salaries influence decisions to enrol in teacher education become a teacher after graduation as graduates career choices are associated with relative earnings in teaching and nonteaching occupations and their likely growth over time return to the teaching workforce after a career interruption andor remain a teacher in general the higher the salaries the fewer people choose to leave the profession other benefits such as regional allowances for teaching in remote areas family allowances reduced rates on public transport and tax allowances on the purchase of instructional materials may also form part of teachers total remuneration there are large differences in taxation and social benefit systems in oecd countries which should be borne in mind w hen comparing statutory salaries across countries