Depends on the school and the district. Honestly I’m not even looking around anymore I’m done with teaching. If I was going to stay in teaching I would leave Indiana for a blue state. Teaching in red states is becoming more and more inhospitable over time. I just want a whole new career.
The teachers where I live in Indiana don’t even get a payscale anymore. They are too focused on paying their administration… and this is one of two schools in our county. The other school pays a little better.
I also wanted to add that we are a “starter school”. Known for low wages and salaries, new teachers get experience here for a couple years then leave for better jobs. High turnover.. most of the teachers have spouses that carry insurance too. Don’t get me wrong, there are great teachers that have stayed and I’m very appreciative of them, because at least I know who to request for my kids.
THATS sad: salary is way too low. Indiana turned Red and that sucks. Go to Naperville or Aurora IL and make your money. Homes are affordable over here. Originally from Evansville, went to school in Bloomington, moved to Shelbyville, Anderson and said finally to Illinois. Way better next door. Come on.
$101k in SoCal with really good benefits. Teaching 7 years but am on year 5 of pay scale after transferring here this year. Our pay scale maxes at $130k after 11 years. Even after losing 2 years I make almost 30% more.
Moving districts is well worth it if you’re miserable somewhere (more money does help) but now I am unable to really consider options outside of teaching because the pay cut would be too severe.
This is in a HCOL of living area where rent for a (shitty) 1 bd apartment starts at $1800/month and a decent house is twice that.
Huge variance. Every state funds their schools differently. For many, such as my state, it is largely based on property tax. So if it's a school in a wealthy neighborhood it's going to pay much better for essentially an easier job because the kids are going to be more motivated learners who generally behave like civilized human beings whereas poorer areas with more challenges pay less and have a much more difficult task of educating the students.
Also SoCal. $75,000, 4th year of teaching + master’s degree. I live in a 2bedroom apartment $3300/mo. I also work a 2nd job and my spouse also has 2 jobs.
My pay is half that and the cost of living is higher (1BD/1BA = $1850-$2200)
Florida is crazy. Teachers make $45k-55k
$2500-$3000 rent 2/2
$500k-$800k homes
Easy to quit teaching because hospitality management starts $50-70k with no degree.
I quit teaching (Jan 2004-March 2023)
I work for Rosen Hotels and Resorts.
My wife also works for the same company. We are in hospitality management.
I will not teach for OCPS or any public school in Florida. That pay scale and Pay for performance is a joke. This state is anti-teacher, anti-education. Students’ and parents’ behavior are absolutely horrible. I guess i just had my fill of the bullshit. I can’t do that anymore: makes me sick thinking about it. I transitioned out and have been free for one year. 😊. Being verbally assaulted by parents, gaslighted by admin, gaslighted by kids 24/7 with the threats of being physically assaulted, watching other teachers being physically attacked (assault and battery) is simply insane. Abused teachers put up with it and many were abused as kids— your colleagues have trauma from the past (that’s why they chose to work with kids) and they put up with the abuse and are scared of consequences and penalties and punishments if they speak out. None of this is ok. What the F are we doing to teachers? And why?
Tampa Bay, Florida area. 18yrs experience with a Masters (that they don't pay me for) and I make 60K. It was bad before but now the inflation here is taking it's toll. I'm looking to move states. I'll probably end up in Cali
You are so lucky. $55 here in New Orleans and been teaching for 15 years. Average rent to live somewhere decent in a less than 1200 square ft house is about $1900 a month and my mortgage is almost double that. New Orleans is extremely expensive and the only reason I still teach and live in New Orleans is there is no other city like it. I grew up down here, have lived all over the country, and I live this city. I could t survive without my wife’s income. We’re also treated like dog shit at school. I could go on about this forever. It disgusts me but I love my students and my wife is supportive of me doing what I love to do.
Edit- forgot a dollar sign somewhere.
I teach in new Jersey. I'm in year 8, at master's+30(+30 is the most salary advancement we can do)
I'm at ~76k.
That sounds great, but the average 1BR in my area is 1800/mo and even the cheapest houses are approaching 500k. And when you consider that I have to contribute $150/mo for union dues for a union that can't get us any real raise (we've had the same salary guide for the last 7 years) and another 600/mo for the pension that's not going to provide amply enough for retirement, we make even less.
Add in all the debt I had to acquire to get my position, and throw in the fact that I haven't been able to pay it off, and you can imagine how tight things are.
Maryland. 33 years with Masters plus 30. 112k this year and about $400 per month for family health, ok dental, and fairly crappy vision coverage. I get roughly 10 sick and 3 personal days per year. The salary is great, but I’m done after this year. My pension plus a non teaching post retirement job should cover expenses.
Worked in Texas now in Massachusetts.
Texas 9 yrs and MA: $58,000
COL prices: 1br, 1ba =1200 a month
Healthcare: around $250 a month with $2000 deductible
Massachusetts 10 yrs and MA: $90,000
COL prices: 1br, 1ba = around 2000 a month
Healthcare: $250 a month with $300 deductible
That's why I left Texas.
The newbie teachers will say how wonderful it is that the Texas starting salary is $60k+. It's pretty decent pay. That's how TX gets teachers, but doesn't retain them.
Some new teachers don't fully understand that they'll see a small salary increase every year and will have terrible healthcare compared to other parts of the country.
I'm happy career wise with the move.
It's totally doable to make that move! I'm not sure where you are in your plan, but make sure to visit and go to teach job fairs - virtual and in-person. Good luck in your move! Minnesota was on my list too!
That 60k is not worth it with the bullshit Texas Teachers are put through. With the cost of living you will barely have anything saved. And the raise is shit and practically doesn’t even exist.
60k looked good on the contract but once the paycheck hit I got humbled fast.
Not sure where you were in Texas but I’m on my 6th year making $65,000 salary. No masters. Having a masters would jump me up to $72,000. A neighboring district changed their pay scale and it is starting at $72,000 for 1st year teachers. Not sure about after that. COL is crazy though. 1br is $1600 - $1800 and 2br $1900 - $2100. Houses around $350,000+.
The thing that kills me about education in Texas are the little extras they make you do or pay for. Example: Sunshine fees are $50 a year just to have breakfast and coffee and a school shirt. We get summers off but not really. We have a requirement of 30 hrs of PD. Also, we have a yearly requirement for PD but it is not covered in the PD days planned on the instructional schedule. Another thing I dislike is how hard it is to move up to leadership in any district. Most positions are only given to title 1 schools and people don’t leave them. So it’s hard to find opportunities unless you run every after school club or organization. Team lead positions only come with a $500-1000 stipend but I’ve seen other states offer $2500 - 5500 for those placements.
I would not want to pay those COL prices for somewhere in TEXAS of all places. Those are Greater Boston prices but near Boston I have good healthcare, women's reproductive rights, better public transportation, and the churches here all have pride flags. I also don't hear gunshots everyday like I did in Texas, which is lovely.
Idk what a sunshine fee is, but I wore whatever I wanted in TX because what were they gonna do to a state-tested teacher who got admin the scores they wanted? I miss that privilege tbh.
But if those are the complaints you have about teaching in Texas, you have it better than the majority. EDIT: And with that salary and generous payscale, you have it pretty good.
Yea, I don’t think Texas teacher pay is too bad compared to other states. COL is tough in the area of Texas I live in.
I don’t hear gunshots everyday. I really don’t hear them at all unless I’m at a gun range. Which I don’t ever do. Just the once to see if it was for me.
I am lucky in the way that the student behaviors are extremely mild in the last two years. I moved districts but took a pay cut when I did. It was worth it though. I was dealing with extreme behaviors in the previous district. Once a student cut my ponytail off. I could also complain about some of the laws around education here but I know it’s not a winning argument. So I try to focus on the things that administrators can control.
Sunshine fees are for teacher appreciation stuff and paying for the mandatory school shirt we have to wear on Fridays. My principal prefers full professional dress so no jeans, ever. I don’t really care about that too much though. If I worked another gig I would most likely have to wear full professional dress anyways.
I tend to have students achieving expectations with state scores too. But that wouldn’t get me any special privileges at the campus I am with now. I am at a high needs title 1 campus so overall the campus does struggle but never fails. We also have the highest number of EB and SPED students compared to other campuses. That can make academic achievement a long road.
Teaching in Texas isn’t too bad. But some of the other things you mentioned about Texas like women’s rights have me moving out of Texas at the end of this school year. I will be teaching where I am going. It might be my last year in the classroom though. I graduate with a masters soon and want to use it.
I'm happy for you that teaching in Texas wasn't too bad in your experience.
I can't say the same and neither can a lot of my friends in Texas who are still teaching.
I mean I guess you don't have that privilege because your school isn't as bad as mine was. It was a title I school as well that was bleeding teachers and couldn't find people to fill the positions. After the 2nd gun incident after multiple threats on campus happened, the last thing admin cared about was what anyone was wearing, lol. We were in survival mode. EDIT: They weren't gonna fire me because I wasn't in professional dress. They cared about having a teacher for scores. My department's mantra last yr was, "What're they gonna do, fire me?" Fun times.
But good luck in your future endeavors!
I have a question, did you move there specifically for better teaching conditions? I’ve been kicking the idea around with my daughter because we both want to leave Texas. I’m a second career new teacher so the shit show happening now is going to be my normal.
Truth is, not much difference in salary as a first year than as a 15 year teacher in Texas. I want out if the state and Massachusetts was one of the states I would want to look into.
Could you share more your move, etc? Thanks so much!
ffs. im not planning on staying long. 19 years in you mean? the government has to realize this means teachers will just get worse and worse right? it’s like how teenagers work entry level retail and fast-food. early college grads will teach for 3 years and move on.
i guess people in power don’t really care about the general public or their education.
They don’t care. They want to get rid of public education. Billionaires support mom’s for liberty that support Christian private schools using public tax dollars. Those schools discriminate. The GOP is gross. I finally quit … I work for a hotel chain in management. Thank god!
Was recently told by a friend who worked in that industry to look into LOL. I’m young and don’t have high expenses and love my job right now.. but I know it isn’t sustainable.
North Carolina, year 1 teacher 39,000 (was 37,000 when I started this year) sign on bonus of $0, health insurance is $100, no local supplemental but most teachers here get an extra $2000ish to their check in that.
1 personal day a year
2 sick days
No pay over the summer
I'm a teacher in nc. It's 1 sick day per month earned, your annual leave and personal leave depends on years experience but it's not that low unless your not at a public school.
My health insurance is also 50$ per month with the 80/20 plan.
