Because base salaries for teachers in Cote d'Ivoire are higher than wages of workers in other occupations, there is some question about whether teachers are overpaid. This paper used multivariate analysis based on the monthly wage rate functions to investigate the differences between teachers andother occupations. It was found that the base salaries for teachers contained an economic rent component, largely due to the wage setting behaviour of the Ivorian government. This salary premium disappears, however, when the total renumeration package is considered, i.e. including in-kind benefits, bonuses and commissions, which are more widely received by non-teachers. Policymakers should thus be cautious when considering budget cuts that would lower teachers salaries, cuts certain to make the teaching profession less attractive.