1,785 signatures
Petition is addressed to: Österreichische/r Bildungsminister/in, Österreichisches Parlament
Native Speaker Teachers (NSTs) face a pay gap of up to 48% compared to our Austrian colleagues.We urge the incoming Minister of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry for Civil Service and, if necessary, the Parliament of Austria, to address this inequality by taking the following actions:
1. Establish Fair Salary Guidelines: Place NSTs with university degrees from English-speaking countries on the same salary scale as Austrian teachers.
2. Ensure System-Wide Application: Apply these guidelines consistently across all school types and regions, under both the old and new civil service laws.
3. Recognize International Experience: Value prior teaching experience in English-speaking countries by factoring it into salary level determinations.
Reason
Native Speaker Teachers (NSTs) are essential to Austrian public education. As highly educated, experienced, and dedicated professionals, we play a pivotal role in equipping the next generation of Austrians with the English skills needed to succeed in today’s global society.
Our training and experience in English-speaking countries enable us to deliver exceptional language instruction. However, because this training occurred outside Austria, we face a significant pay gap of up to -48% compared to our Austrian colleagues.
Many of us are having difficulty making ends meet and are considering leaving the profession, which will deprive students of the high-quality English instruction they deserve.
By correcting this injustice, Austria will affirm its commitment to educational excellence and fair treatment for all educators.
Thank you for supporting high-quality English instruction in Austrian schools.
Petition details
Petition started:
01/15/2025
Petition ends:
07/14/2025
Region:
Austria
Topic:
Education
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Debate
teaching staff should be fairly renumerated according to prior experience and qualification. i also welcome non formal qualification e.g. if a seasoned author teaches writing classes, she should be treated as a highly qualified teacher even if she does not have formal degrees
the truth is, that NSTs are usually not "real" teachers. a teacher is not only instructing, but also fully responsible for grading, communicating with parents, reporting, preparation of excursions, etc. I don't know a single NST who has actually stayed long enough to be capable of fulfilling all this tasks.
Why people sign
Because I think that it is inacceptable that teachers that are hired as native speakers do not get paid the same as just regular teachers, doesn't make any sense to me
Weil meine beiden Kinder in VBS Klassen gegangen sind und sehr von der Arbeit von Native Speaker Teachern profitiert haben. Die meisten dieser Lehrer waren sehr engagiert, obwohl sie nie fair bezahlt wurden. Die Arbeit dieser Lehrer ist definitiv genauso viel wert wie die Arbeit deutschsprachiger Lehrer!
Because my niece is one of the people involved in this injustice. She has taught English in Austria for many years years and it is a disgrace that she is not entitled to equal pay to other teachers. Catherine Ellis
Because my sister has lived and worked in Austria (Vienna) for many years, has won accolades for her work and has provided vital English lessons to her classes with fantastic results and yet she can hardly afford to live. Equality of pay is required to ensure she can continue to benefit the Austrian education system and not have to find less meaningful but higher paid work.
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Because I, myself, am a foreigner and do to a same workload and responsibilities I think it is only fair that the salaries are the same and previous experience should be taken in account.