On 16 January 2025, a background discussion was held at the Ministry of the Interior regarding the results of the Teacher Career Model project for 2024 and the plans for 2025. This meeting was attended by responsible government officials, representatives from various teachers’ advocacy organizations, and an expert and member of the European Commission.
In the 2021–2027 EU development period, each member state is obliged to designate those operations of strategic importance that significantly contribute to achieving the objectives of the given programme. Hungary refers to these selected operations collectively as Pillars, indicating their importance and their role in achieving development policy objectives. One of the designated Pillars of the Human Resource Development Operational Program Plus (HRDOP Plus) is the Teacher Career Model, whose main goal is to recognise teachers and make the profession more attractive.
The project is funded 88% by domestic sources and 12% by the EU. It aims to provide a long-term guarantee for salary increases and promote appropriate professional working conditions. In 2024, this salary increase benefited 140,000 educators, resulting in an average salary increase of 32.2%, bringing their average gross salary to approximately HUF 652,000. Additionally, the opportunity creation allowance positively impacted over 20,000 educators, leading to an extra 20% increase in salaries. The main goal of this model is to ensure that those who demonstrate a greater commitment to their professional responsibilities receive a corresponding increase in remuneration. The project has already achieved outstanding results. During the 2024 university admissions, there has been a notable increase in trust in both the government and the teaching profession among young people, with the number of applicants doubling compared to 2022. In 2025, salary increases had already impacted 143,000 teachers, and the number of new entry-level teachers also tripled in the 2023–2024 school year. One of the key commitments is to achieve an average teacher salary of HUF 844,000 while ensuring that entry-level teachers earn at least 80 percent of the average salary for graduates. Teachers working in disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged areas, as well as those providing essential services, received a 20 percent salary increase this year, affecting more than 20,000 teachers. Additionally, interns will see a salary increase of 23.2 percent by 2025, providing significant support for those starting their careers. Furthermore, every level in the teachers’ tiered salary system received an increase of over 10 percent. There is hope that by early 2027, the average salary for teachers will exceed one million forints.
A beginning teacher earns 2.24 times the salary of a trainee teacher and, with additional benefits, 2.44 times the minimum wage. Thanks to favorable conditions for teachers and educators who have reached retirement age, many experienced teachers are able to remain in the profession. One significant advantage of the current agreement is that allowances are increasing alongside basic salaries. This means that those who take on extra responsibilities will benefit more than those who only teach. Additionally, teachers over the age of 60 have the opportunity to work reduced hours, allowing them to provide higher quality instruction. There is also a noticeable increase in applicants for preschool teacher training, suggesting that this profession may continue to be a cornerstone of public education in the future.
They have successfully achieved their first objective: teachers’ salaries now reach 80 percent of the average salary of university graduates. However, they are not intending to stop there. They aim to continue increasing salaries until at least 2030 to ensure job security for current teachers and those who will enter the profession in the future. The European Union has allocated two billion euros for the development of Hungarian teachers’ salaries. This funding translates to an average of five million forints of EU support per teacher in Hungary over the next three years.
