Question about how much a teacher actually makes and living expenses...

A lot of this is relative to where you live. 40K per year in Ohio and you can live well, retire in a reasonable time frame, and purchase a home (renting for your entire life, no matter how cheap the rent, is far more expensive than purchasing your own home assuming you have not been priced out of the market). However, if you live in say San Francisco, and are making that kind of money you will have to live very cheaply just to keep a roof over your head and still fully fund your IRA or 401K (Not saying it can't be done, but you'll certainly be driving a 5k used car and living in the cheapest possible apartments) - you will also have no prayer of ever buying a home.

I know. And everyone has to make a choice about what is more important to them--living like a peasant in San Fran or living like a king (relatively speaking) in Ohio. Personally, I wouldn't choose either place!

Wow, how old are you...? Because you are so clueless in regards to life and the world about you that it's frightening! Thankfully for you, your family has set you up to succeed in life, or at least given you the finances to help you in ways most can only dream. Do us all a favor and do not try to mold and educate young minds, our educational system is fragile enough as it is.

socrates wrote:

Wow, how old are you...? Because you are so clueless in regards to life and the world about you that it's frightening! Thankfully for you, your family has set you up to succeed in life, or at least given you the finances to help you in ways most can only dream. Do us all a favor and do not try to mold and educate young minds, our educational system is fragile enough as it is.

are you suggesting i should quit worrying about the future or something? i'm kind of confused as to what your point is.

runr who taught for 31 years wrote:

... That said, expect to shell out $1,000+ for supplies unless you teach in a rich district. I taught HS English and used to buy paperbacks for the kids when the only ones we had were missing pages. My ex who taught 5th grade for 30 years spent $$$ on supplies too, as most kids do not come with much of anything and most schools' budgets are small.

this things happen in industrialized country too?

Elementary Education Teacher wrote:

Also I was thinking about how if I spend a few years not married while being a teacher, I could also get a night job monday-thursday, and work a ton on the weekends, AND get a very full time job over summers, which would up that annual income of 30,000 for the first year probably up to 40-45,000.

This is kinda unlikely. From first hand experience, lots of teachers bring a couple of hours of work home a night. Maybe this is only high school though (not sure about elementary ed). Plus, "summer" around here is essentially down to 10 weeks, not a lot of time to find a high-paying part time job. Plus, you're burned out from working 60+ hrs/week and want a break anyway. Good luck.

1. Teaching is a great career. Must be - no one seems to ever leave it.

2. Great early retirement.

3. Great health care.

4. Pay - for some is very good, some just OK. It's not how much you make but how much you save. Teaching is whatever you make it.

5. Very mobile profession and should be around forever. Cannot say that in private sector.

6. Downside - babysitter for parents who should have been put in prison for having kids.

Teachers are paid quite well.

They get to work essentially part time and make about $50k/yr.

Think about it: In work by 7am, leave by 2:15pm.

That's enough time to get another part time job on the side and really make a great living.

It pisses me off that every other commercial on the radio is a complaint (from a teacher's union) about how little teachers make, esp. in Californiastan where they just tear the governor up and blame the gov. Gheesh, quit trying to get more attention or more people might sign up and take advantage of your cake profession. Bunch of whiners!

People do leave teaching once they find it is not as easy as they thought it was going to be.

Teachers are paid PLENTY. I've had 3 sisters and a brother do the teaching. Meanwhile I'm a cpa. I make a bit more money than them but they make PLENTY for the little time they actually work. I work a LOT harder and a lot more hours, and it's easy to see they make more relative to effort put forth.

I mean summer time off (summer school is bonus and you'll get paid EXTRA if you do it). 3 weeks at christmas off. 1 week spring break off. lots of monday holidays throughout the year. And then your days typically start around 8am and end around 3:30-4pm, and that includes at least 1-2 hours of break in there for lunch, prep time, and if you're elementary ed you get breaks for recess and gym class and all of that. Meanwhile I'm required 45 chargeable hours of work per week and 55-60 during tax season. That's chargeable hours of actually working, not just being there! And I get 2 weeks vacation a year that I take, plus like 6 sick days that you're frowned upon to take. So teachers 3+ months to my 2 weeks.

What other job offers full time pay for 5-6 hours of work a day and only 8-9 months out of the year??? Amazing.

Where I live teachers start out around 30,000 on average. I'd say upper 20's in some places, and less than that if you work at a catholic private school. And then some of the more expensive private high schools and the ghetto inner city schools pay up to 40,000 starting out.

