Teacher pay in Spain: the net figure for 2026
Few education systems in Europe are as tangled as the Spanish one, built from cuerpos docentes, oposiciones, interinidades and seventeen separate regional pay scales. Between a first-year interino and a catedrático with thirty years of trienios behind them lies more than €800 a month in net pay. Here is how that looks in practice for 2026.
How teaching pay is spread across Spain, 2026
Averages across primary, secondary and vocational teaching. Funcionarios in the public system make up the bulk of the distribution, while concertada schools sit at the bottom of it.
| Percentile | Gross Annual | SS (6.35%) | IRPF (est.) | Net Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P25 - Interino / Concertada | €27,000 | €1,715 | €3,580 | €1,809/mo |
| Median - Funcionario (mid-career) | €33,000 | €2,096 | €5,620 | €2,107/mo |
| P75 - PES / Senior Funcionario | €40,000 | €2,540 | €8,100 | €2,447/mo |
| P90 - Catedrático / Director | €46,000 | €2,921 | €10,200 | €2,740/mo |
Cuerpos docentes and how pay moves upward
| Cuerpo / Category | Base + Complements | Level | Net Monthly (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interino / Sustituto | €24,000 - €28,000 | Temporary | €1,640-€1,840/mo |
| Maestro (primary, Cuerpo 590) | €28,000 - €40,000 | Permanent A2 | €1,850-€2,450/mo |
| Profesor de Secundaria (PES) | €32,000 - €44,000 | Permanent A1 | €2,090-€2,640/mo |
| Catedrático de Secundaria | €38,000 - €48,000 | Senior A1 | €2,340-€2,820/mo |
| Director / Jefe de Estudios | €42,000 - €54,000 | Management complement | €2,550-€3,100/mo |
Surviving the oposiciones, the entry exam for teaching
To become a permanent public-school teacher in Spain you must pass the oposición - a gruelling multi-phase competitive exam administered by each autonomous community. The format varies, but typically involves a written test (temario: 25-75 topics depending on speciality), a practical exercise and a defence before a tribunal. Competition ratios range from 5:1 (some rural specialities) to 30:1 (English, PE, Music in densely-populated communities).
Preparation is a serious undertaking. Most candidates study for one to three years while working as interinos, paying preparation academies €1,500 to €3,000 a year. Failing does not shut the door, since most communities draw a bolsa de empleo from the merit list and call interinos from it, so unsuccessful candidates frequently spend years as supply teachers while sitting the examination again.
After the pandemic the government undertook to bring interinidad below 8% of public teaching posts, having watched it pass 25% in some communities. Mass OPEs between 2022 and 2025 converted a great many positions, and in practice the system still leans heavily on temporary staff.
Trienios: the increments that arrive on their own
One of the most misunderstood features of Spanish teaching salaries is the trienio - an automatic salary increment awarded every three years of recognised service (including interino years in most communities). Each trienio adds approximately €70-€120/month gross depending on the cuerpo and community.
Enter the system at 28 and reach 55 and you will have accumulated nine trienios, worth roughly €630 to €1,080 a month gross on top of base salary. That is why veteran teachers on nominally identical base pay earn 20% to 30% more across a year than early-career colleagues. The sexenio, a research and innovation supplement renewed every six years, adds a further €60 to €90 monthly for anyone completing the required training hours.
Cataluña and Madrid against everywhere else
Since every community sets its own teaching complements, the distance between the most and least generous is considerable:
- Cataluña: High complemento autonómico and active carrera profesional scheme. A PES teacher with 10 years earns around €38,000-€41,000 gross - among the highest in Spain.
- Madrid (Comunidad): Strong complemento específico. Primary teachers (Maestros) are slightly lower than Cataluña but secondary is competitive. Teaching in Madrid is attractive partly due to the lower IRPF rate.
- País Vasco: Operates its own education system (Irakasle Euskal Eskola); teachers may earn €36,000-€46,000 and the net tax position is competitive.
- Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia: Lower complementos bring effective annual pay down to €28,000-€35,000 for most funcionarios.
Everyone receives the same national retribuciones básicas, and every difference between communities comes from the complemento específico and complemento de destino each one sets. Pass the oposición in Madrid, transfer later to Extremadura through the concurso de traslados, and your pay falls noticeably despite holding the same cuerpo and the same years of service.