Pay & Conditions

Teachers’ Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee (TNC), is responsible for negotiating the remuneration and terms and conditions of service for teachers working in grant aided schools in Northern Ireland.

Teachers are paid on the Main ordinary Pay Scale (MPS), which ranges from M1 – M6 with automatic pay progression for eligible teachers.

Once a teacher reaches the maximum of the scale (M6) and remains there for one year, they are eligible to apply for progression to the Upper Pay Scale (Threshold Process).

A teacher must pass the threshold process, assessed by their Principal to progress to the upper pay scale (UPS), which ranges from UPS1 – UPS3.

Teachers are eligible to apply for progression to the next point on the UPS scale once every two years.

Principals and vice principals are paid on the leadership scale, which ranges from L1 – L43.

Details of payment

Permanent and pro-rata teachers are paid on the last working day of the month and they are paid for the current month worked.

Temporary teachers are paid on the twelfth working day of the month and are paid for all temporary days/hours worked in the previous month.

The Department of Education (DE) is responsible for paying teaching staff on behalf of EA.

Categories of staff: • School Based Staff • Corporate • Youth Service Staff

EA is responsible for paying non-teaching staff who are now able to access their payslips and P60’s securely online rather than receive paper copies posted to their home address.

There are currently 2 payment dates for non-teaching support staff.  Mid monthly (fifteenth of each month) and at the end of the month. Individual contracts of employment will specify the payment date.

The Local Government Association (LGA) represents local authorities including the EA in negotiations with trade unions over pay and conditions.
The LGA is an overarching body and undertakes negotiations on behalf of a wide range of local government employees through a number of Councils/Committees.

The national pay agreements are adopted and ratified by the Education Authority’s Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) whose functions are:

• to negotiate the terms and conditions of service of all EA employees with the exception of teaching staff for whom separate arrangements apply;
• to negotiate the remuneration of all EA employees with the exception of the Chief Executive and teaching staff for whom separate arrangements apply;
• to achieve by joint consultation the greatest measure of co-operation between EA and the persons other than teachers employed by EA, with a view to increased efficiency in the provision of service and the well-being of employees.

National pay awards are adopted / ratified by the Education Authority’s Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) for the following staff group:

• National Joint Council for Local Government Services (NJC)

Staff on JNC terms and conditions based in headquarters, outcentres and non-teaching school based staff

• Soulbury Committee

Inspectors, Organisers & Advisory Officers of Local Authorities

Education Improvement Professionals; Educational Psychologists; Operations Managers (formerly Wardens); Youth Officers

• Joint Negotiating Council for Youth & Community Workers

Youth and Community Workers; Instructors and Tutors

Pay agreements set by different bodies adopted / ratified by the Education Authority’s JNC for the following staff groups:

• Officers on Teacher Related Scales; Peripatetic Instrumental Tutors