Seriously, if you can't live (and live pretty well) off of 30,000 for your first year out of college then you got problems. My parents raised 7 kids off of less than 30,000 combined. Granted it was in the 1980's and 90's but it's not much different today. I think you'll be able to handle supporting yourself off of that. And after 5 years you'll be over 40,000. By the time you retire you'll be making well in to the 60,000's depending on how long you wait to do it.

By the way, do you realise how lucky you are to have so much money saved?? Most people are in debt when they graduate, not 150 g's up. Shoot, most people's parents don't have that when they're 50 years old! You'll be living the good life no matter what you do as a profession.

Teachers are paid more in my state than they let on. With a master's and 20 years experience teachers make between 50-60k. Factor in that their pension gives them over half of what they earned before retirement until they die, and they dont really have to save for retirement.

Also, the cost of schooling is alot less than other jobs with a similar hourly wage (after factoring benefits such as health care, pension plans, etc.). You can start teaching by your mid 20's and be making decent money for a starting salary.

Teachers are also now guaranteed a pay increase every year, more than inflation. This means that for the 200 days a year a teacher may work, they make 50-60k while not needing to save, pay for insurance, or worry about inflation.

Compare that to doctors, whose hourly rates are going down, work time is going up because of a shortage of doctors, and the unbelievable frivolous lawsuits. Being a teacher might actually be a better financial decision than being a doctor.

#1. I don't know any teacher that works 5-6 hours per day. I teach and coach cross country and my days generally run from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. I'll help you with the math...that's thirteen hours. We don't get paid to do lesson plans (the good ones take hours to complete), make parental contact, or correct papers-that's on our "free" time that you are raving about.

#2. Teachers probably should make more, but on the positive side, the benefits are pretty good. Each state usually has a retirement package that is above average.

#3. Good teachers attend summer teaching seminars, etc. again on their "free" time. Summers aren't really breaks for many teachers, and most work in the summertime.

#4. Teaching is a very rewarding job-if you actually care about kids (and there are some that don't). There's an uncomparable feeling seeing a kid set a PR in a race after training his/her butt off or having a student read his first complete book.

#5. It is OKAY to want to make more money for the job you are doing! There are teachers that complain, etc. like someone said above. BUT, it does get a little old when people constantly look down on you for choosing teaching as a profession. And trust me, it happens. When all of your college friends are making 70-80 thousand and ribbing you for not choosing a $ profession you do feel shortchanged.

#6. If you are complaining about teachers not doing an adequate job then you should also be advocating higher teacher pay to attract bright students to teaching who choose different career paths.

#7. I would rather change 1 kids life in a positive way than make an extra 20,000 a year any day.

i think socrates was implying that you are a spoiled bitch who is worrying about finances when you already have 200K in your savings and more freebies on its way when your family croaks. Stop being a bitch and moan and groan only when you are living in a trailer park with 50K in debt.

Mickista\\\\\\\\ wrote:

Teachers are paid quite well.

They get to work essentially part time and make about $50k/yr.

Think about it: In work by 7am, leave by 2:15pm.

That's enough time to get another part time job on the side and really make a great living.

It pisses me off that every other commercial on the radio is a complaint (from a teacher's union) about how little teachers make, esp. in Californiastan where they just tear the governor up and blame the gov. Gheesh, quit trying to get more attention or more people might sign up and take advantage of your cake profession. Bunch of whiners!

If teachers have it so easy, why aren't you one?

What pisses ME off is how naive people like yourself are when it comes to teaching. *I* quit teaching to go back to school to be a mechanical engineer. Guess what. I'll have to work less than 2 years to earn the same salary that I would have retired at as a teacher. And those wonderful summers off are usualy spent going to school because most states now require continuing education for teachers.

And for those of you that think most teachers suck, I will have to agree (at least they did where I taught).......but you get what you pay for.

You've described me nearly exactly. 20 year teacher with a masters. I make about 41 K, not 50-60. On the other hand, I don't have a state income tax and can supplement by up to $3000 dollars doing extra things.

1. I don't know many (if any) teachers that work more than 5-6 hrs a day. I'm talking actual work, which is what my profession is judged on. My bosses couldn't care less if I'm in the office for 15 hours a day. They pay attention to charged time that is spent thinking, typing, stressing, etc. that they can charge to clients. Sure, some teachers may top out from 7:45 until 4:00 some days (barely 8 hours total) but how much of that is actual WORK?? Standing around chatting or sitting in an empty classroom while the kids are at music class is not working.

