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 as follows 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:
|
Salary
|
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:
|
Salary
|
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/:
|
Salary
|
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:
|
Salary
|
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:
|
Salary
|
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:
|
Salary
|
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:
|
Salary
|
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/AcademicStaff NonMedicalandDentalPayScale.pdf:
|
Salary
|
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
|