Following professional and social consultations, the government is submitting the detailed regulations necessary for the salary increase of teachers to social consultation. According to the proposal, the salaries of school and kindergarten teachers will increase by an average of another 21.2% from January 1. The funds necessary for the increase are provided 88 percent by the Hungarian government and 12 percent by the European Union under the Human Resource Development Operational Programme Plus.
The salary increase affects 140,000 teachers working in public education, as well as instructors working in vocational training. For the 2025 salary increase, the government allocates HUF 339 billion in the reserve fund; in addition, the draft budget specifies HUF 323.5 billion for 2025 to incorporate the funding for the 2024 salary increase into the base. The draft budget already allocates HUF 190 billion for the 2026 teacher salary increase. For the salary increase, the government is providing a wage fund that is 21.2% higher compared to 2024, which the employer will differentiate based on detailed regulations.
According to the proposal, the salary of early stage interns will increase to HUF 640,900 in 2025, and the salary ranges associated with each level will also rise. The existence of a master’s degree still results in an additional two percent, and teaching certain key subjects (mathematics, chemistry, biology, physics, geography, natural sciences, digital culture) will result in a salary that is seven percent higher in 2025, instead of the four percent increase already ensured for 2024. Due to performance-based pay, those who do more for children will also benefit, as their salaries will increase more significantly, for example, for those who work with disadvantaged children, since the amount of the opportunity-creating allowance will also increase in parallel with the salary: teachers in disadvantaged or beneficiary settlements will still need to have salaries that are 20 percent higher. According to the government’s commitment, the average salary of teachers must reach 71.8 percent of the average salary of graduates in 2024, and 80 percent in 2025.
In the 2021-2027 EU development period, each member state designates those operations of strategic importance that significantly contribute to the achievement of the program’s objectives. Hungary refers to these selected operations collectively as Pillars, highlighting their importance and the role they play in achieving development policy objectives. One of the Pillar projects of HRDOP Plus is the Teachers’ Career Model.
