Serbia is among the group of countries where teachers are least satisfied with their earnings. Only 18 per cent of teachers in Serbia say they are satisfied with their salary, which is below the OECD average of 39 per cent, according to the results of the TALIS 2024 survey.
The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) is an international study on teaching and learning conducted under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It provides teachers and school principals worldwide with an opportunity to share their experiences and views on their work, with the aim of improving the quality of teaching and learning.
The survey is conducted in six-year cycles, and Serbia has participated in the study since 2013. More than 50 education systems took part in TALIS 2024.
Although the results were published in October last year, the national report for Serbia has only recently been released by the Institute for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education and Upbringing, which implements the study.
The sample included 199 primary schools, with the same number of principals and 3,993 teachers completing the survey.
The analysis showed that teachers who are satisfied with their salary are about 41 per cent less likely to consider leaving the profession in the next five years than their dissatisfied colleagues, after taking into account teacher and school characteristics, as well as teachers’ intrinsic motivation and types of employment contracts.
Teachers in Serbia under the age of 30, as well as less experienced teachers, are more satisfied with their salaries than older and more experienced colleagues.
“Although teachers’ salaries tend to increase with years of experience, novice teachers are more likely to be satisfied with their pay in 16 education systems. The share of novice teachers who are satisfied with their salaries is more than 15 percentage points higher than that of their more experienced colleagues in Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Serbia. By contrast, there are 13 education systems in which more experienced teachers are more likely to be satisfied with their pay,” the report states.
According to the researchers, these results indicate that salary is only one of many factors influencing teachers’ job satisfaction and their decisions about whether to leave the profession. Intrinsic motivation, such as a sense of social contribution and enjoyment of teaching, along with other employment conditions – including material benefits, career progression, and working hours – are more consistent predictors of intentions to remain in the profession, the analysis highlights.
According to the survey results, two out of three teachers “agree” or “strongly agree” that they are satisfied with their working conditions (excluding salary), whereas in Serbia fewer than half of teachers (42 per cent) report such satisfaction.
Those who are satisfied with their working conditions are about 45 per cent less likely to consider leaving the profession in the next five years than their dissatisfied colleagues, after accounting for teacher and school characteristics, as well as intrinsic motivation and contract types.
In most education systems, satisfaction with working conditions (excluding salary) does not vary depending on contract duration. In Serbia, however, the situation differs: teachers on fixed-term contracts are 11.5 percentage points more satisfied with their employment conditions than those on permanent contracts.
Status of the teaching profession
High-performing education systems often employ teachers who feel valued, and there is a positive correlation between the social prestige of the profession and student achievement. A higher social status of the teaching profession can help attract better candidates and retain experienced teachers, who serve as a key external motivator.
In Serbia, 16 per cent of teachers “agree” or “strongly agree” that the teaching profession enjoys high social prestige, which is below the OECD average of 22 per cent.
Around 18.5 per cent of teachers in Serbia believe that their views are valued by education policymakers. Teachers’ perceptions of being recognised by policymakers may be partly linked to satisfaction with salary.
Attractiveness of the teaching profession
Choosing teaching as a first career choice can indicate how attractive the profession is. On average, more than six out of ten novice teachers, and in Serbia more than seven out of ten teachers (with five years of teaching experience or less), report that teaching was their first career choice.
“Examining the extent to which teachers choose the profession as their first career option across age groups can shed light on changes in its attractiveness over time. In Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the share of teachers aged 50 and over who report that teaching was their first career choice is more than 20 percentage points higher than among teachers under 30. These systems are facing an ageing teaching workforce, a high risk of burnout among teachers under 30, and a decline in the attractiveness of the profession,” the analysis notes.
In Serbia, a similar proportion of younger (75 per cent) and older teachers (79 per cent) report that teaching was their first career choice, while slightly more experienced teachers report this compared with those with less experience (82 per cent versus 72 per cent). On this issue, female teachers in Serbia outnumber male teachers by nine percentage points.
Two out of ten teachers under the age of 30 intend to leave teaching within the next five years, and the situation is similar in Serbia, where the figure is 24 per cent. Teachers under 30 are more likely to want to leave the profession than their colleagues aged between 30 and 49.
On average, around 15 per cent of teachers aged 30 to 49, and 19 per cent in Serbia, intend to leave teaching.
In many fields, younger employees (under 35) are more likely to seek a different job than their older colleagues, driven by factors such as changing social norms, shifting career goals, and a lack of support.
(Danas, 30.04.2026)
https://www.danas.rs/vesti/drustvo/plate-nastavnika-talis-istrazivanje/