Government Teacher Salary, Posts, Eligibility and Selection

The government teacher salary in central schools starts at a basic pay of ₹35,400 for a primary teacher, ₹44,900 for a TGT and ₹47,600 for a PGT, before allowances. State government teachers are paid on their own state scales, which differ a lot from state to state. On this page I explain the posts, who recruits, eligibility, age limits, the full salary structure, the selection process, promotions and how to prepare for government teaching jobs.

Teaching is one of the most stable sarkari naukri options, with fixed hours, school holidays and respect in society. It also suits people who want to work close to home, because states recruit lakhs of teachers for village and town schools.

What a government teacher does

A government school teacher teaches one or more subjects, plans lessons, checks homework and tests, keeps attendance and marks records, meets parents and helps with school events. In many states teachers also do some non-teaching duties such as census, election and survey work when the government asks. Primary teachers handle all subjects for small children. TGTs teach their subject in classes 6 to 10, and PGTs teach a specialist subject in classes 11 and 12.

Government teaching jobs: posts and who recruits

For central school posts, the recent combined recruitment for KVS and NVS was conducted by CBSE. States use their own bodies, for example the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) for Bihar school teachers, and state subordinate or education service boards elsewhere. Each teacher exam is notified separately, so follow the official websites.

Eligibility and age limit with relaxations

Under central rules, SC and ST applicants can be up to 5 years older than the limit, OBC non-creamy layer applicants up to 3 years, and applicants with benchmark disabilities up to 10 years (with extra years if they are also SC, ST or OBC). Ex-servicemen and some serving employees get their own relaxation. States set their own limits. Bihar, for example, has allowed a higher upper age for women and reserved categories in its teacher recruitment. The tool below tells you whether you fall inside the limit for your category.

If you do not yet have the teaching qualification, start with the right teacher training courses: the D.El.Ed and NTT course for primary classes, or the B.Ed course for classes 6 to 12. Then clear the CTET or state TET.

Government teacher salary by post and pay level

Central school teachers are paid on the 7th CPC pay matrix. This is the KVS teacher salary structure, and NVS and EMRS teacher posts use the same levels.

So the Kendriya Vidyalaya teacher salary for a new primary teacher starts at ₹35,400 basic, the KVS TGT salary at ₹44,900 and the KVS PGT salary at ₹47,600. The EMRS TGT salary follows the same Level 7. Basic pay rises by about 3% every year through the annual increment.

On top of basic pay you get:

• Dearness Allowance (DA): a percentage of basic pay, revised twice a year by the central government.
• House Rent Allowance (HRA): a percentage of basic that depends on whether your posting is in a class X, Y or Z city. Teachers given a school or government house do not draw it.
• Transport Allowance (TA): a fixed monthly amount that is higher in big cities, plus DA on it.
• Deductions: 10% of basic plus DA goes to the pension scheme (NPS, or the Unified Pension Scheme if you choose it), plus small deductions for group insurance and income tax where it applies.

For the current DA and an in-hand estimate, see the salary box at the top of this page, or work out your own figure in the calculator below.

To understand each component in detail, read salary allowances explained.

State teacher salary: Bihar, UP, West Bengal and others

State teachers are paid as per their state's pay rules, so the primary teacher salary in UP is not the same as the primary teacher salary in West Bengal or Bihar. A few points that help:

• Bihar teacher salary and BPSC teacher salary: in recent BPSC school teacher recruitments, the notified starting pay was about ₹25,000 for classes 1 to 5, ₹28,000 for classes 6 to 8, ₹31,000 for classes 9 and 10 and ₹32,000 for classes 11 and 12, plus allowances fixed by the state. Bihar niyojit teacher salary (for older contract teachers) depends on whether the teacher has moved to the new state cadre through the competency test. Check the latest BPSC advertisement and the Bihar education department for current figures.
• Uttar Pradesh: assistant teachers in basic schools and TGT and PGT teachers in aided schools are paid on the UP pay matrix. The UP TGT exam and PGT exam are run by the state's education service selection body.
• Other states: most states pay regular teachers on their own pay matrix with DA and HRA. Some states still hire contract, para or guest teachers on a fixed monthly amount, which is much lower than a regular post. West Bengal para teacher salary, for example, is a fixed honorarium set by the state.

Anganwadi teacher salary is a different case. Anganwadi workers get a monthly honorarium from the centre and state, not a teacher pay scale. See anganwadi worker for details.

Selection process and teacher exam pattern

Most government teaching jobs follow these steps:

1. Eligibility: right degree or diploma, plus CTET or state TET for classes 1 to 8 (and STET in some states for classes 9 to 12).
2. Written exam: objective questions on general awareness, reasoning, language, teaching methods (pedagogy) and your subject. Central school exams have also included computer literacy and education policy questions.
3. Interview, demo lesson or skill test: used for some posts, for example PGT and music or art teachers in central schools. Many state exams, such as the BPSC teacher exam, select on the written test alone.
4. Document verification and medical check.

Some state written exams have negative marking, while others do not. The number of papers, sections and marks are given in each notification, so read it fully before you start preparing.

Training, probation and promotions

New teachers join on probation, usually with induction training from the employer. Over the years you attend in-service training on new teaching methods and subjects. Promotions follow a clear path:

• PRT can move to head teacher of a primary section.
• TGT can be promoted to PGT (a share of PGT posts is filled by promotion), then to Vice Principal and Principal.
• Central employees also get financial upgradation under the MACP scheme if they are not promoted for long periods, at 10, 20 and 30 years of service.

A PGT who later earns a master's, UGC NET and a PhD can even move to college teaching. Read about the assistant professor route.

Private, online and other teaching jobs

Not everyone gets a government post on the first attempt. Many trained teachers work in private schools while preparing. Private school teaching jobs in cities such as Kanpur, Varanasi, Dehradun, Ranchi, Guwahati, Ghaziabad or Faridabad often start around ₹10,000 to ₹25,000 a month for freshers, and good teachers with 5 to 8 years of experience can earn ₹30,000 to ₹60,000 in larger schools. Pay depends on the school's size, the city and your subject.

Online teaching jobs and online tuition teacher jobs let you teach from home through education platforms or your own classes. Tuition teacher jobs and home tuitions are also common side income. Yoga teacher jobs need a recognised yoga teacher training course, and schools, gyms and wellness centres hire such trainers. These options are useful, but they are not a substitute for the job security of a regular government post.

How to prepare and official websites

A practical plan: finish D.El.Ed or B.Ed, clear CTET or your state TET, then give 6 to 12 months to the recruitment exam. Revise NCERT books of classes 6 to 12 for your subject, practise pedagogy questions, and solve previous papers of the exact exam you are targeting. Keep a separate notebook for general awareness and your state's facts.

Check these official websites for notifications: kvsangathan.nic.in (Kendriya Vidyalaya), navodaya.gov.in (Navodaya Vidyalaya), cbse.gov.in for combined central school exams, ctet.nic.in for CTET, and your state's education department, board or public service commission (for example bpsc.bihar.gov.in in Bihar). For more sarkari options, see highest paying govt jobs, jobs after graduation and govt jobs for women.