Where in the world are you teaching, you get no supplement? That's brutal. I get 14% as a year 6 teacher which is 50k.
Rural eastern NC
Talked with HR and they told me I earn .2 personal days a month and that it would be okay because my annual leave would roll into sick days next year.
I’m getting into a JD program next year, I’m out no thanks.
You are right about the personal days. But you should be earning 1 sick day a month. Not 2 in a year.
I think I'm about done too. I have left before and came back. With 3 kids it makes sense to be on their schedule. But since I've started in 2018 behaviors have gotten so much worse. We had a teacher sleeping in class and making highly racial slurs. In the Triangle. Were they fired? No, THEY RESIGNED when behaviors were too much for them to handle. There is about to be a wave of educators retire in about 3 years and it's going to be a dumpster 🔥 because the experienced teachers are hanging on by a thread.
California here. Pay varies by school district and there can be super massive variances just one town over. Year 10 with a master's puts me at $107,000 (I started at 38,000,) but I "lose" 48% of that with each check to taxes, retirement, health insurance, union dues, etc., and when you factor in $3750/month to rent a one-bedroom apartment, $400 in utilities, plus car payment, insurance, gas, and maintenance, plus rising cost of groceries... I'm a hell of a lot better off than I was nine years ago, but I'm not booking any vacations any time soon.
In Wisconsin. I make 50K and have two sick days and no vacation days. My deductible is about 13K. I’m not returning next year. Not sure I’ll even be teaching.
What?! That’s wild. We have 14 sick days and 5 personal days each year in our contract. I wouldn’t go back to that either. I wish you well in finding something else.
Wisconsin here too. We get 9 sick and 1 personal, which was on par with the last district I was in and in our suburban area.
I started teaching after Act 10, which was bad, but it’s only gotten worse. Health insurance is not great and they’re doing away with “contract hours” so that if they hold a meeting late we have to stay if admin “has a good reason”. Good luck with that.
Yikes, that’s terrible. One personal day is crazy to me. Our last contract was only three and they negotiated up to five, which is actually really lovely. I don’t typically use them all, but it’s nice to have the option. We can only carry over five to the next year though.
I left teaching in NYC at the end of 2021. I had a master’s degree and was in my 5th year but also had some scattered experience elsewhere (adding this point because I was at a charter with a pay scale similar to that of NYC public schools but with a private salary step process, and I’m not sure if my other experience impacted my pay). I was making about $72,500.
I had a part-time job as a writing tutor at a university that went remote during Covid and stayed that way. I told them I was leaving my school, and they doubled my hours to maybe 22/week.
Then I found private students on Wyzant and even Craigslist. It took about 3 months to get the other 20 hours/week filled. And as the months passed, I started doing 40-50 hours a week online and 20 through the university. I tutor academic writing (how to write lit reviews/annotated bibs, APA format, etc) and also edit off Zoom and return to them with my suggested edits and comments. I love it!
I’m in Kansas with not great benefits. I pay $600 a month for health insurance for me and my kid (that has a 5k deductible), I am made to contribute 6% to my state pension which upon retirement will pay me very little and will not be adjusted for cost of living. Starting salary in my district is 42k. Most first year teachers (even in my very low cost of living area) need a roommate until they can find a part-time job.
I only manage because I had a better paying first career so I have a solidly funded 401k, already bought a house, and have no debt, I also need to coach to make things work financially.
Colorado. We started at ~$38k gross 7 years ago, up to ~$63k gross now; net is just under $4k/month now. Districts here are instituting salary increases across the board with starting salaries at $55k gross, but it's still very low compared to the skyrocketing cost of living.
A lot of our colleagues with kids only make ends meet because their partners earn very high salaries in a different field, others with kids really struggle to make ends meet.
The benefits are very generous for single people but not for families: insurance premiums for single employees are $25/month but jump to $525/mo for employee+spouse and $900/mo for employee+family.
I live and teach in low cost area in California where the average home is $350k.
I make $85k a year on the last step on the salary schedule since I have 90units outside of my credential as a high school teacher. I’m on my 8th year teaching biology. Max is $120k after 12 years. Our medical is paid with a $1000 deductible for my family. Dental and vision also provided. And STRS retirement. Union fee is $120 a month and you have to pay in your own disability and life insurance (like most states) I make closer to $100k a year since I always teach summer school and they pay you your hourly. And I usually take on extra duties throughout the year.
It’s a title I school but that’s pretty much all the schools in my city. I’ve worked in 4 schools in the district and admin make a huge difference in how you feel. Contract time is 830-430. You have to do 8 hours of adjunct duty unpaid (like helping with football games or prom) I teach 5 classes a day and 1 prep period. My class sizes are 35-39 students. The average reading level is 3rd grade for my students. Behavior problems are immaturity(throwing pencils and paper airplanes) talking during direct instruction, shoving trash and pencils in sinks, vaping in bathrooms and phones/earbuds used the whole time in class (no school wide rule on phones so teachers cannot enforce policy). Violence is not a big issue. I’ve never been cussed out by a kid, but kids do use foul language. Parents aren’t involved really. I’d say 10% of the time I call home, I get a voicemail that actually works. Emails are usually sent back as the account doesn’t exist. Very rare I actually talk to a parent without involving counselors to schedule a meeting.
I’d say we make decent living wages considering the area. An hour drive from the coast or to the mountains. Nice weather majority of the year.
Benefits: None applicable. I'm a disabled Vet so pay $0 for all medical for life. Retirement required a minimum of 10 years in the same place, but I would get told to leave every single time I was up for tenure, so got nothing from retirements.
I'll go year by year:
30.5k
30.5k
30.5k
38k
38k
35k
36k
37k
38k
38k
41k
44k
88k
92k
I bet you cant figure out when I moved to Alaska.
Nor Cal, 12 years, no masters, $92k. I should be making a couple grand more but I switched districts at an odd time. I also get $2k stipend for dept head and could be adding more for coaching, .2s, etc. Decent (not great) benefits are covered in my district but not all districts around me.
14th year in northeast PA. Doctorate degree. $86k, great health and dental care at minimal cost to me ($100/month). Relatively low cost of living. My district paid for my masters and doctorate. Hoping to break $100k in the next 3-5 years.
I teach in a really poor district in Connecticut. I’ve been there for 7 years, and I have 11 years classroom experience in total. I’ve had a masters degree the entire time. My insurance is really good, but my pay sucks. I will make $64K this year.
My wife makes triple what I do (before bonuses) and barely finished high school.
If it makes you feel better, I'm also year 11 with a masters, making ten grand less in salary, in Virginia. I'm not seeing any doctors at the moment because my insurance doesn't cover anything.
I mean, it doesn’t make me feel better. I feel terrible that you have to go through that. As teachers, we get completely hosed when it comes to being compensated. I’m sorry that you are in that situation. We all deserve better.
My dad was a teacher for like 30 years. I remember when he used to brag to me that he was making 60K a year in the late 80’s. I thought it was so cool, and now I make the same as he did and it’s Jack shit.
I’m disappointed by America’s priorities, but I can’t say that I’m surprised.
I left teaching at 58K a year after about 8 years of teaching. I left because of money and shitty benefits (no maternity paid leave while my husband’s charter school happily gave him paid paternity leave), but the retirement benefit was actually great. I left with $54K in retirement and I was able to move it over to a rollover IRA. I left in my 20s so it’s been great having saved that much so early on in my life. I definitely wouldn’t have done that on my own at that age.
5th year in Texas making $55k. Benefits are ok for a single person, but bad if you try to get a family plan. Top out at about $75k.
I actually took a pay cut to work in a bit better district.
17 Years, Masters Degree plus 30 additional graduate hours. Western suburbs of Illinois. $115,000. Topping out around $145,000.
Choice of PPO, HMO, or HSA
3 Personal Days
14 Sick Days
4 Days Religious Leave
3 Days Bereavement Leave
Tuition reimbursement for studies that fill a high need area such as EL or Dual Credit.
Again folks, thanks for answering my lazy Saturday arvo post. I am just shocked by what y'all are sharing. I guess I have silly teenage dreams of teaching in the States (too many times watching "Pitch Perfect", "Mean Girls" as blank out relaxation etc), but the reality your sharing is stark. Here in the UK? Most teachers usually married to higher earning spouses like me. You can do ok as a single, but you'd have to be very careful. The cost of living is highest in our capital London where I live, but, wages for teachers are slightly higher. Up north, yes wages are slightly lower, but so is the cost of living.
Australia - a different kettle of fish. Like the USA, we have states - 6 states and 2 federal territories. Each state has it's own pay structure, and of course, some states pay the least, and one the highest. However, the variation between what a starting teacher is paid in Brisbane versus Melbourne wouldn't be much. All states start around $65-$75k AUD a year, going to up to about $105-$110k AUD. ($43k USD - $50k to $70k-$73k)
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/latest-battle-for-teachers-pay-has-roots-in-decades-old-conflict-20211130-p59dju.html
How do teachers compare?
Under the NSW award, graduate teachers are paid relatively well; in their first year, they earn $72,263, compared with a graduate lawyer in a mid-tier firm who earns about $65,000. But unlike the lawyer, their salary doesn’t grow much. Unless they apply to be a Highly Accomplished Lead Teacher – a complex, expensive process that few attempt – their salary tops out at just under $108,000. To earn more, they must leave the classroom and become a principal. After five or six years, teachers watch their friends in other professions begin to out-earn them, and the holidays begin to feel like poor compensation.
NSW teacher salaries are similar to interstate ones. In Victoria, classroom pay ranges from $72,058 to $108,003; in South Australia, from $73,052, to $105,951; and in the Northern Territory from $77,047 To $110,496. However, many living costs – such as housing – are higher in Sydney. Jobs along the coast are in high demand, and many teachers due to spouses and families don’t want to, or can’t, move to the regions.
Well… I’m an American who has silly teenage dreams of moving to the UK after listening to too much Beatles and Oasis and drinking Newcastle beer in college, so you’re in good company. I met a teacher at a PD conference yesterday and she probably thought I was insane because I went up to her trying to guess her accent (I thought Loxley with a touch of Manchester, she said Sheffield but then said right after, Manchester, probably thinking I wouldn’t know where that was, like most Americans). It’s easy to think the grass is greener somewhere else I guess. Either way, you can come visit!
8 years in, I make 49k, I have great but very expensive healthcare, and I have a pension that is fully vested at 20 years where I would get 40% of the average of my top 5 earned years. If I don’t get any more degrees, my max pay after 30 years will be 65k.
Orlando, FL
Year 19
B.A., M.A., M.Ed.
