How much does a preparatory class teacher really earn, and how does their remuneration differ from that of other secondary school teachers? Between indexed salary, oral exam hours, and access to the higher chair corps, salary disparities reflect specific statutory realities. This article measures these differences and details the mechanisms that cause variations in the payslip throughout a career in CPGE.
Assignment in CPGE and status: what the position changes (and does not change) in remuneration
A structuring point is often misunderstood: assignment to preparatory classes is not a change of corps. An agrégé teacher appointed to CPGE remains agrégé. Their indexed salary follows the same scale as that of an agrégé teaching in high school. The position in preparatory class constitutes an assignment, not an automatic promotion.
What makes a difference on the payslip are the supplements related to the actual service performed. In addition to the allowances common to all teachers, there is remuneration for oral exams (the famous “colles”) and any possible overtime. These elements vary from one position to another and from one discipline to another: two preparatory class teachers at the same level can receive significantly different amounts.
To delve deeper into career prospects on Former Ses Salariés, it is necessary to look beyond just the base salary and integrate all components of the service.
Salary scale for teachers in CPGE: indexed salary by level
The gross monthly salary of any teacher is calculated according to a stable formula: indexed coefficient multiplied by the value of the index point. In February 2025, this value is set at 4.92 euros gross. Advancement to the next level is automatic, based on seniority, but can be accelerated depending on the professional value recognized during inspections.
| Salary Element | Characteristic |
|---|---|
| Indexed Salary | Identical to that of an agrégé in high school, at the same level |
| Overtime | Variable depending on the discipline and number of classes |
| Oral Exams (Colles) | Paid by the hour, volume depends on the institution |
| Allowances and Bonuses | Some common to all teachers, others linked to specific functions |
| 2023 Revaluation | Increase without conditions for all teachers (tenured, contractual, trainees) |
Since September 2023, all teachers benefit from a salary increase, regardless of their status. This revaluation applies to both tenured and trainee and contractual teachers, which has raised the salary floor at the beginning of their careers.
Higher Chair Corps: a progression distinct from classic advancement
Beyond the advancement in the agrégé corps, there is a specific progression path for CPGE teachers: the corps of higher chair professors. This status should not be confused with a simple transition to hors-classe. It is a separate corps, with its own indexed scale, whose terminal indices exceed those of the hors-classe agrégés.
Access to this corps is based on criteria that combine seniority, evaluation, and actual teaching in preparatory classes. The precise recruitment modalities are governed by regulatory texts that should be verified with official sources, as they have been adjusted several times in recent years.
For an agrégé in a normal class, the typical trajectory first passes through the hors-classe before considering, if applicable, the corps of higher chairs. This dual progression path explains the salary gap between a preparatory class teacher at the beginning of their career and a seasoned teacher at the end of their career.
Service obligations, a parameter often underestimated
The regulatory service obligations in CPGE are not limited to the number of hours in front of students. They include course preparation for an audience aiming for entrance exams to prestigious schools, the design and grading of long assignments, as well as conducting oral exams.
- The weekly hourly volume in front of students is regulated and varies according to the stream (scientific, literary, economic) and the year (first or second year).
- The colles represent a significant additional workload, paid in addition to the salary, but the volume depends on the institution.
- The preparation of copies for mock exams requires a much greater investment than that of a teacher in a traditional high school, without this burden always being reflected in the base salary.
These service obligations constitute both a statutory issue and a factor of remuneration. They weigh in union discussions, particularly around the Normal Activity Position (PNA), which governs the assignment of agrégés in CPGE for a renewable three-year period.
Remuneration of a preparatory class teacher leaving CPGE: what happens to the salary?
A teacher who leaves a preparatory class assignment to return to high school or join higher education retains their level and seniority in the agrégé corps. However, the supplements related to colles and overtime in CPGE disappear, which can represent a notable decrease in net monthly income.
Conversely, an agrégé who joins the university or research sees their remuneration shift to other scales and bonuses, with no direct continuity with the supplements received in preparatory classes. Mobility outside CPGE does not erase the indexed progression acquired, but it alters the overall salary structure.
The gap between the base salary and the actual income received in CPGE constitutes the most revealing data: it is the variable part, linked to the actual service in preparatory classes, that truly distinguishes the remuneration of a preparatory class teacher from that of their agrégé colleagues assigned elsewhere.
