A person working as Teacher in Iceland typically earns around 488,000 ISK. Salaries range from 225,000 ISK (lowest) to 776,000 ISK (highest).
This is the average salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Teacher salaries in Iceland vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.
Minimum Salary 225,000 ISK |
Median 467,000 ISK |
Maximum 776,000 ISK |
Salaries for the position Teacher in Iceland range from 225,000 ISK (starting salary) to 776,000 ISK (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 467,000 ISK, half of the professionals who work as Teacher in Iceland 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 Teacher in Iceland earn less than 376,000 ISK, while 75% earn more. Similarly, the chart shows that 75% earn less than 538,000 ISK 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 Teacher in Iceland compared to simply calculating the average. The majority of reported salaries, approximately 65%, fall within the range of 279,000 ISK to 406,000 ISK. About 20% of salaries are below the 279,000 ISK mark, while 10% fall within the range of 406,000 ISK to 463,000 ISK. Only 5% of individuals have salaries exceeding 463,000 ISK.
0 - 2 Years | 255,000 ISK | |
2 - 5 Years | +34% | 340,000 ISK |
5 - 10 Years | +48% | 503,000 ISK |
10 - 15 Years | +22% | 614,000 ISK |
15 - 20 Years | +9% | 669,000 ISK |
20+ Years | +8% | 724,000 ISK |
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 Teacher and this is what we found.
Employees with less than two years of experience earn approximately 255,000 ISK.
While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 340,000 ISK, 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 503,000 ISK, 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 614,000 ISK, 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 669,000 ISK, 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 724,000 ISK, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.
Bachelor's Degree | 291,000 ISK | |
Master's Degree | +57% | 456,000 ISK |
PhD | +68% | 765,000 ISK |
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 Teacher in order to make a comparison.
Employees at this education level have an average salary of 291,000 ISK.
At this level, the average salary becomes 456,000 ISK, 57% more than the previous level.
At this level, the average salary becomes 765,000 ISK, 68% more than the previous level.
A Master's degree program or any post-graduate program in Iceland costs anywhere from 3,450,000 ISK to 10,300,000 ISK 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 Teacher in Iceland, the average difference between the salary of male and female employees is 5%.
Male | 499,000 ISK | |
Female | -4% | 477,000 ISK |
Individuals working as Teacher in Iceland are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 6% every 30 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 4% granted to employees every 29 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.
84% of surveyed staff reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 16% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 0% to 4% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 16% | |
No Bonus | 84% |
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 Teacher in Iceland is 1,300 ISK. 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 | 662,000 ISK | +36% |
Academic Assistant | 510,000 ISK | +4% |
Academic Coach | 701,000 ISK | +44% |
Academic Librarian | 490,000 ISK | +0% |
Academic Manager | 816,000 ISK | +67% |
Academic Specialist | 615,000 ISK | +26% |
Academic Staff | 532,000 ISK | +9% |
Accompanist | 583,000 ISK | +19% |
Achievement Coach | 697,000 ISK | +43% |
Admissions Specialist | 606,000 ISK | +24% |
Agricultural Sciences Teacher | 527,000 ISK | +8% |
Anthropology Teacher | 530,000 ISK | +9% |
Arabic Language Teacher | 535,000 ISK | +10% |
Archeology Teacher | 536,000 ISK | +10% |
Architecture Teacher | 582,000 ISK | +19% |
Archivist | 459,000 ISK | -6% |
Art Teacher | 482,000 ISK | -1% |
Assistant School Principal | 675,000 ISK | +38% |
Assistant Teacher | 465,000 ISK | -5% |
Biochemistry Professor | 913,000 ISK | +87% |
Biology Teacher | 527,000 ISK | +8% |
Blended Learning Specialist | 714,000 ISK | +46% |
Bursary Scheme Manager | 602,000 ISK | +23% |
Business Teacher | 564,000 ISK | +16% |
Careers Advisor | 694,000 ISK | +42% |
Careers Consultant | 665,000 ISK | +36% |
Chemistry Teacher | 503,000 ISK | +3% |
Chief Remote Learning Officer | 920,000 ISK | +88% |
