Written answers
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Department of Education and Skills
Departmental Research
6:00 pm
Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has carried out any research comparing the pay of academic staff here with international academic staff; and if any significant differences exist in salary scales. [33686/11]
Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I refer the deputy to the following document which has been prepared by the Higher Education Authority, and which seeks to outline and compare the salary levels of academic staff in Irish universities with those in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. Academic Pay Scales in Ireland and Other Countries This note seeks to outline and compare the salary levels of academic staff in Irish universities with those in the UK and elsewhere. The information provided in this note is limited by a number of factors:
It does not benchmark academic salaries against other salaries in the public sector or private sector either in Ireland or other countries;
The salary information provided in the note is based on a straight currency conversion. Such an approach does not provide information on the standard of living that accompanies salary levels in different countries. A study of the purchasing power parity (PPP) would be required to show the relative value of salary levels across different currencies and economies.
Ireland
Under Section 25(4) of the Universities Act 1997, the remuneration, fees, allowances and expenses paid to employees of a university require the approval of the Minister for Education and Skills with the consent of the Minister for Finance.
Professor
The highest academic grade in Irish Universities is Professor and the remuneration for it is set by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Sector. The Review Body's Report No. 42 published in September 2007 set out a common salary scale for the grade of Professor and recommended an average increase of 5.5% for it.
The current salary scale (w.e.f. 01/01/2010) for the grade of Professor in Irish Universities is as follows:
1 | €113,573 |
2 | €120,049 |
3 | €126,525 |
4 | €133,001 |
5 | €139,478 |
6 | €145,952 |
Other Academic Grades
There is no common grade or salary structure for remaining academic grades in Irish universities. Therefore, different titles and pay structures are used for what may be similar grades.
Outlined below is a summary of other academic grades in universities and the approximate salary scales that would apply. Salaries are w.e.f. 01/01/2010:
Associate Professor €82,970-€112,759
Senior/Statutory Lecturer €67,071-€100,398
College Lecturer/Lecturer Above Bar €50,807-€81,459
Junior Lecturer/Lecturer Below Bar €35,355-€72,024
It should be noted that historically academic grades in Irish universities are linked to civil and public service grades and therefore received pay increases in line with their public service counterparts.
All academic grades in Irish universities have been in receipt of pay increases as provided for in national pay agreements e.g., Sustaining Progress, Towards 2016. In line with the rest of the public sector, these grades were also subject to reductions in pay w.e.f. 1st January 2010 under the terms of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009.
UK
A nationally negotiated single pay spine or scale is in existence for all staff (academic and non-academic) in UK universities. This spine currently has a minimum point of approximately €15,000 and a maximum of €63,000 and would generally apply to lower and middle-range academic grades. However, universities in general may supplement pay rates for each grade in the form of attraction and retention premia where labour market conditions dictate. This would appear to be particularly common for the grade of Professor.
In University College London, the following academic pay levels apply (August 2009) http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/salary_scales/final_grades.php:
Lecturer A €37,199-€40,653
Lecturer B €41,872-€50,007
Senior Lecturer €54,644-€59,711
Professor Band 1 Starting at €67,205
Professor Band 2 Starting at €80,606
Professor Band 3 Starting at €124,009
Staff also receive a London allowance of €3,189.
In Queen's University Belfast, the following academic pay levels apply (August 2009)http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/HumanResources/PersonnelDepartment/PayandAdvancement/SalaryScales/:
Lecturer and Other Academic Grades €37,287-€67,347
Professor Range 1 €65,871-€69,827
Professor Range 2 €74,483-€98,424
Professor Range 3 €101,070-€114,374
Professor Range 4 €117,044-€129,002
In the University of Greenwich, the following academic pay levels apply (August 2009) http://www.gre.ac.uk/offices/personnel/pay:
Grade AC1 €27,728-€33,105
Grade AC2 €34,099-€39,529
Grade AC3 €40,731-€50,109
Grade AC4 €51,612-€59,833
Grade AC5 €61,650-€73,613
Professors may also receive salaries up to €120,784 as a result of a number of factors e.g., recruitment and retention, merit and contribution.
Staff also receive a London allowance of €3,744.
USA
The following are the average salaries paid to academics in American universities in 2009/10. The information is based on the Annual Report of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) which conducted a survey of salaries across all institutions http://www.aaup.org/NR/rdonlyres/AFB34202-2D42-48B6-9C3B-52EC3D86F605/0/zreport.:
Professor €79,085
Associate €55,125
Assistant €46,410
Instructor €34,280
Lecturer €38,261
No Rank €43,787
These figures exclude additional payments for e.g., summer teaching, administrative stipends,
Canada
The following are the average salaries paid to academics in Canadian universities in 2008/09. The information is based on a research paper prepared for Statistics Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/81-595-m/81-595-m2009076-eng.pdf:
Full Professor €61,352-€83,555
Associate Professor €50,205-€70,911
Assistant Professor €41,280-€58,284
Lecturer €34,863-€45,576
Australia
There is no common pay scale for academic staff in Australian universities. Each university sets its own pay scales based on local 'enterprise' agreements.
The following are the salaries currently (April 2010) applying in Monash University, Melbournehttp://adm.monash.edu.au/enterprise-agreements/academic-professional-2009/s1-academic-salary-rates.html:
Professor €97,541
Associate Professor €75,723-€83,421
Senior Lecturer €62,888-€72,513
Lecturer €51,337-€90,963
Assistant Lecturer €35,935-€48,770
New Zealand
Under New Zealand legislation each Vice-Chancellor (President) is the employer of the staff of the university and each university negotiates its own employment agreements (including salary scales) with the relevant representatives of staff.
The following are salary scales applicable to academics in the University of Otago (July 2009)https://docushare.otago.ac.nz/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document26992/AcademicStaffNonMedicalandDentalPayScale.pdf:
Professor €71,476-€87,274
Associate Professor €62,018-€68,420
Senior Lecturer €47,399-€59,444
Lecturer €37,285-€44,970
Assistant Lecturer €27,666-€31,468
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