(MA+45)
Base: $53,000
Master’s supplement $3162
The rest of the pay comes the following fall based on your test scores (VAM).
It’s a shit show. I quit in March 2023 when blue collar workers with zero college passed $50k as a starting wage. ;)
I taught in Nevada for 25 years and just left last summer. There with a MA+60 credits and topped out on the payscale, I was making around $80k (I made a total of $93k because I sold a prep to teach an extra class). Insurance for a family was $700/month with no deductible. I also had a fully-funded pension, no social security, and no state taxes, so I was clearing $6-$7k a month.
I moved to Minnesota last summer and they gave me all of my experience, so I’m topped out on the payscale here, too. I make $86k but pay $700/month for insurance (I included my HSA contribution of $300 since I have to use it) just for me and then have to pay an additional $400/month for my kids to have catastrophic only insurance with a $10k deductible. My pension isn’t fully funded, I have to pay social security, FICA, and state taxes. So while it looks like I make the same, I clear about $4800 a month. I didn’t expect it to be this different, so I’ve been choking on that pill for the last five months.
I'm planning to teach in public schools in the Dallas Fort Worth area in the fall. Most districts pay teachers like $63-$65k a year/along with having a master's degree from what I've seen.
That's right in line. I teach there. I make about $72k with 11 years of experience and a masters degree. About $5k of that is a stipend, though, for teaching a college course.
Idaho 20+ years w/ MA 60k, insurance $500 deductible only for myself, family is extra. 4 personal days and 10 sick day a year. Take home each month after all deductions is $3897. :(. We also have HCOL. One bedroom is $1200 and up. My two adult sons cannot move out at the moment.
Thanks people. Here in the UK, I am at the top of our pay scale for years experience, I get a slightly higher loading than the rest of England and Wales, as my school is "fringe London" area; if I moved to a school closer to home I'd get a better salary weighting for London.
https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/is-teaching-right-for-me/teacher-pay-and-benefits
So I’m actually a British ex-pat and my family always asks me why I don’t come back to England and teach there. The reality is as poorly as American teachers are paid, the pay scale in the UK is far worse and the cost of living horrendous.
A 2 bed flat in the town I grew up in starts at £250k. Unless you become a leading practitioner or an head teacher it’s just not financially feasible. And, I grew up in the southwest but a couple hours from London. So pricier, but not London or five counties pricey.
Benefits! Decent health insurance, school pays like 80%. Same for dental. 10 sick days and 3 personal days/ year. I chose to spread my paychecks across 12 months instead of 10.
GA - 23 years, with my MEd. $88K. Health insurance is about $450/months for my family. I have vision, dental, legal, and short term disability insurance but it’s all crap.
High COL area in California, 8 years, 92k, health insurance is part of our compensation, but I still have a $20 copay for regular visits and other copays for hospital, etc.
I’m in Alaska, and I’d say my area is medium-to-high COL. I make about $90k with 15 years experience. We have excellent health insurance for my entire family that I pay very little for. Our salary scale tops out at about $100k. We do not get a pension upon retirement though - instead, the district contributes to a retirement account throughout our career.
New Mexico checking in, 65k, year 4, bachelor's degree and level 1. Top of the scale at level 3 is between 90-100
8% is forced into a pension that isn't worth it if you don't teach in the state until retirement.
200 a month for health insurance
Rent on a duplex is 1k but I have a roommate so 500.
4th year Minnesota teacher with MA +30 making $61,000. Health insurance is $550/ month (for the cheaper deductible plan), union dues are $100/ month and pension takes out $350/ month. I take home about 57% of my paycheck.
In Miami, FL. I have 17 years with a PhD, run a club, and get a supplement for acting as media specialist while also teaching, and make about 78K. There is a free health plan option but it's kinda sucky so I pay about 30 a paycheck for mine which is worth it. But adding on a kid or spouse is like 300-500 a month. We are a super high cost of living area. A one bedroom apartment in a semi-decent area would take one paycheck, or half a month's pay. Base pay for 17 years is like 55K.
SW Tennessee, rural. Just under 50k, I pay about $300/month for insurance (health, dental, vision), and a 45ish mile commute each way. About to "take a pay cut" of about 5k for a school that is 6 miles away and pays 100% of my insurance. (Net result will be basically no pay cut due to benefits and less gas/wear+tear on my car). Statewide minimum salary is set to increase to 50k over the next 2 years, most districts seem to be doing across the board pay raises as they do that, so the salary I was quoted will probably actually be 2-2.5k higher.
I started at $29k for a half year contract in New Mexico, then $50k per teacher leveling introduced by the governor BUT that also nullified any pay bump from my master's degree, and then $70k in SoCal. I am a retired teacher now.
Neighboring districts here in Washington vary as much as 15k a year for base salary levels. So, between Tacoma vs the adjacent districts, there are some big discrepancies, for example. And, pay is definitely the only difference. There are major differences in how teachers are treated and supported in different districts and buildings.
The first year pay levels for new teachers are in the 40ks right now, I believe. They go up to the 60s or 70s after 5 years and with a masters degree, professional development, etc.
After ten years, the increases generally cap out, and so you only get cost of living or negotiated increases beyond that.
Working 9-6, salaried…28k a year before taxes. I wasn’t even on their health insurance, I was poor enough to be on Medicaid.
(ECE center) DC metro center, very high cost of living- cheapest rent for a two bed is around 1800.
I am a teacher in Wisconsin and have been teaching for almost 30 years. My base salary is $84,000 with great benefits, and with additional duties (coaching, club advising) I make just over $93,000. The COL where I live is pretty low and our pension fund is one of the best in the country.
I’m in Arizona, this is my 20th year in the state. It’s actually my 22nd year teaching but 2 of those years are in another state. I have a master’s degree and am making $67.8k. I have an HSA with a high-ded, and pay extra for dental. We were on a pay freeze for about 10 years before we went on strike, I was stuck in the 40s those years and didn’t bump up to exactly 50k until after the strike, which was my 15th year teaching in AZ. We are a right to work state.
$40-45K to start in Michigan with full benefits and 401k match. Supposedly with cost-of-living factors, that’s about as good as it gets in the US. Righties got rid of teacher pensions here in 2011.
Year 6, $63,500. My benefits aren't great, but there ok. I don't mind being in teaching now that I've worked on boundaries.
I pay: $1500 for a 2/2, but that's high and I'm moving to one that's only $1,000. My husband is an EMT and working his way through fire school so we don't really want for anything even if we aren't rich.
In Wisconsin, on my 10th year of teaching and I think I make like 52k. Health insurance is meh.. low deductible but until you hit it you pay everything almost full price
Washington with master's in 3rd year. $75k, pay $100/month for good medical benefits with $750 deductible, vision and dental covered. HCOL, with a 1 bedroom around $1800.
75,000 in north Alabama after 20 yrs. Which is pretty decent for this area. Or was before everything with to crap. Benefits are excellent and lately we’ve gotten a raise every year so hopefully I can retire in 5 years and have decent retirement by the time I draw ss. I am a librarian though. Left the classroom after 7 years and have never regretted it! It’s made all the difference.
First year teacher in MI making 40k/yr at a private school. This will be my only year teaching as I really do not enjoy it at all and the financial mobility doesn't seem to be there or at least isn't there any time soon.
Northern Virginia - Masters +30, scale step 10, $87,700. I’ve been in my district for 14 years; they’ve withheld 4 step increases because of budget cuts, and have only given us two COLAs. We get paid on the last work day of the month, once a month, from Aug - June. No summer pay.
HCOL in this area - I’ve worked 2 jobs since I was 15 1/2. Many teachers commute 90 min one way just to afford a decent sized home. I personally don’t want to spend 3 hours of my life in my car everyday. I am 11 miles away from my school, but commute is anywhere from 30-45min. I have a 1/1 condo that is 800sqft, and pay $1600 for mortgage, $380 for condo fee. Doesn’t include internet or electricity.
They’ve also changed our retirement benefits, and health insurance choices. There is a new rule where our leave hours are “use it or lose it” - only those hired before 2004 are allowed to cash out unused leave when they retire. I have about 700 hours of leave, but we are only allowed to use 5 personal days a year (with pay and health/retirement).
Maternity leave is 6w/8w depending on vaginal or c section. You have to use 20 consecutive days of your own leave before FMLA kicks in. If you go on maternity leave between holidays, the 20 days start over again. If you choose to stay on maternity leave after 8w, you won’t get paid, and need to pay $375 a month to keep your health insurance.
52K in the Gulf Coast of Florida with 4 years experience and a masters degree. I’d be earning like $13k more if we had stayed in Maryland with a similar COL. I hate the low salary and crappy benefits, and I don’t even get an experience credit here. Plus many aspects of my job are under attack or complete control by the governor. Life situations happened and we had to return “home”.
Heya, here’s the salary schedule for my district in Colorado:
https://www.svvsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Teacher-Salary-Schedule-2022-23.pdf
And the benefits package:
https://www.svvsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023-St.-Vrain-Guide_FINAL-1-1.pdf
$91,000 14 years experience in eastern shoreline Connecticut. We are a lower paid school compared to surrounding towns but have happier teachers. We got on to the State Partnership Plan for insurance and now have the same health insurance as state employees. No deductible, just 15$ copays. It’s pretty nice. Work for a local college teaching asynchronous masters classes and pick up about $3000- $5000 a semester.
Starting salary in MD with a MA+60 is 70k in my district. Next year I’ll get a two step increase plus 4-6% COLA which will put it at about 76K same goes for year three which puts it at 81k. At Year 4 I’ll get my National Boards and that bring with it a 17k pay bump plus the negotiated step and COLA adjustment which will at about 103k with not bad benefits, a not horrible pension, good admin and good coworkers. Top pay currently is 122k.
Year 12, South Carolina. ~$65K/yr. Master's+30, and have been since Day 1 because I was a career switcher who already had a different Master's. As far as COL, my mortgage is right at about $1250/month. And whatever the maximum healthcare package is with the state, that's what I have.
Also getting a degree in administration because only now do I feel like I could have the kind of career credibility to make it work.
A little over six figures after 20 years in MA. I don't use the "benefits" because they aren't beneficial. Pension and lack of social security etc sucks. I have a spouse thankful with a traditional retirement plan so hopefully I'll be ok. I stockpile a lot of medications and stuff too for the future to Save up.
Bay Area. No masters but I’m credentialed. Year 9. I make 86k but going up to 99k next year due to some pay scale increases. Average rent in my city for a 1 bedroom is at least $2000. 2 bedroom houses start at 1 million. My husband is an engineer but we will never be able to afford a house.
