Academic salaries vary widely in Europe

Academic salaries vary widely in Europe

A trade-union survey reveals that academic salaries vary considerably between European countries, with Italian academics earning the most. The National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (Natfhe) survey covers Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Britain, as well as Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Turkey and the USA. Within the EU, Italian academics earn the most, at an average 117,568 euros a year in 1998, and Greek academics earn the least, at 33,783 euros. British academics are next to the bottom of the EU earnings league. The Czech Republic comes bottom of the 15 states studied, with academics earning an average 18,680 euros in 1998. "Poor pay is jeopardizing universities' ability to attract and retain world-class academic staff," said Paul Mackney, Natfhe general-secretary. "High expectations for widening participation and low pay for teaching and research just don't add up."