +42% |
Training Coordinator | 77,800 LKR | -3% |
Tutor | 80,300 LKR | +0% |
University Teacher | 153,000 LKR | +91% |
Virtual Teacher | 76,200 LKR | -5% |
Vocational Education Teacher | 82,600 LKR | +3% |
City | Average Salary |
Colombo | 80,200 LKR |
Where can you get paid more, working in a private company or the government? The difference between the public or government sector salaries and the private sector salaries in Sri Lanka is 8% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 86,300 LKR | |
Public Sector | +8% | 92,900 LKR |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 76,600 LKR and 88,300 LKR. This is a very rough estimate. Experience and education play a very huge part in the final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salary after tax for every career.
The base salary for a careers like Secondary School Teacher in Colombo ranges from 36,900 LKR to 61,800 LKR. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range with a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people earn more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary