Job satisfaction is broadly defined as an attitude a person has towards the job (Robbins, 2001) or more specifically as a sense of fulfilment and gratification from working in an occupation (Locke, 1969). So overall it can be defined as a degree to which employees have a positive affective orientation toward employment by the organization (Güleryüz et al., 2008).

As defined in OECD TALIS study, teachers’ job satisfaction consists of satisfaction with the profession and satisfaction with the current work environment (OECD, 2014). Teachers’ job satisfaction is connected with their productivity (Usop et al., 2013) and attitudes and efforts in their daily work with children (Caprara et al., 2003). Teacher who is not satisfied with work can perform poor teaching and relationship with students, which can have a negative impact on the school efficiency (Chieffo, 1991). Job satisfaction is important in itself as it relates to teacher retention and teachers’ level of commitment (OECD, 2014).

The most frequently included factors of teachers’ satisfaction are nature of work, working conditions, personality and teacher behavior, demographic factors, interaction with students, the ability to contribute to the growth and development of students, teachers' autonomy, culture and climate of the school, etc. (Josanov-Vrgovic, Pavlovic, 2014).

In TALIS 2013 in general it was found that factors influencing teachers’ job satisfaction are gender, percentage of students with behavioral problems, relationships that teachers have with their students and teachers’ perception that appraisal and feedback leads to changes in their teaching practice (OECD, 2014).

In this paper teachers’ job satisfaction is analyzed in dimensions of Central and Nordic European countries. OECD TALIS 2013 results from Sweden, Slovak Republic, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, Latvia, Iceland, Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Bulgaria are going to be compared.

The objective of the research is to find out the most significant and universal factors influencing teachers’ job satisfaction in order to develop recommendation for schools, school leaders and policy makers.

The research question is: Which are the strongest factors which influence teachers’ satisfaction with their job at school?

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