If you move to LA/SoCal and want to live in a decent area, is it possible to survive on a first year teacher's salary (about $40,000/year)? Rent is astronomical and I have student loans. Is this even plausible?
2007-05-08 16:05:03 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Los Angeles
Heck yes. My aunt is a teacher and has a $700,000 home and live in Carson, California for over 20 years.
2007-05-10 06:13:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it can be done. You might not be able to live in a pretty area at first, but try Los Feliz, Silverlake, and Eagle Rock for starters. Traffic is bad, I don't think that it's overstated. If you live in the City of LA, your utilities will be cheaper than if you live elsewher, where Edison costs twice as much as LA Dept of Water and power. Also, try to get a job at a school where you can have your student loans reduced and/or delayed.
Good luck.
2007-05-09 05:55:56 · answer #2 · answered by Capt. Obvious 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, if you don't mind living in Bakersfield and commuting 100 miles each way to and from work. The alternative is to live in the kind of neighborhoods your mother always warned you to avoid.
Seriously, I lived there for 5 years. The cost of living is astronomical. Taxes are sky high. Utilities are incredible. Gasoline is the highest in the nation. Auto Insurance is outrageous. Traffic on the highways either doesn't move at all, or they all go 85+ miles per hour.
2007-05-08 23:30:04 · answer #3 · answered by Yak Rider 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is actually possible to live on a teacher's salary, and to save money while doing so. All of the teachers I know travel during their "summer break" (some of them get their breaks at other times of the year - they teach year-round).
2016-04-01 03:16:58 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
As we have not a single teacher here, I'd say no.
Seriously, yes rents are astronomical. You won't be living large, but you can get by.
Try to economize where you can. Live close to your school, look for professional discounts on things like car insurance.
And thank you for teaching our kids.
2007-05-09 07:00:42 · answer #5 · answered by chieromancer 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sorry but no, you're not going to do very well in L.A on $40,000 a year. My husband makes $80,000 a year (before taxes) and we can't afford our own house. I make about $25,000 a year teaching part time. We have student loans and ridiculous rent and we're down town. If you have a partner or room mate you might do better. But be prepared to do some moonlighting. Sad but true.
2007-05-09 08:29:59 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Thank you for your dedication to children's education.
You certainly would not be living a lavish life style to start, and you would be on a very tight budget. While there is always a shortage of good, qualified teachers, all the area schools manage to maintain minimum staffing levels. All those teachers have figured out how to do it.
2007-05-09 12:53:01 · answer #7 · answered by Peedlepup 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could move in to a roommate situation. That's probably the only way you'll have enough money to go out and pay off loans. There's several websites where you can search for roommates. There's roommate.com and easyroommate.
2007-05-08 17:39:27 · answer #8 · answered by Jane 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. Hawthorne/ Inglewood area,or try the SF valley. It's a commute but it's a bit cheaper.
2007-05-08 17:17:57 · answer #9 · answered by nialennay 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My sister does fine (as do her fellow teachers) on her salary/benefits package in L.A. (LAUSD).
$40,000 PLUS BENEFITS for 9 months work is a pretty darn good starting salary!
2007-05-08 16:14:24 · answer #10 · answered by Doctor J 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