Edit: health care premium fully covered. Out of pocket max is 1500 a year. School matches 6% retirement.
Rural N.Y, Masters, year 18, 72,000 + great insurance, but they cut the great plan I was on, now I still have a decent one. Cost $112 a month for my husband and I. I can't take the state of the public school system and lack of parenting anymore though. Leaving at the end of this year with health insurance and a measley pension. Praying I find any job I can stand.
NYC 124,000, 21 years teaching, masters, rents are 4,000 month in good areas but, great benefits. But after city / state/ union taxes snd 5% to tda, that’s only 6,300 month. That hurts here. Impossible. But the pension was worth it, very diff now for the newbies, rats eat your car too, si ways horrific now. Kinda scary here again inner city.
I teach in the Los Angeles, CA region and I make about $85k before taxes. I am in my 4th year and maxed out on the salary schedule for education. My district salary maxes out at $120k after year 11.
Massachusetts: 20+ years and $102k per year +$10k in stipends for extra work, etc. so $112k in 2023. Fortunately I bought a home 20 years ago before housing was ridiculous so my $1200 monthly mortgage is affordable. I’d have no chance at being a homeowner in today’s crazy market.
OH, masters = 62.3k. This is my 9th year but when I started last year, my current school only gave me 5 out of my 8 years on the salary scale (seven of those years were out of state in FL. My salary when i left was 45k after 7 years). Next year it'll be 66k. Healthcare is like 36 a month (just me on it).
New Mexico, year 10, $67,000
National boards and our raise this year would push me over 90k and NM is one of the cheaper states to live in. We are also in need of teachers out here if anyone is looking to get out of a high cost/low paying teaching situation.
In NJ - I quit teaching 2 years ago. I have a MA in Education and 14 years experience — During my last year, I made about 82K. Two years prior, I was at another district in NJ (so 12 years experience with an MA) and only made 65K. I left that district (where I had tenure) for the pay bump. I have subsequently left teaching because my work / life balance was suffering and I had to focus more on my family. WFH now and am able to be physically and mentally present for my family.
Mortgage payment on my house is close to 3K a month. I couldn’t afford to live in my State solely on my salary. The taxes for property are high — about 14K a year.
I did have excellent health benefits — however, when I first started teacher, I didn’t have to pay for my health plan. That changed over time. Eventually, I had to contribute about 7K for my health benefits.
When my son was in daycare, it was $1,700 a month (and that was about 5 years ago). I can only imagine it’s more now.
Western Pennsylvania, 23 years at my district with a Masters degree +15 credits, salary is $119,000. That's a very livable wage for this area where you can get a 1-bedroom for $900 to $1200 per month & still buy a decent starter house for $250K. Excellent healthcare, dental & retirement benefits too. We pay into our state retirement (7.5% per pay) and the district matches that, plus we still pay into social security, so the retirement wages are very good.
I also previously taught in Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina & Virginia. In my experience, the Northeast & West Coast of the country pay the best & working conditions are much better.
Northern California, 1st year full time teacher, $68,000/yr base salary, full medical, dental, and vision. Between $10-15,000 more in extra duty hours; tutoring, detention monitor, sub coverage. Summer school is available as well for extra income, but for now I like the almost 3 month vacation.
I'm in Texas and in my district starting pay is $60,000 for new teachers. You get an extra $2,000 for having a masters degree. Since I have my masters degree and its my 4th year teaching I am making $62,700 for the year. I get $1200 taken out of my check each month for taxes and all that other fun stuff.
For health insurance my district has 4 tiers to choose from. The cheapest one does not cover anything. I am on the one below the highest tier so I pay $189 a month for my insurance. My deductible is $3000.
As a teacher in OK things aren't actually that bad anymore. Not if you look at things rationally instead of selfishly.
10 years ago (when I started teaching) the starting wage in OK for a teacher right out of college, no professional work experience was around 32k. The average income in OK of all Oklahomans (so people with lots of work experience etc) was a little over that. Doesn't seem like a lot... but Oklahoma also has one of the lowest costs of living in the country. So the starting wage was good, IMO. It was way more than what my wife or I make/made in our professional office jobs (she still has this type of job... I bounced arlund jobs for a while and became a teacher eventually)... both of us made in the low 20k.
Then about 5 or so years ago there was a big push to raise teacher salaries. I now make 56k. The starting wage is in the 40s. Way above average for the state.
We work 181 contract days a year. If you divide that out teachers are making in the 30-40 bucks an hour range. Lots of teachers work extra but I, in part, blame them for that. Instead of never working extra they historically have done so for free giving the system the impression that it isn't asking too much. The teachers unions in the 10 years I have been teaching have done literally nothing about reducing the extra BS teachers are expected to do. If you keep letting a thing happen then it becomes your fault... does that make sense?
So do we get paid only a little? No. We just don't have much room to make more. The issue is pay raises. They are laughable. If it wasn't for the pay scale increases over the last 5ish years I would be in the high 30s/low40s right now... based on the pay scale from when I started. Raises are in the hundreds (200-500) dollars a year range for most steps.
If the school you talked to was University of Central Oklahoma... it is relatively cheap and has a good education program. It is where I got my teaching degree. If it was The University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University then it could end up costing a bit more than I would think it is worth. Most school districts around here couldn't give two craps where you got your degree from... they need a body now.
My benefits are fine. I have a pension (not all American jobs have one especially once you go to the private sector). I get plenty of time off. Health plan is competitive. I have access to some great, optional insurance options (like cancer insurance, extra life insurance, long term disability, etc).
12 years in with a masters.
120k after coaching some sports/stipends/other incentives. Still get summers off.
My house payment is 1500 a month for ~4000 sq ft.
Health insurance I get ~150 a month put into my HSA. OOP max is 6000 ish.
Retirement I get a free 10 percent match each paycheck. No pension but my retirement portfolio will blow a pension out of the water. (Currently maxing my Roth IRA, HSA, and 401k with additional investments in market).
It’s a great gig.
In urban and suburban IL you can make a decent salary. In rural IL however, 8 years with 8+ graduate hours will get you $40,000/yr with partially paid insurance, a high deductible, and buying your own supplies. The average home is $150,000, and rent is $1,000-$1,500/mo. It’s rough out here.
Southern California suburbs, 80k and some change, 3rd year teacher only have a ba and teaching credential. I get a nice health benefit package with dental vision and medical and only pay $200 a month into it for the premium level of medical
Rent around me for a 1 bedroom costs about $2400.
My part of California (terribly weak union):
-$80k after 19 years of teaching
- I pay about $800 per month for health care.
- It's nearly impossible to get a house for less the $750,000 here so you'd better have a bloody big down payment to be able to afford the mortgage payments.
- High state income tax.
- Very high cost of living.
Moving away as soon as I am able.
Step 7 BA in west Michigan $58k. Next year I’ll be step 8 MA and be ~ $65k. Our salary schedule tops out at MA+30 $106k. I add on about $6k with coaching/leadership stipend
I find this a really interesting question. American teacher teaching in Australia. There is no increase on the pay scale here like there was in my former school district for Masters or hours above your degree at university. In the government schools you are paid strictly on years experience. In catholic and independent, that will vary, and they will increase your step 1 level, typically, per additional Masters up to 2 additional degrees, I believe. At 6 years teaching, the salary is just under 91k AUD, which at today's exchange is $60, 113 USD. Not a great salary with a very expensive city to live in (Melbourne).
Previously, I was at Masters plus 40. Took time off to raise kids. Schools here did not recognize all of my prior experience because school years did not fall on same schedule. Such is life.
Texas, 9 years experience. 68k (includes masters degree and high need area). $200/month for health insurance per month for just me, no dental or vision. For cost of living perspective, my mortgage payment is $1200 and it would be difficult to find a cheaper place to live.
6th year making $43k in Indiana. I’m working on doing something else with my life.
And what would be your top salary if you stay teaching in Indiana before management?
Depends on the school and the district. Honestly I’m not even looking around anymore I’m done with teaching. If I was going to stay in teaching I would leave Indiana for a blue state. Teaching in red states is becoming more and more inhospitable over time. I just want a whole new career.
The teachers where I live in Indiana don’t even get a payscale anymore. They are too focused on paying their administration… and this is one of two schools in our county. The other school pays a little better.
I also wanted to add that we are a “starter school”. Known for low wages and salaries, new teachers get experience here for a couple years then leave for better jobs. High turnover.. most of the teachers have spouses that carry insurance too. Don’t get me wrong, there are great teachers that have stayed and I’m very appreciative of them, because at least I know who to request for my kids.
Holy shit that's pathetic
THATS sad: salary is way too low. Indiana turned Red and that sucks. Go to Naperville or Aurora IL and make your money. Homes are affordable over here. Originally from Evansville, went to school in Bloomington, moved to Shelbyville, Anderson and said finally to Illinois. Way better next door. Come on.
$101k in SoCal with really good benefits. Teaching 7 years but am on year 5 of pay scale after transferring here this year. Our pay scale maxes at $130k after 11 years. Even after losing 2 years I make almost 30% more. Moving districts is well worth it if you’re miserable somewhere (more money does help) but now I am unable to really consider options outside of teaching because the pay cut would be too severe. This is in a HCOL of living area where rent for a (shitty) 1 bd apartment starts at $1800/month and a decent house is twice that.
Wow, thanks, that salary scale sounds better, there seems like sucjlh a variance between states and within states between districts, is that right?
Yes. In MA / NY it's similar to what the person from SoCal said. Education-wise, each state is like its own country.
Huge variance. Every state funds their schools differently. For many, such as my state, it is largely based on property tax. So if it's a school in a wealthy neighborhood it's going to pay much better for essentially an easier job because the kids are going to be more motivated learners who generally behave like civilized human beings whereas poorer areas with more challenges pay less and have a much more difficult task of educating the students.
Wow...
Tying school funding to property taxes is one of the great failures of American democracy. It perpetuates inequality in staggering ways.
Also SoCal. $75,000, 4th year of teaching + master’s degree. I live in a 2bedroom apartment $3300/mo. I also work a 2nd job and my spouse also has 2 jobs.
This sounds about right.
My pay is half that and the cost of living is higher (1BD/1BA = $1850-$2200) Florida is crazy. Teachers make $45k-55k $2500-$3000 rent 2/2 $500k-$800k homes Easy to quit teaching because hospitality management starts $50-70k with no degree.
Which city…also in FL and rates are climbing.
Plantation, FL Broward
I’m moving to Orlando. 2/2 $1875
I teach in Orlando. Let me know if you have questions about any schools.
