On the numbers, a Teaching degree either never breaks even against going straight into work, or sits in a high automation-risk bracket. Worth weighing carefully before committing.
Starting salary
£24,400/yr
Salary at 10 years
£29,900/yr
Typical debt at graduation
£69,000
Break-even point
14 yrs post-grad
AI-automation risk
LOW
Degree required to enter field
Yes
Based on DfE LEO 2023–24 median graduate earnings and ONS ASHE 2025 salary data. Assumes Plan 5 student loan, £9,250 tuition/yr, £8,000 maintenance/yr over 4 years. Adjust the calculator below for your own scenario.
Teaching
Your 30-year debt lifecycle and AI-resilience risk, calculated.
01 — YOUR SCENARIO
Selected: Teaching · typical course length 4 yrs
Repayment plan
For students starting Sept 2023 onward · threshold £25,000 from April 2026 · interest RPI (3.2%) · written off after 40 yrs · gov.uk ↗
Salary assumption
P50 — median graduate earnings from DfE LEO 2023–24
02 — THE VERDICT
RED
Teaching either never breaks even against the alternative path, or sits in a high AI-displacement bracket. Proceed with eyes open.
Break-even point
14 yrs post-grad
Total borrowed at grad
£69,000
Balance after 20 yrs
£125,812
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03 — SALARY VS. LOAN BALANCE
Yearly gross salary against your loan balance — rising with interest, falling with repayments, until it's cleared or written off.
Y0Y15Y30
Gross salary
Loan balance
Still £157,080 owed at year 30 — written off entirely at year 40 under Plan 5, after paying £44,423 in repayments.
+128% above what you borrowed
Salary data: DfE LEO 2023–24 median graduate earnings.
04 — YEAR-BY-YEAR BREAKDOWN
The material impact, spelled out: gross salary, take-home after the 9% graduate tax, and what's still owed.
Year
Gross
Take-home
Repayment
Loan balance
Year 0
£24k
£21k
—
£73k
Year 2
£26k
£22k
£126
£78k +6%
Year 5
£29k
£24k
£396
£85k +9%
Year 10
£30k
£25k
£441
£98k +14%
Year 20
£36k
£29k
£1k
£126k +29%
Year 30
£44k
£34k
£2k
£157k +25%
🔒 Years 10 / 20 / 30 unlock with the full report
05 — AI-RESILIENCE
LOW RISK
automation exposure for Teaching
Confidence: High. Full driver analysis of task-level automation exposure for this role, sourced from occupational risk modelling.