2. Teachers should get paid less. They have it made and as soon as I become business teaching certified I will join them because it is a sweet deal that I am very familiar with. Plus they pay you extra to coach! I've subbed before and as previously stated have 4 siblings doing it, not to mention knowing my high school coach who is one of my best friends and main running partner. Not an easier job out there relative to the pay and most of them admit it. I drive past 2 schools on my way to work and then again back home (the high school and a grade school). And without fail, the parking lots are both empty when I leave and when I get home. Must be nice.

3. Summertime is a break for teachers any way you slice it. Anything extra is compensated extra. If you wish to do the minimum you can. In contrast, if you try to do the minimum at my cpa firm your butt is canned immediately. Even coaching is paid extra so I do not feel sorry for you staying late some nights. And as I recollect, my coach in high school was a great coach (elected president of the high school coaching association of our state for 2 years) and he stayed til about 6pm at the latest, earlier most days. And while 6pm is pretty average for other professions, my coach only stayed that late when we had a ridiculously long workout or if someone needed treatment at the trainer or something. You can sit around and play with workouts and race results for as long as you want but it aint working!

4. Teaching is a great profession. But again, it's one of the few "professional" occupations that allows you to slide by and do the minimum if you so choose.

5. It is not ok to complain about the money when those same friends are working 2 hours later than you every single day. How do you think that feels to sacrifice so much more than teachers and then to hear them whine about how they deserve what you get paid?? And when you're taking a monthlong vacation or just sleeping in everyday during the summer while the higher paid friends are still paying their dues at work. It's a pretty simple concept: the more you work, the more you get paid. That's why lawyers putting in 70 hour work weeks make 100,000+ bucks starting out. I'm not going to demand that I get paid as much as them, so I'm not going to put up with teachers doing the same.

6. Another reason why teachers get paid so little is that the education is relatively easy. My education major friends had it super easy compared to most of us at college. That's not disputable.

midwestern boy,

Which profession are you in? I would love to get paid for "thinking, typing, stressing, etc.". I guess I am just not sure why some people like to trash the teaching profession.

In your previous post, you typed one of the all-time silliest things I have ever read. You wrote, " It's a pretty simple concept: the more you work, the more you get paid. That's why lawyers putting in 70 hour work weeks make 100,000+ bucks starting out." I know a few people who work that amount of hours and make no where near 100,000+ per year.

Also, you say you work at a CPA. I am positive you are given a chance to do your paper work during the job. That would fall under the "thinking, typing, stressing, etc." that you get paid for. Teachers take their work home and have at least an hour of paperwork and planning everynight. Add that to coaching and you're not free until 8:00 pm. I'm not complaining, because I love teaching, but I just think you're underestimating the responsibility of teaching other people's children.

My paperwork is tax issues that most people do not understand, which is why they pay big bucks for it. And while it also takes 2-3 years for a young cpa to even have a remote clue of what's going on. Your paperwork is homework for kids somewhere between K and 12th grade, no? Somehow I think there's a difference.

I love it when one of my sisters (2nd grade teacher) complains about the grading she has to do while she watches tv at night. God forbid, arithmetic!

I wanna ask why she doesn't do it instead of hanging in the teacher's lounge. We have a lounge/kitchen at the firm I work for. But it doesn't have the same social atmosphere that her elementary school had when I subbed there for a semester. I don't even remember the last time I didn't eat lunch at my desk while I worked.

Again, I'm going to be a teacher as soon as possible because it fits what I'm looking for, so I respect it to an extent. But let's call it what it is and not be overly proud. Some professions are easier than others and teachers have a hard time accepting that their's is one of them.

I have this to say: Business people obess for weeks about giving a presentation. High School teachers give 900 presentations a year. Business people have an occasional meeting and then slink back to their cube. Teachers have either 30 kids for the entire day (elementary) or 125 kids, each for 45 minutes (middle and high school). I just finished working for a huge company this summer. It was really nothing compared to a day of teaching.

I know that I am never going to rake in the big bucks, but, you should realize the stuff that teachers go through to keep food on the table. I know many teachers who wake up at three AM to deliver papers so they can put their kids through college. I worked the third shift weekends to pay bills while my wife worked part time after we had a child. I have never met a teacher who didn't do at least 10-15 hours of work outside the classroom per week. I would gladly work another two month of the year for 20% more pay - so don't give me the summers off argument.

So, what are teachers really expecting? The same as most people - just the chance to be middle class citizens. We want to be able to buy houses and send our kids to college.

I support the teachers unions because teachers basically work for one employer - the government - who has a monopoly on hiring. I actually don't like having a state pension - I would rather not have to rely on the state to fund my retirement because voters and politicians down the road will always have the tempting target of my retirement savings when a fiscal crunch comes.

As for you, midwestern boy, go back to your numbers. The students of America would see through your act and send you running for the doors in about three months.