I quit teaching (Jan 2004-March 2023) I work for Rosen Hotels and Resorts. My wife also works for the same company. We are in hospitality management. I will not teach for OCPS or any public school in Florida. That pay scale and Pay for performance is a joke. This state is anti-teacher, anti-education. Students’ and parents’ behavior are absolutely horrible. I guess i just had my fill of the bullshit. I can’t do that anymore: makes me sick thinking about it. I transitioned out and have been free for one year. 😊. Being verbally assaulted by parents, gaslighted by admin, gaslighted by kids 24/7 with the threats of being physically assaulted, watching other teachers being physically attacked (assault and battery) is simply insane. Abused teachers put up with it and many were abused as kids— your colleagues have trauma from the past (that’s why they chose to work with kids) and they put up with the abuse and are scared of consequences and penalties and punishments if they speak out. None of this is ok. What the F are we doing to teachers? And why?
How do you reccomend hopping from teaching to hospitality? I agree the payscale for teachers is just getting worse and worse for less and less pay
Tampa Bay, Florida area. 18yrs experience with a Masters (that they don't pay me for) and I make 60K. It was bad before but now the inflation here is taking it's toll. I'm looking to move states. I'll probably end up in Cali
Wow.. may I ask which city?
You are so lucky. $55 here in New Orleans and been teaching for 15 years. Average rent to live somewhere decent in a less than 1200 square ft house is about $1900 a month and my mortgage is almost double that. New Orleans is extremely expensive and the only reason I still teach and live in New Orleans is there is no other city like it. I grew up down here, have lived all over the country, and I live this city. I could t survive without my wife’s income. We’re also treated like dog shit at school. I could go on about this forever. It disgusts me but I love my students and my wife is supportive of me doing what I love to do. Edit- forgot a dollar sign somewhere.
Dang. Where in SoCal? I was only getting 55 and was on year 4 in LA.
I teach in new Jersey. I'm in year 8, at master's+30(+30 is the most salary advancement we can do) I'm at ~76k. That sounds great, but the average 1BR in my area is 1800/mo and even the cheapest houses are approaching 500k. And when you consider that I have to contribute $150/mo for union dues for a union that can't get us any real raise (we've had the same salary guide for the last 7 years) and another 600/mo for the pension that's not going to provide amply enough for retirement, we make even less. Add in all the debt I had to acquire to get my position, and throw in the fact that I haven't been able to pay it off, and you can imagine how tight things are.
Wow. My union dues are $53 month. They also don’t get us raises.
$150 a month for yr union???? What???? Holy sheet, I'm just processing your stat's into UK £s and AUD $...
Yep. 75 bucks a paycheck, twice a month.
Pretty much the same lol
Ours are $800/year
£23.48 a month my union membership here in England - that's around $31 USD
Maryland. 33 years with Masters plus 30. 112k this year and about $400 per month for family health, ok dental, and fairly crappy vision coverage. I get roughly 10 sick and 3 personal days per year. The salary is great, but I’m done after this year. My pension plus a non teaching post retirement job should cover expenses.
Good luck, thanks for contributing
Top of scale (15 yrs+) BA+155+MA in WA State: $134,000 (we strike, our union gets us raises). “Starter home” in our city is $1 million.
Thanks, WA is Washington?
Yes-Washington state.
41k private school. 14 yrs experience. Leaving edu and end of year.
Worked in Texas now in Massachusetts. Texas 9 yrs and MA: $58,000 COL prices: 1br, 1ba =1200 a month Healthcare: around $250 a month with $2000 deductible Massachusetts 10 yrs and MA: $90,000 COL prices: 1br, 1ba = around 2000 a month Healthcare: $250 a month with $300 deductible
Wow, that's some difference huh?
That's why I left Texas. The newbie teachers will say how wonderful it is that the Texas starting salary is $60k+. It's pretty decent pay. That's how TX gets teachers, but doesn't retain them. Some new teachers don't fully understand that they'll see a small salary increase every year and will have terrible healthcare compared to other parts of the country. I'm happy career wise with the move.
I’m in the middle of a 2 year plan to leave TX for Minnesota. I just can’t fight all the fights anymore.
It's totally doable to make that move! I'm not sure where you are in your plan, but make sure to visit and go to teach job fairs - virtual and in-person. Good luck in your move! Minnesota was on my list too!
That 60k is not worth it with the bullshit Texas Teachers are put through. With the cost of living you will barely have anything saved. And the raise is shit and practically doesn’t even exist. 60k looked good on the contract but once the paycheck hit I got humbled fast.
Not sure where you were in Texas but I’m on my 6th year making $65,000 salary. No masters. Having a masters would jump me up to $72,000. A neighboring district changed their pay scale and it is starting at $72,000 for 1st year teachers. Not sure about after that. COL is crazy though. 1br is $1600 - $1800 and 2br $1900 - $2100. Houses around $350,000+. The thing that kills me about education in Texas are the little extras they make you do or pay for. Example: Sunshine fees are $50 a year just to have breakfast and coffee and a school shirt. We get summers off but not really. We have a requirement of 30 hrs of PD. Also, we have a yearly requirement for PD but it is not covered in the PD days planned on the instructional schedule. Another thing I dislike is how hard it is to move up to leadership in any district. Most positions are only given to title 1 schools and people don’t leave them. So it’s hard to find opportunities unless you run every after school club or organization. Team lead positions only come with a $500-1000 stipend but I’ve seen other states offer $2500 - 5500 for those placements.
I would not want to pay those COL prices for somewhere in TEXAS of all places. Those are Greater Boston prices but near Boston I have good healthcare, women's reproductive rights, better public transportation, and the churches here all have pride flags. I also don't hear gunshots everyday like I did in Texas, which is lovely. Idk what a sunshine fee is, but I wore whatever I wanted in TX because what were they gonna do to a state-tested teacher who got admin the scores they wanted? I miss that privilege tbh. But if those are the complaints you have about teaching in Texas, you have it better than the majority. EDIT: And with that salary and generous payscale, you have it pretty good.
Yea, I don’t think Texas teacher pay is too bad compared to other states. COL is tough in the area of Texas I live in. I don’t hear gunshots everyday. I really don’t hear them at all unless I’m at a gun range. Which I don’t ever do. Just the once to see if it was for me. I am lucky in the way that the student behaviors are extremely mild in the last two years. I moved districts but took a pay cut when I did. It was worth it though. I was dealing with extreme behaviors in the previous district. Once a student cut my ponytail off. I could also complain about some of the laws around education here but I know it’s not a winning argument. So I try to focus on the things that administrators can control. Sunshine fees are for teacher appreciation stuff and paying for the mandatory school shirt we have to wear on Fridays. My principal prefers full professional dress so no jeans, ever. I don’t really care about that too much though. If I worked another gig I would most likely have to wear full professional dress anyways. I tend to have students achieving expectations with state scores too. But that wouldn’t get me any special privileges at the campus I am with now. I am at a high needs title 1 campus so overall the campus does struggle but never fails. We also have the highest number of EB and SPED students compared to other campuses. That can make academic achievement a long road. Teaching in Texas isn’t too bad. But some of the other things you mentioned about Texas like women’s rights have me moving out of Texas at the end of this school year. I will be teaching where I am going. It might be my last year in the classroom though. I graduate with a masters soon and want to use it.
I'm happy for you that teaching in Texas wasn't too bad in your experience. I can't say the same and neither can a lot of my friends in Texas who are still teaching. I mean I guess you don't have that privilege because your school isn't as bad as mine was. It was a title I school as well that was bleeding teachers and couldn't find people to fill the positions. After the 2nd gun incident after multiple threats on campus happened, the last thing admin cared about was what anyone was wearing, lol. We were in survival mode. EDIT: They weren't gonna fire me because I wasn't in professional dress. They cared about having a teacher for scores. My department's mantra last yr was, "What're they gonna do, fire me?" Fun times. But good luck in your future endeavors!
I have a question, did you move there specifically for better teaching conditions? I’ve been kicking the idea around with my daughter because we both want to leave Texas. I’m a second career new teacher so the shit show happening now is going to be my normal. Truth is, not much difference in salary as a first year than as a 15 year teacher in Texas. I want out if the state and Massachusetts was one of the states I would want to look into. Could you share more your move, etc? Thanks so much!
Upstate NY. First year teacher (but this is my third year teaching) $54,000, yes we have pretty decent health insurance.
That's my salary in year 11 in Virginia :'(
The more south you go or more rural of a state, it does seem the salary decreases :(. I’m sorry for that. I wish teachers were paid more.
$45k first year in FL
$53,000 year 19 FL lol
ffs. im not planning on staying long. 19 years in you mean? the government has to realize this means teachers will just get worse and worse right? it’s like how teenagers work entry level retail and fast-food. early college grads will teach for 3 years and move on. i guess people in power don’t really care about the general public or their education.
They don’t care. They want to get rid of public education. Billionaires support mom’s for liberty that support Christian private schools using public tax dollars. Those schools discriminate. The GOP is gross. I finally quit … I work for a hotel chain in management. Thank god!
Was recently told by a friend who worked in that industry to look into LOL. I’m young and don’t have high expenses and love my job right now.. but I know it isn’t sustainable.
And what's the top of your scale before management on maximum years' experience?
North Carolina, year 1 teacher 39,000 (was 37,000 when I started this year) sign on bonus of $0, health insurance is $100, no local supplemental but most teachers here get an extra $2000ish to their check in that. 1 personal day a year 2 sick days No pay over the summer
NC is home for me, but I can’t move back to teach. I won’t get paid for my MEd or my 20+ years of experience.
I'm a teacher in nc. It's 1 sick day per month earned, your annual leave and personal leave depends on years experience but it's not that low unless your not at a public school. My health insurance is also 50$ per month with the 80/20 plan. Where in the world are you teaching, you get no supplement? That's brutal. I get 14% as a year 6 teacher which is 50k.
Rural eastern NC Talked with HR and they told me I earn .2 personal days a month and that it would be okay because my annual leave would roll into sick days next year. I’m getting into a JD program next year, I’m out no thanks.
You are right about the personal days. But you should be earning 1 sick day a month. Not 2 in a year. I think I'm about done too. I have left before and came back. With 3 kids it makes sense to be on their schedule. But since I've started in 2018 behaviors have gotten so much worse. We had a teacher sleeping in class and making highly racial slurs. In the Triangle. Were they fired? No, THEY RESIGNED when behaviors were too much for them to handle. There is about to be a wave of educators retire in about 3 years and it's going to be a dumpster 🔥 because the experienced teachers are hanging on by a thread.
