Who this guide is for
Teachers employed by councils in Scotland. It also says what is different if you teach in an independent school in Scotland.
What this guide does not cover
⚖ At a glance
- Teachers' pay and conditions in Scotland are agreed nationally by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) and set out in the SNCT Handbook.
- Pay rose by 3.25% on 1 August 2026. A probationer teacher now earns £36,159 and the top of the main grade scale is £54,453.
- You have a 35-hour working week, with a maximum of 22.5 hours of class contact.
- Your preparation and correction time is at least one third of your actual class contact.
- The working year is 195 days, of which 190 match the pupils' school year.
- You must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) to teach in a council or independent school.
What the rules depend on
- Do you work for a council? The SNCT Handbook applies. In an independent school, your contract decides.
- Are you full-time or part-time? The working week applies pro rata.
- Are you provisionally or fully registered with the GTCS?
- How long have you worked for your council? That decides your sick pay.
- When did the thing you are complaining about happen? That date decides your tribunal time limit.
"How is my pay set?"
The SNCT is made up of councils (through COSLA), the Scottish Government and teachers' unions. Its pay agreement covers 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2027: a 4% rise from 1 August 2025, rising to 4.25% on 1 April 2026, then 3.25% on 1 August 2026.
The main grade scale runs from point 0 (probationer) to point 5.
"How many hours do I have to work?"
Teachers (other than short-term supply teachers) have a 35-hour working week. Within it, a maximum of 22.5 hours is class contact. Teachers on the Teacher Induction Scheme have a maximum of 18.5 hours.
You get time for preparation and correction of at least one third of your actual class contact. How the rest of your time is used is agreed at school level, within local guidelines (often called a working time agreement).
The working year is 195 days. 190 of them match the school year for pupils. The other 5 are for duties planned by the council.
If you are part-time, the working week applies pro rata.
"What sick pay do I get?"
The SNCT Handbook sets sick pay for each 12 months:
- less than 18 weeks' service: none (you may still get Statutory Sick Pay)
- 18 weeks to under 1 year: 31 days' full pay, then 31 days' half pay
- 1 year to under 2 years: 61 days' full pay, then 61 days' half pay
- 2 years to under 3 years: 122 days' full pay, then 122 days' half pay
- 3 years to under 5 years: 152 days' full pay, then 152 days' half pay
- 5 years or more: 183 days' full pay, then 182 days' half pay
Sickness absence in the previous 12 months is taken off your entitlement, first from the full pay period.
"Do I need to register with the GTCS?"
Yes. It is a legal requirement for everyone employed as a teacher in a local authority or independent school in Scotland to be registered with the GTCS.
When you qualify you get provisional registration. To get full registration, you complete an induction period of assessed teaching. There are two routes: the Teacher Induction Scheme, and the Flexible Route. The Flexible Route is the one for teachers who qualified outside Scotland and for teachers in independent schools. If you have no previous teaching experience, induction lasts at least one academic year.
"What if there is a concern about my conduct?"
The GTCS runs Fitness to Teach. It investigates serious concerns about registered teachers. It can refuse registration, put restrictions on registration, or remove you from the register. Its Code of Professionalism and Conduct (COPAC) sets out the standards expected.
The Teaching Regulation Agency covers England only.
"What about my pension?"
Teachers in Scotland are in the Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme, run by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA). For workplace pensions in general, see Workplace Pensions & Auto-Enrolment: Your Rights in 2026.
Deadlines you must meet
- Most employment tribunal claims: 3 months less 1 day from the act you are complaining about. It is 6 months less 1 day only where that act (or the last act in a series) happened on or after 1 October 2026.
- Notify Acas within your time limit. Early conciliation pauses the clock.
- Your exact tribunal date depends on your facts. See our tribunal deadline guide.
Money figures
SNCT main grade scale (SNCT Handbook Part 2, Appendix 2.1), from 1 August 2026:
- Point 0 (probationer): £36,159
- Point 1: £43,383
- Point 2: £45,843
- Point 3: £48,504
- Point 4: £51,582
- Point 5: £54,453
Where to go for help
Acas: 0300 123 1100 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm), acas.org.uk.
SNCT Handbook: snct.org.uk.
General Teaching Council for Scotland: gtcs.org.uk.
Scottish Public Pensions Agency: pensions.gov.scot.
Your teachers' union.
Citizens Advice Scotland: 0800 028 1456
Traps
- Do not use the English 1,265 hours or 10% PPA rules in Scotland. Scotland uses a 35-hour week and a class contact maximum.
- The Scottish pay year starts on 1 August, not 1 September.
- The SNCT Handbook covers council-employed teachers. In an independent school, your contract decides, but you still need GTCS registration.
- Fitness to teach cases go to the GTCS, not the Teaching Regulation Agency.
- Do not use the 6-month tribunal limit for an act that happened before 1 October 2026.
📜 Sources (checked 23 October 2026)
- SNCT Handbook, Part 2 Section 3 (Working Year and Working Week), paras 3.5-3.9, snct.org.uk/wiki/details?slug=Part-2-Section-3, read 23 Oct 2026.
- SNCT Handbook, Part 2 Appendix 2.1 (Revised 1125 SNCT Salary Tables), snct.org.uk/wiki/details?slug=Part-2-Appendix-2-1---Revised-1125, read 23 Oct 2026.
- SNCT Handbook, Part 2 Section 6 (Sickness Allowances), paras 6.6 and 6.9, snct.org.uk/wiki/details?slug=Part-2-Section-6, read 23 Oct 2026.
- COSLA, SNCT accept two-year pay deal for Scotland's teachers (12 November 2025), cosla.gov.uk/news/2025/november/snct-accept-two-year-pay-deal-for-scotlands-teachers, read 23 Oct 2026.
- GTCS, Fitness to Teach, gtcs.org.uk/fitness-to-teach, and About us, gtcs.org.uk/about-us, read 23 Oct 2026.
- GTCS, What is provisional registration?, gtcs.org.uk/knowledge-base/articles/what-is-provisional-registration, read 23 Oct 2026.
- Scottish Public Pensions Agency, Teachers, pensions.gov.scot/teachers, read 23 Oct 2026.
- As in our employment tribunal and employee rights guides (checked 24 September 2026): tribunal time limits, Acas, Citizens Advice Scotland.