some info on teaching?

Question

looking for info on teaching from some teachers out there:

do you make enough money to "survive", such as buy a home, etc.?
How do you like your job?

Answer 1

I make 80k a year and it's more than enough. Not sure what you mean by "survive." Sure, teachers are underpaid, but we're not poor.

Answer 2

This was my answer from yesterday. I hope it will shed some light on your decision. Yes, it is the best job in the world--but the money isn't there.
Copy and paste from yesterday:



I loved my teaching job. I didn't like all the politics that went on with the administration and budgets though. I taught Special Ed Behavioral Disorders Level 3. These kids were as bad as they can get without being incarcerated. But they weren't stupid.
I had no books for my classroom. I had no supplies. Yet the Superintendent of this school system made nearly $200,000 a year (in a city of 50,000 people). His assistant made $75,000 a year! I had to buy all my own textbooks, supplies, etc. and made slightly over $33,000 a year. By the time I took out for continuing ed courses to keep my certification, paid back student loans, bought supplies for the classroom, I could barely keep the lights on at my house.
I have since left an now am a telemarketer--making much, much more per year. How sad.
Public schools are the shape they are in because all the money goes to a select few administrators. Very little trickles down to the students and the teachers.

Answer 3

I love when people ask about teacher's pay. While it's true that teachers do not get paid what they are worth as professionals, we don't make minimum wage either. You don't go into teaching because you think of all the money you're going to make. You have to truly love to teach to be good at it, and in turn, you make something much more valuable than money-A DIFFERENCE! I'm in my 5th year teaching, and I absolutely love it. As for being able to survive, that really shouldn't be figured from pay...some people make $200,000 a year and can't survive...my husband and I make less than half that and always have extra money. We also just bought a new house, have 2 car notes, and are expecting a baby that we'll be taking care of with no "assistance". Survival is a way of life, and can't be based on how much money you make. It depends on how responsible you are with what you have. Best of luck to you, and I hope this helps!

Answer 4

My husband and I are both teachers, and we do survive. Granted, he works two jobs in the summer, and I work one. He also coaches two seasons, and I am an advisor for a club, do Saturday detention, and administer the SATs. In other words, we supplement our income and live paycheck to paycheck. Our first child is due in January, and I am planning to return after 8 weeks, while most teachers in my district (whose husbands have jobs outside of teaching) take the rest of the year off. In NJ, teachers don't get disability insurance; however, I buy my own, and I also have 55 sick days saved up. If I didn't buy health insurance, I guess I'd be worried because if I was put on bed rest and used up all my sick days, we'd really be in trouble.
Given all that, we both love teaching. Heck, if I didn't, there's plenty of other jobs out there where'd I'd make more money.

Answer 5

I love my job!!!! I wake up happy about going to work everyday! Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of bureaucratic b.s. in all school districts, and it's a lot of work, but, the internal rewards are awesome. I love knowing that I've affected the life of a child in a positive way. Then again, I'm a fairly new teacher, so, the burnout hasn't set in yet. :) Money? I definitely make enough to survive, and I plan on buying a home within the next 2 years, and there are many programs that assist teachers with home buying.

Answer 6

That all depends on where you live, your education level, and what your definition of "survive" is. I live in Oklahoma, where starting teacher pay with a bachelors degree is about 32k. Pretty crappy. Even with a masters it's only about a grand more. Every year, we get about a $350 raise. We do have insurane paid for, but it's pretty crummy. To get better insurance, though, you just have to pay about $40 a month out of your own pocket, and the state covers the rest.
I am a first year teacher. I have a new home, a 2007 Ford Escape, a 16-month old, and a baby on the way. I should mention that my husband is an attorney, and he makes about 65K a year....
On my own, I would be screwed. But, when you consider that I only work 9 months out of the year, and I get every holiday off, plus two fall breaks, a spring break, and a Christmas break....it comes out to about $22 an hour, which is pretty good money. But when you spread that out in 12 months, after taxes, insurance (I cover my kid, which is another $175/mo.) I only make about 2 grand a month.
But I'm really happy. I love my job. I didn't go to school to teach, and I jumped through a lot of hoops to get my license. And I am really happy. I work in a Titile 1, low-income high-risk school in the ghetto. It is hard. Lots of discipline problems and kids with issues. But I am truly blessed to be there.
Hope that answers your question.Good luck!

Answer 7

I am in my 2nd year of teaching, before teaching I worked for 6 years full-time as a meteorologist. Before I made my decision to teach full-time, I taught classes part-time at the college level. To be happy teaching, I really think you need to feel that teaching is your calling in life. Just like any profession, there are good days and bad days. Lucky for me, my good days outnumber the bad ones :)

The money isn't bad at all. I make more now than I ever did as a meteorologist. I have a home, my husband also works full-time.

In the end, teaching is a very fulfilling job and no amount of money can really compare to making a difference in so many lives!!

Answer 8

the first thing i had in mind when i took up teaching as a profession is SACRIFICE. i know i wont get rich nor became famous because of this profession from the very beginning. But i know this greatest sacrifice is for the people... for the poor especially in my country. I can make more than quadruple of my salary when i work abroad, since many offers keep coming on my table, but i still continue..... my mom is a teacher too... she's retiring for a couple of years from. She said that a teacher is a teacher even is she retired already. ask me if i like my job? i can say that "no" but i love my profession.... i am a teacher and i shape the future....

Answer 9

Yes, I make enough money to get by. I work in a county that I feel has a very good teacher's salary (not great, but definitely livable). The cost of living isn't all that expensive where I am from. It's not enough to raise a family without another income, but it's definitely enough for one person.

Answer 10

With my husband's salary, we make enough to have a house, two cars, go on vacations, wear decent clothes, etc. I don't think that on a teacher's salary alone I could raise two kids. I make about 45K and have been teaching ten years. I also live in a small midwest town where you can buy a house for 100K.

Answer 11

It's all about the city. Where I am, the union contract max's out at $130k per year for a teacher, plus benefits. Survivable--- hella yeah!
Thrive-able!! Know the marketplace before leaping.