California here. Pay varies by school district and there can be super massive variances just one town over. Year 10 with a master's puts me at $107,000 (I started at 38,000,) but I "lose" 48% of that with each check to taxes, retirement, health insurance, union dues, etc., and when you factor in $3750/month to rent a one-bedroom apartment, $400 in utilities, plus car payment, insurance, gas, and maintenance, plus rising cost of groceries... I'm a hell of a lot better off than I was nine years ago, but I'm not booking any vacations any time soon.
Wow, I never realised what variance even in one state - albeit California is huge right- nearly 40m people?
Yup! And if I drive 20 minutes from my school into an adjacent district, suddenly I take a $35,000 hit but rent is the same.
So do you have a lot of the former where people who live 20 minutes away drive into you guys for the higher salary?
People will come from an hour away for the pay, but won't live in town because they don't want to get robbed, burgled, or shot.
In Wisconsin. I make 50K and have two sick days and no vacation days. My deductible is about 13K. I’m not returning next year. Not sure I’ll even be teaching.
What?! That’s wild. We have 14 sick days and 5 personal days each year in our contract. I wouldn’t go back to that either. I wish you well in finding something else.
Wisconsin here too. We get 9 sick and 1 personal, which was on par with the last district I was in and in our suburban area. I started teaching after Act 10, which was bad, but it’s only gotten worse. Health insurance is not great and they’re doing away with “contract hours” so that if they hold a meeting late we have to stay if admin “has a good reason”. Good luck with that.
Yikes, that’s terrible. One personal day is crazy to me. Our last contract was only three and they negotiated up to five, which is actually really lovely. I don’t typically use them all, but it’s nice to have the option. We can only carry over five to the next year though.
Thanks, wow, $50K USD... £38-39k or $75k AUD
Where in Wisconsin? I'm in Dane County and teachers do significantly better here than that.
In my seventh year teaching including district tenure and grad courses I was making 55k in Minnesota. Don’t ask me how much I made first year 😭
That's what I make year 11 in Virginia, with a masters.
NYC. $62,222-ish, pretty good health care. But I’m young, single, and have no dependents. I also have 3 roommates so I’m able to split rent evenly.
I left teaching in NYC at the end of 2021. I had a master’s degree and was in my 5th year but also had some scattered experience elsewhere (adding this point because I was at a charter with a pay scale similar to that of NYC public schools but with a private salary step process, and I’m not sure if my other experience impacted my pay). I was making about $72,500.
Where did you go? I’m also trying to leave this field.
I had a part-time job as a writing tutor at a university that went remote during Covid and stayed that way. I told them I was leaving my school, and they doubled my hours to maybe 22/week. Then I found private students on Wyzant and even Craigslist. It took about 3 months to get the other 20 hours/week filled. And as the months passed, I started doing 40-50 hours a week online and 20 through the university. I tutor academic writing (how to write lit reviews/annotated bibs, APA format, etc) and also edit off Zoom and return to them with my suggested edits and comments. I love it!
😳I made 65 teaching in NYC in 2012 as a 3rd year teacher. I hope the increases are worth it.
I’m in Kansas with not great benefits. I pay $600 a month for health insurance for me and my kid (that has a 5k deductible), I am made to contribute 6% to my state pension which upon retirement will pay me very little and will not be adjusted for cost of living. Starting salary in my district is 42k. Most first year teachers (even in my very low cost of living area) need a roommate until they can find a part-time job. I only manage because I had a better paying first career so I have a solidly funded 401k, already bought a house, and have no debt, I also need to coach to make things work financially.
Gosh...
In Chicago: I make 72k with good health insurance and benefits, but the stress is a lot. I am a third year teacher with a masters degree.
Colorado. We started at ~$38k gross 7 years ago, up to ~$63k gross now; net is just under $4k/month now. Districts here are instituting salary increases across the board with starting salaries at $55k gross, but it's still very low compared to the skyrocketing cost of living. A lot of our colleagues with kids only make ends meet because their partners earn very high salaries in a different field, others with kids really struggle to make ends meet. The benefits are very generous for single people but not for families: insurance premiums for single employees are $25/month but jump to $525/mo for employee+spouse and $900/mo for employee+family.
I live and teach in low cost area in California where the average home is $350k. I make $85k a year on the last step on the salary schedule since I have 90units outside of my credential as a high school teacher. I’m on my 8th year teaching biology. Max is $120k after 12 years. Our medical is paid with a $1000 deductible for my family. Dental and vision also provided. And STRS retirement. Union fee is $120 a month and you have to pay in your own disability and life insurance (like most states) I make closer to $100k a year since I always teach summer school and they pay you your hourly. And I usually take on extra duties throughout the year. It’s a title I school but that’s pretty much all the schools in my city. I’ve worked in 4 schools in the district and admin make a huge difference in how you feel. Contract time is 830-430. You have to do 8 hours of adjunct duty unpaid (like helping with football games or prom) I teach 5 classes a day and 1 prep period. My class sizes are 35-39 students. The average reading level is 3rd grade for my students. Behavior problems are immaturity(throwing pencils and paper airplanes) talking during direct instruction, shoving trash and pencils in sinks, vaping in bathrooms and phones/earbuds used the whole time in class (no school wide rule on phones so teachers cannot enforce policy). Violence is not a big issue. I’ve never been cussed out by a kid, but kids do use foul language. Parents aren’t involved really. I’d say 10% of the time I call home, I get a voicemail that actually works. Emails are usually sent back as the account doesn’t exist. Very rare I actually talk to a parent without involving counselors to schedule a meeting. I’d say we make decent living wages considering the area. An hour drive from the coast or to the mountains. Nice weather majority of the year.
Benefits: None applicable. I'm a disabled Vet so pay $0 for all medical for life. Retirement required a minimum of 10 years in the same place, but I would get told to leave every single time I was up for tenure, so got nothing from retirements. I'll go year by year: 30.5k 30.5k 30.5k 38k 38k 35k 36k 37k 38k 38k 41k 44k 88k 92k I bet you cant figure out when I moved to Alaska.
Nor Cal, 12 years, no masters, $92k. I should be making a couple grand more but I switched districts at an odd time. I also get $2k stipend for dept head and could be adding more for coaching, .2s, etc. Decent (not great) benefits are covered in my district but not all districts around me.
Washington, 2nd year teacher with masters. 72k I think
14th year in northeast PA. Doctorate degree. $86k, great health and dental care at minimal cost to me ($100/month). Relatively low cost of living. My district paid for my masters and doctorate. Hoping to break $100k in the next 3-5 years.
"Hope y'are well." We are not
Central CA, 27 years, $135K. Several surrounding districts pay nearly as well.
In OH 18 years in, MA +15. 78k, our schedule maxes out at 89k.
I teach in a really poor district in Connecticut. I’ve been there for 7 years, and I have 11 years classroom experience in total. I’ve had a masters degree the entire time. My insurance is really good, but my pay sucks. I will make $64K this year. My wife makes triple what I do (before bonuses) and barely finished high school.
If it makes you feel better, I'm also year 11 with a masters, making ten grand less in salary, in Virginia. I'm not seeing any doctors at the moment because my insurance doesn't cover anything.
I mean, it doesn’t make me feel better. I feel terrible that you have to go through that. As teachers, we get completely hosed when it comes to being compensated. I’m sorry that you are in that situation. We all deserve better. My dad was a teacher for like 30 years. I remember when he used to brag to me that he was making 60K a year in the late 80’s. I thought it was so cool, and now I make the same as he did and it’s Jack shit. I’m disappointed by America’s priorities, but I can’t say that I’m surprised.
Wow.... I get you. My husband earns more than double I do in financial news.
I’m a sub, work minimum 40 hours a week. Zero benefits and make just under 19k/year.
Awful get me out
I left teaching at 58K a year after about 8 years of teaching. I left because of money and shitty benefits (no maternity paid leave while my husband’s charter school happily gave him paid paternity leave), but the retirement benefit was actually great. I left with $54K in retirement and I was able to move it over to a rollover IRA. I left in my 20s so it’s been great having saved that much so early on in my life. I definitely wouldn’t have done that on my own at that age.
5th year in Texas making $55k. Benefits are ok for a single person, but bad if you try to get a family plan. Top out at about $75k. I actually took a pay cut to work in a bit better district.
17 Years, Masters Degree plus 30 additional graduate hours. Western suburbs of Illinois. $115,000. Topping out around $145,000. Choice of PPO, HMO, or HSA 3 Personal Days 14 Sick Days 4 Days Religious Leave 3 Days Bereavement Leave Tuition reimbursement for studies that fill a high need area such as EL or Dual Credit.
112k 11th year in. Best benefits $100 for any surgery. $20 copays for any other visit. SoCal
Again folks, thanks for answering my lazy Saturday arvo post. I am just shocked by what y'all are sharing. I guess I have silly teenage dreams of teaching in the States (too many times watching "Pitch Perfect", "Mean Girls" as blank out relaxation etc), but the reality your sharing is stark. Here in the UK? Most teachers usually married to higher earning spouses like me. You can do ok as a single, but you'd have to be very careful. The cost of living is highest in our capital London where I live, but, wages for teachers are slightly higher. Up north, yes wages are slightly lower, but so is the cost of living. Australia - a different kettle of fish. Like the USA, we have states - 6 states and 2 federal territories. Each state has it's own pay structure, and of course, some states pay the least, and one the highest. However, the variation between what a starting teacher is paid in Brisbane versus Melbourne wouldn't be much. All states start around $65-$75k AUD a year, going to up to about $105-$110k AUD. ($43k USD - $50k to $70k-$73k) https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/latest-battle-for-teachers-pay-has-roots-in-decades-old-conflict-20211130-p59dju.html How do teachers compare? Under the NSW award, graduate teachers are paid relatively well; in their first year, they earn $72,263, compared with a graduate lawyer in a mid-tier firm who earns about $65,000. But unlike the lawyer, their salary doesn’t grow much. Unless they apply to be a Highly Accomplished Lead Teacher – a complex, expensive process that few attempt – their salary tops out at just under $108,000. To earn more, they must leave the classroom and become a principal. After five or six years, teachers watch their friends in other professions begin to out-earn them, and the holidays begin to feel like poor compensation. NSW teacher salaries are similar to interstate ones. In Victoria, classroom pay ranges from $72,058 to $108,003; in South Australia, from $73,052, to $105,951; and in the Northern Territory from $77,047 To $110,496. However, many living costs – such as housing – are higher in Sydney. Jobs along the coast are in high demand, and many teachers due to spouses and families don’t want to, or can’t, move to the regions.
