Teachers earn very close to the national average salary level, typically equivalent to what mid-career, middle-school teachers earn annually in the nations - about USD 41 000 (Figure 7.3, OECD, 2010b). More important than salaries are such factors as high social prestige, professional autonomy in schools, and the ethos of teaching as a service to society and the public good. Thus, young Finns see teaching as a career on a par with other professions where people work independently and rely on scientific knowledge and skills that they gained through university studies.