Child Care Coordinator | 518,000 ISK | +6% |
Child Care Worker | 417,000 ISK | -15% |
Childcare Worker | 421,000 ISK | -14% |
Classroom Assistant | 420,000 ISK | -14% |
Clinical School Psychologist | 825,000 ISK | +69% |
Coding Coach | 598,000 ISK | +22% |
College Aide | 704,000 ISK | +44% |
College and Career Readiness Specialist | 745,000 ISK | +53% |
College Dean | 1,210,000 ISK | +150% |
College President | 1,200,000 ISK | +150% |
Communications Teacher | 568,000 ISK | +16% |
Community Education Officer | 442,000 ISK | -9% |
Computer Science Teacher | 530,000 ISK | +9% |
Computer Teacher | 545,000 ISK | +12% |
Creative Writing Trainer | 634,000 ISK | +30% |
Credit Counselor | 663,000 ISK | +36% |
Cultural Studies Teacher | 523,000 ISK | +7% |
Curriculum Coordinator | 620,000 ISK | +27% |
Curriculum Developer | 684,000 ISK | +40% |
Curriculum Specialist | 691,000 ISK | +42% |
Dean of Faculty | 1,250,000 ISK | +160% |
Demonstrator | 504,000 ISK | +3% |
Deputy Controller of Examinations | 667,000 ISK | +37% |
Digital Citizenship Educator | 545,000 ISK | +12% |
Digital Literacy Instructor | 558,000 ISK | +14% |
Director of Learning Technology | 755,000 ISK | +55% |
Distance Learning Coordinator | 576,000 ISK | +18% |
E-Learning Consultant | 727,000 ISK | +49% |
E-learning Content Developer | 698,000 ISK | +43% |
E-Learning Designer | 669,000 ISK | +37% |
Economics Lecturer | 905,000 ISK | +85% |
Economics Teacher | 527,000 ISK | +8% |
EdTech Compliance Manager | 573,000 ISK | +17% |
EdTech Consultant | 591,000 ISK | +21% |
EdTech Content Creator | 553,000 ISK | +13% |
Education Administrator | 641,000 ISK | +31% |
Education Assistant | 494,000 ISK | +1% |
Education Assistant Director | 675,000 ISK | +38% |
Education Assistant Librarian | 415,000 ISK | -15% |
Education Assistant Principal | 560,000 ISK | +15% |
Education Assistant Professor | 779,000 ISK | +60% |
Education Associate | 554,000 ISK | +13% |
Education Consultant | 777,000 ISK | +59% |
Education Coordinator | 557,000 ISK | +14% |
Education Counselor | 611,000 ISK | +25% |
Education Director | 924,000 ISK | +89% |
Education Policy Analyst | 730,000 ISK | +50% |
Education Program Specialist | 723,000 ISK | +48% |
Education Researcher | 816,000 ISK | +67% |
Education Resource Specialist | 620,000 ISK | +27% |
Education Services Facilitator | 653,000 ISK | +34% |
Education Technology Specialist | 589,000 ISK | +21% |
Educational Content Writer | 654,000 ISK | +34% |
Educational Data Privacy Officer | 625,000 ISK | +28% |
Educational Psychologist | 882,000 ISK | +81% |
EFL Teacher | 532,000 ISK | +9% |
eLearning Trainer | 485,000 ISK | -1% |
Elementary School Teacher | 464,000 ISK | -5% |
Engineering Lecturer | 940,000 ISK | +93% |
Engineering Teacher | 782,000 ISK | +60% |
English Teacher | 524,000 ISK | +7% |
ESL Teacher | 570,000 ISK | +17% |
Faculty Assistant | 689,000 ISK | +41% |
Foreign Language Teacher | 491,000 ISK | +1% |
GED Teacher | 473,000 ISK | -3% |
Geography Teacher | 545,000 ISK | +12% |
Head of Mathematics Department | 716,000 ISK | +47% |
Head of School | 935,000 ISK | +92% |
High School Teacher | 582,000 ISK | +19% |
History Teacher | 578,000 ISK | +18% |
Infant Teacher | 401,000 ISK | -18% |
Instructional Assistant | 584,000 ISK | +20% |
Instructional Coach | 607,000 ISK | +24% |
Instructor | 636,000 ISK | +30% |
Kindergarten Teacher | 428,000 ISK | -12% |
Language Instructor For Expatriate | 467,000 ISK | -4% |
Law Teacher | 745,000 ISK | +53% |
Learning Designer | 672,000 ISK | +38% |
Learning Experience Designer | 796,000 ISK | +63% |
Learning Management System Administrator | 624,000 ISK | +28% |
Lecturer | 917,000 ISK | +88% |
Librarian | 467,000 ISK | -4% |
Library Assistant | 377,000 ISK | -23% |
Library Director | 651,000 ISK | +33% |
Library Specialist | 453,000 ISK | -7% |
Library Technician | 398,000 ISK | -18% |
Life Sciences Teacher | 506,000 ISK | +4% |
Makerspace Coordinator and Facilitator | 499,000 ISK | +2% |
Math Lecturer | 956,000 ISK | +96% |
Math Teacher | 586,000 ISK | +20% |
Mathematics Teacher | 632,000 ISK | +29% |
Mentor | 572,000 ISK | +17% |
Middle School Teacher | 583,000 ISK | +19% |
Music Teacher | 502,000 ISK | +3% |
Nursery Manager | 806,000 ISK | +65% |
Nursery Worker | 333,000 ISK | -32% |
Online Course Developer | 661,000 ISK | +35% |
Online Course Instructor | 620,000 ISK | +27% |
Online Learning Facilitator | 567,000 ISK | +16% |
Online Tutor | 524,000 ISK | +7% |
Paraprofessional | 726,000 ISK | +49% |