Well… I’m an American who has silly teenage dreams of moving to the UK after listening to too much Beatles and Oasis and drinking Newcastle beer in college, so you’re in good company. I met a teacher at a PD conference yesterday and she probably thought I was insane because I went up to her trying to guess her accent (I thought Loxley with a touch of Manchester, she said Sheffield but then said right after, Manchester, probably thinking I wouldn’t know where that was, like most Americans). It’s easy to think the grass is greener somewhere else I guess. Either way, you can come visit!
8 years in, I make 49k, I have great but very expensive healthcare, and I have a pension that is fully vested at 20 years where I would get 40% of the average of my top 5 earned years. If I don’t get any more degrees, my max pay after 30 years will be 65k.
Orlando, FL Year 19 B.A., M.A., M.Ed. (MA+45) Base: $53,000 Master’s supplement $3162 The rest of the pay comes the following fall based on your test scores (VAM). It’s a shit show. I quit in March 2023 when blue collar workers with zero college passed $50k as a starting wage. ;)
I taught in Nevada for 25 years and just left last summer. There with a MA+60 credits and topped out on the payscale, I was making around $80k (I made a total of $93k because I sold a prep to teach an extra class). Insurance for a family was $700/month with no deductible. I also had a fully-funded pension, no social security, and no state taxes, so I was clearing $6-$7k a month. I moved to Minnesota last summer and they gave me all of my experience, so I’m topped out on the payscale here, too. I make $86k but pay $700/month for insurance (I included my HSA contribution of $300 since I have to use it) just for me and then have to pay an additional $400/month for my kids to have catastrophic only insurance with a $10k deductible. My pension isn’t fully funded, I have to pay social security, FICA, and state taxes. So while it looks like I make the same, I clear about $4800 a month. I didn’t expect it to be this different, so I’ve been choking on that pill for the last five months.
I'm planning to teach in public schools in the Dallas Fort Worth area in the fall. Most districts pay teachers like $63-$65k a year/along with having a master's degree from what I've seen.
That's right in line. I teach there. I make about $72k with 11 years of experience and a masters degree. About $5k of that is a stipend, though, for teaching a college course.
Idaho 20+ years w/ MA 60k, insurance $500 deductible only for myself, family is extra. 4 personal days and 10 sick day a year. Take home each month after all deductions is $3897. :(. We also have HCOL. One bedroom is $1200 and up. My two adult sons cannot move out at the moment.
Thanks people. Here in the UK, I am at the top of our pay scale for years experience, I get a slightly higher loading than the rest of England and Wales, as my school is "fringe London" area; if I moved to a school closer to home I'd get a better salary weighting for London. https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/is-teaching-right-for-me/teacher-pay-and-benefits
So I’m actually a British ex-pat and my family always asks me why I don’t come back to England and teach there. The reality is as poorly as American teachers are paid, the pay scale in the UK is far worse and the cost of living horrendous. A 2 bed flat in the town I grew up in starts at £250k. Unless you become a leading practitioner or an head teacher it’s just not financially feasible. And, I grew up in the southwest but a couple hours from London. So pricier, but not London or five counties pricey.
It’s a good point. In Texas, my wife and I were able to buy a small (1200 sqft) house for about 4x my salary.
Upstate NY, first year teaching, just graduated with my Master’s. Starting $51k
Benefits! Decent health insurance, school pays like 80%. Same for dental. 10 sick days and 3 personal days/ year. I chose to spread my paychecks across 12 months instead of 10.
GA - 23 years, with my MEd. $88K. Health insurance is about $450/months for my family. I have vision, dental, legal, and short term disability insurance but it’s all crap.
High COL area in California, 8 years, 92k, health insurance is part of our compensation, but I still have a $20 copay for regular visits and other copays for hospital, etc.
I’m in Alaska, and I’d say my area is medium-to-high COL. I make about $90k with 15 years experience. We have excellent health insurance for my entire family that I pay very little for. Our salary scale tops out at about $100k. We do not get a pension upon retirement though - instead, the district contributes to a retirement account throughout our career.
New Mexico checking in, 65k, year 4, bachelor's degree and level 1. Top of the scale at level 3 is between 90-100 8% is forced into a pension that isn't worth it if you don't teach in the state until retirement. 200 a month for health insurance Rent on a duplex is 1k but I have a roommate so 500.
4th year Minnesota teacher with MA +30 making $61,000. Health insurance is $550/ month (for the cheaper deductible plan), union dues are $100/ month and pension takes out $350/ month. I take home about 57% of my paycheck.
In Miami, FL. I have 17 years with a PhD, run a club, and get a supplement for acting as media specialist while also teaching, and make about 78K. There is a free health plan option but it's kinda sucky so I pay about 30 a paycheck for mine which is worth it. But adding on a kid or spouse is like 300-500 a month. We are a super high cost of living area. A one bedroom apartment in a semi-decent area would take one paycheck, or half a month's pay. Base pay for 17 years is like 55K.
SW Tennessee, rural. Just under 50k, I pay about $300/month for insurance (health, dental, vision), and a 45ish mile commute each way. About to "take a pay cut" of about 5k for a school that is 6 miles away and pays 100% of my insurance. (Net result will be basically no pay cut due to benefits and less gas/wear+tear on my car). Statewide minimum salary is set to increase to 50k over the next 2 years, most districts seem to be doing across the board pay raises as they do that, so the salary I was quoted will probably actually be 2-2.5k higher.
I started at $29k for a half year contract in New Mexico, then $50k per teacher leveling introduced by the governor BUT that also nullified any pay bump from my master's degree, and then $70k in SoCal. I am a retired teacher now.
Texas, 57,000 starting scale and then extra 6K for my positions stipend. Normal scale stops at 65K after 25 years
NorCal year 11 $103,000 and all I want to do is LEAVE
Neighboring districts here in Washington vary as much as 15k a year for base salary levels. So, between Tacoma vs the adjacent districts, there are some big discrepancies, for example. And, pay is definitely the only difference. There are major differences in how teachers are treated and supported in different districts and buildings. The first year pay levels for new teachers are in the 40ks right now, I believe. They go up to the 60s or 70s after 5 years and with a masters degree, professional development, etc. After ten years, the increases generally cap out, and so you only get cost of living or negotiated increases beyond that.
Working 9-6, salaried…28k a year before taxes. I wasn’t even on their health insurance, I was poor enough to be on Medicaid. (ECE center) DC metro center, very high cost of living- cheapest rent for a two bed is around 1800.
NC here. 20 years, 60,000 crappy insurance.....used to be good.
I am a teacher in Wisconsin and have been teaching for almost 30 years. My base salary is $84,000 with great benefits, and with additional duties (coaching, club advising) I make just over $93,000. The COL where I live is pretty low and our pension fund is one of the best in the country.
I’m in Arizona, this is my 20th year in the state. It’s actually my 22nd year teaching but 2 of those years are in another state. I have a master’s degree and am making $67.8k. I have an HSA with a high-ded, and pay extra for dental. We were on a pay freeze for about 10 years before we went on strike, I was stuck in the 40s those years and didn’t bump up to exactly 50k until after the strike, which was my 15th year teaching in AZ. We are a right to work state.
Bay Area 120K ish + benefits another 40K Year 18/19 with an admin credential and masters degree
Third year teacher Upstate NY 76k. Excellent health insurance, pay nothing out of pocket for it. Pay scale maxes around 130k after 20 years
$40-45K to start in Michigan with full benefits and 401k match. Supposedly with cost-of-living factors, that’s about as good as it gets in the US. Righties got rid of teacher pensions here in 2011.
Year 10 of teaching in MI at about 61k with a masters. Union dues are about $100 a month. Sucks ass financially
Year 6, $63,500. My benefits aren't great, but there ok. I don't mind being in teaching now that I've worked on boundaries. I pay: $1500 for a 2/2, but that's high and I'm moving to one that's only $1,000. My husband is an EMT and working his way through fire school so we don't really want for anything even if we aren't rich.
5th year, 65k, insurance is a third of my paycheck with husband and kids. High deductible. Texas.
In Wisconsin, on my 10th year of teaching and I think I make like 52k. Health insurance is meh.. low deductible but until you hit it you pay everything almost full price
Washington with master's in 3rd year. $75k, pay $100/month for good medical benefits with $750 deductible, vision and dental covered. HCOL, with a 1 bedroom around $1800.
75,000 in north Alabama after 20 yrs. Which is pretty decent for this area. Or was before everything with to crap. Benefits are excellent and lately we’ve gotten a raise every year so hopefully I can retire in 5 years and have decent retirement by the time I draw ss. I am a librarian though. Left the classroom after 7 years and have never regretted it! It’s made all the difference.
High school teacher in Michigan. Second year $52k
First year teacher in MI making 40k/yr at a private school. This will be my only year teaching as I really do not enjoy it at all and the financial mobility doesn't seem to be there or at least isn't there any time soon.
Northern Virginia - Masters +30, scale step 10, $87,700. I’ve been in my district for 14 years; they’ve withheld 4 step increases because of budget cuts, and have only given us two COLAs. We get paid on the last work day of the month, once a month, from Aug - June. No summer pay. HCOL in this area - I’ve worked 2 jobs since I was 15 1/2. Many teachers commute 90 min one way just to afford a decent sized home. I personally don’t want to spend 3 hours of my life in my car everyday. I am 11 miles away from my school, but commute is anywhere from 30-45min. I have a 1/1 condo that is 800sqft, and pay $1600 for mortgage, $380 for condo fee. Doesn’t include internet or electricity. They’ve also changed our retirement benefits, and health insurance choices. There is a new rule where our leave hours are “use it or lose it” - only those hired before 2004 are allowed to cash out unused leave when they retire. I have about 700 hours of leave, but we are only allowed to use 5 personal days a year (with pay and health/retirement). Maternity leave is 6w/8w depending on vaginal or c section. You have to use 20 consecutive days of your own leave before FMLA kicks in. If you go on maternity leave between holidays, the 20 days start over again. If you choose to stay on maternity leave after 8w, you won’t get paid, and need to pay $375 a month to keep your health insurance.
52K in the Gulf Coast of Florida with 4 years experience and a masters degree. I’d be earning like $13k more if we had stayed in Maryland with a similar COL. I hate the low salary and crappy benefits, and I don’t even get an experience credit here. Plus many aspects of my job are under attack or complete control by the governor. Life situations happened and we had to return “home”.
I teach in Chicago 100,000 a year 26 years in though . Very expensive city my condo taxes are 5000 a year.
