Teachers guidance

Teachers who start after the first day of the school session

We're required to adjust a teacher’s pay when they join the Council after the first day of the school session, in accordance with the National Scheme of Salaries and Conditions for Teachers. This is necessary to reflect the number of teaching days that an individual will work for the remainder of the academic year and to make sure the correct holiday entitlement is accrued based on the number of teaching days worked.

Use our new starter teacher's calculator to check how your pay may be adjusted on joining the Council.

Teaching days and accrual

A teacher works 195 teaching days in the year and each day worked accrues 0.2051 towards the designated 40 school holidays. The remaining days are classed as school closure days and do not affect pay. Details of these dates can be found on our intranet, the Orb.

How your pay is calculated 

Teachers who join the Council after the start of the academic year will not work the full number of teaching days in the academic year and would not accrue the full leave required to the end of the academic year. Therefore, to make sure that you receive the correct pay you're entitled to, we undertake a reconciliation of the pay you will receive from the Council from the day you joined up to the end of the academic year. This is then compared to the pay you're due for teaching days worked and holiday leave accrued. In most cases, a new start will have their pay reduced to reflect joining the Council during the school year. 

From the start of the next academic year you'll receive your normal pay until there's a change to contract, for example a change of hours or you leave the Council.

Adjustment to pay reasons

• We pay a 12th of your salary each month and this amount needs to be adjusted to reflect the teaching days you'll work in the academic year.
• The number of school holidays you'll receive will be compared to the entitlement you've accrued and we adjust your pay for any balance outstanding.
• When you left your previous employer, they'll have undertaken a similar reconciliation based on the number of teaching days worked and school holidays received, and adjusted your final pay to reflect this. This will ensure collectively that during the academic year you'll have received the correct pay for days worked and holidays received.

Potential differences

Potentially there could be differences for any of the following reasons.

• You've joined this Council on a higher pay and we will reconcile on your new higher salary, while your old employer will use your previous lower salary.
• Local authorities set their own school session dates, so you may not work 195 teaching days in the academic year due to differences in term dates between your previous employer and the City of Edinburgh Council. For example, our August start date may be a week earlier than your previous employer.
• You may have received more (or less) than the 40 allocated school holiday days in the academic year. This will depend on when these have been allocated throughout the year by both this Council and your previous employer, and when you joined this Council.