Personalized Learning Specialist | 688,000 ISK | +41% |
Physical Education Specialist | 570,000 ISK | +17% |
Physical Education Teacher | 497,000 ISK | +2% |
Physics Teacher | 577,000 ISK | +18% |
Political Science Teacher | 544,000 ISK | +11% |
Post Doctoral Researcher | 863,000 ISK | +77% |
Preschool Education Administrator | 638,000 ISK | +31% |
Preschool Teacher | 449,000 ISK | -8% |
Primary School Teacher | 470,000 ISK | -4% |
Principal | 781,000 ISK | +60% |
Product Specialist | 594,000 ISK | +22% |
Professor - Accounting | 1,020,000 ISK | +110% |
Professor - Architecture | 1,030,000 ISK | +110% |
Professor - Biology | 998,000 ISK | +100% |
Professor - Business Administration | 972,000 ISK | +99% |
Professor - Chemical Engineering | 1,060,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - Chemistry | 1,050,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - Civil Engineering | 969,000 ISK | +98% |
Professor - Communication | 960,000 ISK | +97% |
Professor - Computer Science | 1,010,000 ISK | +110% |
Professor - Dentistry | 1,050,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - Drama | 966,000 ISK | +98% |
Professor - Economics | 1,040,000 ISK | +110% |
Professor - Education | 1,020,000 ISK | +110% |
Professor - Electrical Engineering | 1,060,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - English | 962,000 ISK | +97% |
Professor - Environmental Engineering | 1,030,000 ISK | +110% |
Professor - Foreign Languages | 952,000 ISK | +95% |
Professor - Geological Sciences | 984,000 ISK | +100% |
Professor - History | 992,000 ISK | +100% |
Professor - Industrial Engineering | 982,000 ISK | +100% |
Professor - Law | 1,060,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - Legal Support | 947,000 ISK | +94% |
Professor - Liberal Arts | 988,000 ISK | +100% |
Professor - Marketing | 940,000 ISK | +93% |
Professor - Mathematics | 1,080,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - Mechanical Engineering | 1,050,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - Medical Administration | 1,060,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - Medicine | 1,190,000 ISK | +140% |
Professor - Music | 909,000 ISK | +86% |
Professor - Nursing | 932,000 ISK | +91% |
Professor - Pharmaceutical Sciences | 981,000 ISK | +100% |
Professor - Philosophy | 988,000 ISK | +100% |
Professor - Physical Therapy | 1,040,000 ISK | +110% |
Professor - Physics | 1,070,000 ISK | +120% |
Professor - Psychology | 969,000 ISK | +98% |
Professor - Rehabilitation | 902,000 ISK | +85% |
Professor - Social Work | 885,000 ISK | +81% |
Professor - Sociology | 966,000 ISK | +98% |
Professor - Special Education | 981,000 ISK | +100% |
Psychology Teacher | 821,000 ISK | +68% |
Public Management Assistant Professor | 785,000 ISK | +61% |
School Counselor | 703,000 ISK | +44% |
Science Educator | 540,000 ISK | +11% |
Science Laboratory Assistant | 511,000 ISK | +5% |
Science Teacher | 570,000 ISK | +17% |
Secondary Mathematics Teacher | 586,000 ISK | +20% |
Secondary School Teacher | 532,000 ISK | +9% |
Special Education Advocate | 678,000 ISK | +39% |
Special Education Teacher | 592,000 ISK | +21% |
Special Needs Assistant | 459,000 ISK | -6% |
Statistics Lecturer | 917,000 ISK | +88% |
STEAM Educator | 496,000 ISK | +2% |
STEM Educator | 486,000 ISK | -0% |
Student Accounts Coordinator | 503,000 ISK | +3% |
Student Development Specialist | 610,000 ISK | +25% |
Student Employment Specialist | 578,000 ISK | +18% |
Student Services | 506,000 ISK | +4% |
Student Services Coordinator | 471,000 ISK | -4% |
Student Support Manager | 627,000 ISK | +28% |
Substitute Teacher | 463,000 ISK | -5% |
Teacher | 488,000 ISK | -0% |
Teacher Aide | 435,000 ISK | -11% |
Teacher Trainer | 663,000 ISK | +36% |
Teaching Assistant | 431,000 ISK | -12% |
TEFL Teacher | 545,000 ISK | +12% |
Training and Development Specialist | 669,000 ISK | +37% |
Training Coordinator | 466,000 ISK | -5% |
Tutor | 525,000 ISK | +8% |
University Teacher | 976,000 ISK | +100% |
Virtual Teacher | 502,000 ISK | +3% |
Vocational Education Teacher | 544,000 ISK | +11% |
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 Iceland is 25% on average across all career fields.
Private Sector | 614,000 ISK | |
Public Sector | +25% | 765,000 ISK |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 467,000 ISK and 538,000 ISK. 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 Teacher in Iceland ranges from 225,000 ISK to 376,000 ISK. 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