Working part-time as a teacher is increasingly common, whether by choice or necessity. Understanding how part-time pay is calculated ensures you receive the correct salary and can plan your finances effectively. This guide explains the full-time equivalent (FTE) calculation, directed time, PPA entitlements, TLR payments, pension implications, and your rights as a part-time teacher under the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD).
How Part-Time Pay Is Calculated
Part-time teacher pay is calculated as a proportion of the full-time salary for your pay point. The formula is straightforward:
Part-time salary = (Your working hours / Full-time working hours) x Full-time salary
The STPCD defines full-time directed hours as 1,265 hours per year. Your part-time directed hours are set by your headteacher and should be specified in your contract. If you work 3 days per week out of a 5-day week, your FTE would be 0.6. On M1 outside London (£34,069), your part-time salary would be:
0.6 x £34,069 = £20,441
FTE Is Based on Hours, Not Days
Directed Time for Part-Time Teachers
Full-time teachers can be directed to work up to 1,265 hours per year across 195 days. This includes teaching, PPA time, assemblies, registration, parents' evenings, staff meetings, INSET days, and other duties specified by the headteacher. For part-time teachers, directed time should be proportional to your FTE.
If your FTE is 0.6, your maximum directed time should be 0.6 x 1,265 = 759 hours per year. This means you should not be expected to attend all staff meetings, all parents' evenings, or all INSET days if doing so would exceed your pro-rata directed time. Your headteacher should provide you with a clear breakdown of how your directed time is allocated across the year.
Common Directed Time Issues
Part-time teachers frequently encounter disputes around directed time. Common issues include:
- Being expected to attend full staff meetings on non-working days
- Being required to attend all five INSET days regardless of FTE
- Parents' evenings falling on non-working days without time off in lieu
- Directed time being calculated incorrectly based on days rather than hours
If you are asked to work on a day that is not one of your contracted days, this should either count towards your directed time allocation (meaning time is freed up elsewhere) or you should be paid for the additional hours. Your union can advise on specific disputes.
PPA Time Entitlement
All teachers, including part-time teachers, are entitled to 10% of their timetabled teaching time as Planning, Preparation, and Assessment (PPA) time. This is a statutory entitlement under the STPCD and cannot be removed or reduced. For a part-time teacher working 15 hours of timetabled teaching per week, PPA entitlement would be 1.5 hours per week.
PPA time should be provided in blocks of no less than 30 minutes and should be timetabled during the school day. It should not be allocated at the end of the day when you are already exhausted from teaching, nor should you be expected to use your non-working days as PPA time.
TLR Payments for Part-Time Teachers
Teaching and Learning Responsibility (TLR) payments are a frequent source of confusion for part-time staff. There are three types of TLR:
- TLR1 — £10,531 to £17,819 (permanent, for significant whole-school responsibilities)
- TLR2 — £3,651 to £8,913 (permanent, for focused responsibilities)
- TLR3 — £727 to £3,600 (fixed-term, for time-limited projects)
The STPCD states that TLR1 and TLR2 payments should be paid at their full value to part-time teachers, not pro-rated, provided the teacher is fulfilling the full responsibility. However, in practice, some schools do pro-rate TLRs for part-time staff, and this is a contentious area. If you hold a TLR and work part-time, seek clarification from your school and union about whether the full or pro-rated amount applies in your case.
TLR Pro-Rating Disputes
Pension Contributions for Part-Time Teachers
Part-time teachers remain members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme and contribute based on their actual part-time salary, not the full-time equivalent. Your contribution rate is determined by your actual annual salary (or annualised salary for hourly-paid staff). For example, if your full-time equivalent salary is £35,000 and your FTE is 0.6, your actual salary is £21,000, and your contribution rate is based on that £21,000 figure.
However, your pensionable service accrues at a rate proportional to your FTE. A year of working at 0.6 FTE counts as 0.6 years of pensionable service. This means your eventual pension will be lower than a full-time colleague on the same pay point, unless you buy additional pension to make up the difference.
Part-Time Teacher Pay Scale Examples
| Pay Point | Full-Time | 0.8 FTE | 0.6 FTE | 0.4 FTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | £34,069 | £27,255 | £20,441 | £13,628 |
| M3 | £38,400 | £30,720 | £23,040 | £15,360 |
| M6 | £46,940 | £37,552 | £28,164 | £18,776 |
| UPR1 | £49,134 | £39,307 | £29,480 | £19,654 |
| UPR3 | £52,835 | £42,268 | £31,701 | £21,134 |
Your Rights as a Part-Time Teacher
The Part-Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 protect you from being treated less favourably than full-time colleagues. This covers pay, training opportunities, promotion, selection for redundancy, and access to benefits. If you believe you are being treated less favourably because of your part-time status, you have the right to request a written statement of reasons from your employer and can ultimately take the matter to an employment tribunal.
Calculate your exact part-time salary and take-home pay using our part-time pay calculator, which accounts for your FTE, tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.