If you are a Post Level 2 (PL2) educator — a Departmental Head — your salary band sits above the PL1 classroom scale and below Deputy Principal and Principal pay. From 1 April 2026 it rises by 4%, the cost-of-living adjustment set under the current public-service wage deal (DPSA — The Public Servant Online, 2026).
TL;DR: PL2 is the Departmental Head post level, one step above PL1 classroom teaching. The PL2 band runs higher than the PL1 scale, and every notch moves up by 4% from 1 April 2026 under PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025. To get there from PL1 you apply for an advertised promotion post; your salary then translates to the PL2 scale under the OSD rules in the PAM.
What is Post Level 2 and who sits on it?
South African public-school educators are graded on four post levels. PL2 is the second rung.
- Post Level 1 — classroom educator (teacher)
- Post Level 2 — Departmental Head, also written as Head of Department (HOD)
- Post Level 3 — Deputy Principal
- Post Level 4 — Principal
A Departmental Head still teaches. The role is defined in the Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM) as engaging in class teaching, being responsible for the effective functioning of a department, and organising related extra-curricular activity so that the subject, learning area or phase is properly run (Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM), 2022). In plain terms: you teach your own classes and you also lead a subject or phase team — checking planning, supporting teachers, and answering for results in your department.
PL2 is a promotion post. You are not moved onto it automatically by years of service. You apply for an advertised vacancy and you are appointed through the process set out in the Employment of Educators Act (Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998, 1998).
How does the PL2 salary band sit above PL1?
Every post level has its own salary scale made up of notches. PL2 starts higher than the PL1 classroom scale and runs higher at the top, reflecting the added management responsibility (SAOU — Salary scales for teachers, 2026).
The published education-sector figures put the PL2 Departmental Head band above the PL1 range, with most HODs falling in a band running into the low-to-mid R500,000s a year at the top of scale, depending on notch and qualification (BusinessTech — How much money teachers earn in South Africa, 2025). These are guide figures from sector reporting; the exact notch for your appointment is set out in the official DBE educator salary table, so check the current notch list rather than treating a single number as your pay.
The reason for the overlap between bands is normal scale design. A senior teacher near the top of the PL1 scale can earn close to a newly appointed HOD near the bottom of the PL2 scale. The PL2 advantage shows most clearly over time, because the PL2 ceiling is higher and you progress up the longer scale.
Citation capsule.: Post Level 2 (Departmental Head) is the second educator post level under the South African Personnel Administrative Measures, sitting above PL1 classroom teaching; its salary scale runs higher than the PL1 band and is adjusted by 4% from 1 April 2026 under PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025 (DPSA, 2026; PAM, 2022).
What does the 2026 adjustment do to PL2 pay?
The public-service wage deal sets the increase. PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025 is a three-year agreement signed on 19 February 2025. It gave salary levels 1 to 12 — which covers every educator from PL1 to Principal — a 5.5% increase for 2025/26, then tied the next two years to inflation within a 4% floor and a 6% ceiling (PSCBC — Media Statements, 2025).
For 1 April 2026 the projected inflation figure landed below the floor, so the increase was set at the floor: 4%. The Minister for the Public Service and Administration confirmed the 4% adjustment for employees on salary levels 1 to 12 and those covered by Occupation Specific Dispensations (OSDs), effective 1 April 2026 (SAnews — Minister announces 4% wage increase, 2026).
What this means for a PL2 educator: your notch on the PL2 scale moves up by 4%. The deal did not redraw the post-level structure or the OSD scale — the shape of the PL2 band stayed the same, and each notch simply moved up by the agreed percentage. The increase is pensionable.
What is the promotion path from PL1 to PL2?
You move from PL1 to PL2 by being appointed to an advertised Departmental Head post. There is no automatic promotion by seniority.
The minimum requirements
To be appointed as an educator at all, you need a recognised three-year qualification that includes teacher training — REQV 13 — and you must be registered with the South African Council for Educators (SACE) (Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM), 2022). SACE registration is a legal requirement to teach, not an optional extra (SACE Act 31 of 2000, 2000).
For a PL2 promotion post specifically, the advertised vacancy will state the required qualification, the experience expected, and any phase or subject specialism. Experience requirements are set in the PAM and in the provincial advertisement; read the bulletin closely, because a post is filled against its stated requirements.
The appointment process
Promotion posts are advertised, applications are sifted, candidates are shortlisted and interviewed, and a School Governing Body recommendation feeds into the provincial appointment. The whole process runs under the Employment of Educators Act and the relevant ELRC collective agreements (Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998, 1998). If you believe a promotion process was unfair, that is a grievance or dispute matter — keep your application, the advertisement, and any feedback.
How do OSD and notches apply to PL2?
Educators are paid under an Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD), a salary framework built for the profession rather than the generic public-service scale. The OSD sets the notch scale for each post level and the rules for how you move along it (Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM), 2022).
Pay progression
A notch is one step on the scale. Educators move up one notch a year on the pay-progression cycle, subject to satisfactory performance. Pay progression is separate from the cost-of-living adjustment — progression moves you up the scale, while the PSCBC increase lifts the whole scale. In a year like 2026 you can receive both: the 4% on your existing notch, and a progression step if your performance qualifies.
What happens to your pay when you are promoted to PL2
When you move from PL1 to PL2, your salary translates onto the PL2 scale under the PAM rules. You do not simply keep your old rand figure. The translation rules — including how qualification recognition and entry notches work — are set out in Chapter B of the PAM, which was amended in March 2025 to align OSD pay progression (Government Gazette 52227, Department of Basic Education, 2025). In practice the provincial payroll unit applies these rules; if your translated notch looks wrong, that is a query worth raising in writing.
How should a PL2 educator check the 2026 payslip?
Put your March 2026 and April 2026 payslips side by side. The basic-salary line should be about 4% higher in April. If you also earned a notch progression, that step is usually shown separately from the cost-of-living line, so check both.
If the figures do not reconcile, the common causes are a progression applied in the same month, a backdated correction, or a translation error from a recent promotion. Log any query in writing with your school payroll contact, then escalate to the Provincial Education Department salary unit if there is no written reply within ten working days. Keep both payslips and note the exact rand difference — a specific line-item query is resolved far faster than a vague one.
FAQ
Is Post Level 2 the same as Head of Department?
Yes. PL2 is the Departmental Head post, also written as Head of Department or HOD. It is the first promotion level above PL1 classroom teaching and the educator still carries a teaching load (Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM), 2022).
How much more does a PL2 earn than a PL1?
The PL2 scale sits above the PL1 scale and runs to a higher top notch, so a PL2 generally out-earns a PL1 — though the bands overlap, meaning a senior PL1 near the top of scale can earn close to a newly appointed HOD. For your exact figure, check the current DBE educator notch table against your notch (SAOU — Salary scales for teachers, 2026).
What is the 2026 salary increase for PL2 educators?
A 4% cost-of-living adjustment applies from 1 April 2026 to salary levels 1 to 12 and OSD employees, which includes PL2 Departmental Heads. It was set at the 4% floor under PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2025 because projected inflation fell below the floor (SAnews, 2026).
Do I get promoted to PL2 automatically after enough years?
No. PL2 is a promotion post. You apply for an advertised Departmental Head vacancy and are appointed through the process in the Employment of Educators Act, not through seniority alone (Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998, 1998).
What qualification do I need for a PL2 post?
You need at least a recognised three-year teaching qualification (REQV 13) and SACE registration to be appointed as an educator. The specific PL2 advertisement will state the qualification and experience required for that post (Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM), 2022).
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