Men working in the industry reported higher levels of pay satisfaction and were more likely to be paid more than women working in the same roles in higher education, according to the results of The PIE’s first annual Salary Survey.

The survey, a joint venture between The PIE News and PIE Executive Search held this summer, canvassed anonymous responses from people around the world working across the international education sector – asking questions about pay, working conditions and what motivated respondents most when looking for a new job.

Of 810 total respondents to the survey, of 676 people who answered a question on pay satisfaction, 48% of 248 men said they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their salary compared with 39% of 428 women – a difference of 11 percentage points.

Drilling down into the data revealed that of those working in higher education roles (making up the largest cohort of 58% of all respondents to the survey) were more likely to earn more if they were male.

Almost a fifth (19%) of 141 men working in the higher education field were paid the equivalent of £100k a year or more, compared to 8% of 270 women working in the same field.

The most common wage bracket for those working in higher education was £40,001-£60,000 a year, accounting for 30% of respondents. This was followed by the £60,001-£80,000 wage bracket, accounting for 22% of respondents.

However, higher education respondents recorded a wide range of salaries, with two saying they were paid the equivalent of £10,000 a year or less, and three reporting a salary between £250,001 and £300,000.

Men in higher education were more likely to be paid a bonus for their work – 28% of men compared to 16% of women.

This trend continued among the next largest group of respondents – those working in language schools, who made up 7% of respondents.

The average salary bracket was once again between £40,001 and £60,000 a year. Of 23 male respondents, 12 reported making this amount, compared to eight women.

But while women’s pay in this field topped out at between £100,001 and £150,000 a year, men’s pay could go up to between £200,001 and £250,000, according to the data.

Respondents’ comments revealed overall mixed feelings about pay.

I am a specialist in the field and I do not think I get paid enough for the risk and work I take on
_{^{Female respondent working in higher education}}

One senior female respondent working in study abroad programs with a salary between £80,001 and £100,000 said: “I do not feel equitably compensated in my organisation considering the level and scope of my responsibility.”

“I am a specialist in the field and I do not think I get paid enough for the risk and work I take on. Other institutions pay about CAD$10,000 more (£5,656),” revealed a female working in an entry-level higher education position with a salary between £30,001 and £40,000.

One senior male respondent working in an executive leadership role at a higher education institution said he was satisfied with his salary of between £100,001 and £150,000 but noted it was difficult to gauge how much more he should be paid for his role given a lack of transparency in the industry.

“Not openly knowing the sector benchmarks officially make this challenging but I would like to see an additional 10-15%,” he shared.