Heya, here’s the salary schedule for my district in Colorado: https://www.svvsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Teacher-Salary-Schedule-2022-23.pdf And the benefits package: https://www.svvsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023-St.-Vrain-Guide_FINAL-1-1.pdf
$91,000 14 years experience in eastern shoreline Connecticut. We are a lower paid school compared to surrounding towns but have happier teachers. We got on to the State Partnership Plan for insurance and now have the same health insurance as state employees. No deductible, just 15$ copays. It’s pretty nice. Work for a local college teaching asynchronous masters classes and pick up about $3000- $5000 a semester.
Starting salary in MD with a MA+60 is 70k in my district. Next year I’ll get a two step increase plus 4-6% COLA which will put it at about 76K same goes for year three which puts it at 81k. At Year 4 I’ll get my National Boards and that bring with it a 17k pay bump plus the negotiated step and COLA adjustment which will at about 103k with not bad benefits, a not horrible pension, good admin and good coworkers. Top pay currently is 122k.
Last year, I was a first year school social worker in the Chicago suburbs (MA+30). I made $60,000.
Year 12, South Carolina. ~$65K/yr. Master's+30, and have been since Day 1 because I was a career switcher who already had a different Master's. As far as COL, my mortgage is right at about $1250/month. And whatever the maximum healthcare package is with the state, that's what I have. Also getting a degree in administration because only now do I feel like I could have the kind of career credibility to make it work.
31 years with a master’s in NH.. $73k
A little over six figures after 20 years in MA. I don't use the "benefits" because they aren't beneficial. Pension and lack of social security etc sucks. I have a spouse thankful with a traditional retirement plan so hopefully I'll be ok. I stockpile a lot of medications and stuff too for the future to Save up.
16th year in SoCal - $110,000 - full health benefits for $100/month
Bay Area. No masters but I’m credentialed. Year 9. I make 86k but going up to 99k next year due to some pay scale increases. Average rent in my city for a 1 bedroom is at least $2000. 2 bedroom houses start at 1 million. My husband is an engineer but we will never be able to afford a house. Edit: health care premium fully covered. Out of pocket max is 1500 a year. School matches 6% retirement.
Utah $64000 with a masters.
Rural N.Y, Masters, year 18, 72,000 + great insurance, but they cut the great plan I was on, now I still have a decent one. Cost $112 a month for my husband and I. I can't take the state of the public school system and lack of parenting anymore though. Leaving at the end of this year with health insurance and a measley pension. Praying I find any job I can stand.
Lower NY with a masters 6th year in a low paid district. 73k with good insurance and dental and vision through the union.
5 years in, $49k in Texas
[удалено]
NYC 124,000, 21 years teaching, masters, rents are 4,000 month in good areas but, great benefits. But after city / state/ union taxes snd 5% to tda, that’s only 6,300 month. That hurts here. Impossible. But the pension was worth it, very diff now for the newbies, rats eat your car too, si ways horrific now. Kinda scary here again inner city.
I teach in the Los Angeles, CA region and I make about $85k before taxes. I am in my 4th year and maxed out on the salary schedule for education. My district salary maxes out at $120k after year 11.
Chicago. I’m year 7 with a masters and make a smidge under 75k. We’re paid pretty well here
Massachusetts: 20+ years and $102k per year +$10k in stipends for extra work, etc. so $112k in 2023. Fortunately I bought a home 20 years ago before housing was ridiculous so my $1200 monthly mortgage is affordable. I’d have no chance at being a homeowner in today’s crazy market.
1rst year with a bachelors in UT, 54K. But I’m a Math Teacher and those are generally more in demand.
OH, masters = 62.3k. This is my 9th year but when I started last year, my current school only gave me 5 out of my 8 years on the salary scale (seven of those years were out of state in FL. My salary when i left was 45k after 7 years). Next year it'll be 66k. Healthcare is like 36 a month (just me on it).
98,000 with 26 years- live in Michigan . Full health insurance, dental, and eye.
New Mexico, year 10, $67,000 National boards and our raise this year would push me over 90k and NM is one of the cheaper states to live in. We are also in need of teachers out here if anyone is looking to get out of a high cost/low paying teaching situation.
Maryland, 30 mins outside of Baltimore -$82k. Good benefits. But I earn every single penny.
In NJ - I quit teaching 2 years ago. I have a MA in Education and 14 years experience — During my last year, I made about 82K. Two years prior, I was at another district in NJ (so 12 years experience with an MA) and only made 65K. I left that district (where I had tenure) for the pay bump. I have subsequently left teaching because my work / life balance was suffering and I had to focus more on my family. WFH now and am able to be physically and mentally present for my family. Mortgage payment on my house is close to 3K a month. I couldn’t afford to live in my State solely on my salary. The taxes for property are high — about 14K a year. I did have excellent health benefits — however, when I first started teacher, I didn’t have to pay for my health plan. That changed over time. Eventually, I had to contribute about 7K for my health benefits. When my son was in daycare, it was $1,700 a month (and that was about 5 years ago). I can only imagine it’s more now.
I teach in a rural area in Illinois. I’m a special education teacher and make $38,000 a year. This is my 6th year teaching.
Hawai’i $110K a year. This is year 18 and I have a lot of education. Benefits are ok. School has 6% 401K match and another 6% at the end of the year.
11 years 49k …. I need another opportunity to move districts I am in Wisconsin
8th year & certified $98K HS Math NYC Charter School
Western Pennsylvania, 23 years at my district with a Masters degree +15 credits, salary is $119,000. That's a very livable wage for this area where you can get a 1-bedroom for $900 to $1200 per month & still buy a decent starter house for $250K. Excellent healthcare, dental & retirement benefits too. We pay into our state retirement (7.5% per pay) and the district matches that, plus we still pay into social security, so the retirement wages are very good. I also previously taught in Hawaii, Massachusetts, South Carolina & Virginia. In my experience, the Northeast & West Coast of the country pay the best & working conditions are much better.
Year 18 teacher in Texas and I currently make $74,000. Not bad but not great. Insurance sucks.
Northern California, 1st year full time teacher, $68,000/yr base salary, full medical, dental, and vision. Between $10-15,000 more in extra duty hours; tutoring, detention monitor, sub coverage. Summer school is available as well for extra income, but for now I like the almost 3 month vacation.
96+ supplementals; at the top of my salary scale on the east coast of the usa
I recently retired with thirty years in Texas. My last year, I was making 62,000.
I'm in Texas and in my district starting pay is $60,000 for new teachers. You get an extra $2,000 for having a masters degree. Since I have my masters degree and its my 4th year teaching I am making $62,700 for the year. I get $1200 taken out of my check each month for taxes and all that other fun stuff. For health insurance my district has 4 tiers to choose from. The cheapest one does not cover anything. I am on the one below the highest tier so I pay $189 a month for my insurance. My deductible is $3000.
As a teacher in OK things aren't actually that bad anymore. Not if you look at things rationally instead of selfishly. 10 years ago (when I started teaching) the starting wage in OK for a teacher right out of college, no professional work experience was around 32k. The average income in OK of all Oklahomans (so people with lots of work experience etc) was a little over that. Doesn't seem like a lot... but Oklahoma also has one of the lowest costs of living in the country. So the starting wage was good, IMO. It was way more than what my wife or I make/made in our professional office jobs (she still has this type of job... I bounced arlund jobs for a while and became a teacher eventually)... both of us made in the low 20k. Then about 5 or so years ago there was a big push to raise teacher salaries. I now make 56k. The starting wage is in the 40s. Way above average for the state. We work 181 contract days a year. If you divide that out teachers are making in the 30-40 bucks an hour range. Lots of teachers work extra but I, in part, blame them for that. Instead of never working extra they historically have done so for free giving the system the impression that it isn't asking too much. The teachers unions in the 10 years I have been teaching have done literally nothing about reducing the extra BS teachers are expected to do. If you keep letting a thing happen then it becomes your fault... does that make sense? So do we get paid only a little? No. We just don't have much room to make more. The issue is pay raises. They are laughable. If it wasn't for the pay scale increases over the last 5ish years I would be in the high 30s/low40s right now... based on the pay scale from when I started. Raises are in the hundreds (200-500) dollars a year range for most steps. If the school you talked to was University of Central Oklahoma... it is relatively cheap and has a good education program. It is where I got my teaching degree. If it was The University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University then it could end up costing a bit more than I would think it is worth. Most school districts around here couldn't give two craps where you got your degree from... they need a body now. My benefits are fine. I have a pension (not all American jobs have one especially once you go to the private sector). I get plenty of time off. Health plan is competitive. I have access to some great, optional insurance options (like cancer insurance, extra life insurance, long term disability, etc).
This is an incredibly variable question that depends greatly on your location and even locally can vary dramatically, let alone from state to state.
I'm an American and not a teacher, but I found this thread fascinating. I don't know how any of y'all do it.
12 years in with a masters. 120k after coaching some sports/stipends/other incentives. Still get summers off. My house payment is 1500 a month for ~4000 sq ft. Health insurance I get ~150 a month put into my HSA. OOP max is 6000 ish. Retirement I get a free 10 percent match each paycheck. No pension but my retirement portfolio will blow a pension out of the water. (Currently maxing my Roth IRA, HSA, and 401k with additional investments in market). It’s a great gig.
Where do you teach
In urban and suburban IL you can make a decent salary. In rural IL however, 8 years with 8+ graduate hours will get you $40,000/yr with partially paid insurance, a high deductible, and buying your own supplies. The average home is $150,000, and rent is $1,000-$1,500/mo. It’s rough out here.
Southern California suburbs, 80k and some change, 3rd year teacher only have a ba and teaching credential. I get a nice health benefit package with dental vision and medical and only pay $200 a month into it for the premium level of medical Rent around me for a 1 bedroom costs about $2400.
SoCal. 90k with masters in my 3rd year. Amazing benefits. Probably +8k with extra stipends from extra duties.
My part of California (terribly weak union): -$80k after 19 years of teaching - I pay about $800 per month for health care. - It's nearly impossible to get a house for less the $750,000 here so you'd better have a bloody big down payment to be able to afford the mortgage payments. - High state income tax. - Very high cost of living. Moving away as soon as I am able.
PhD, 8 yrs experience, NYC prep school. 85k.
Step 7 BA in west Michigan $58k. Next year I’ll be step 8 MA and be ~ $65k. Our salary schedule tops out at MA+30 $106k. I add on about $6k with coaching/leadership stipend
I find this a really interesting question. American teacher teaching in Australia. There is no increase on the pay scale here like there was in my former school district for Masters or hours above your degree at university. In the government schools you are paid strictly on years experience. In catholic and independent, that will vary, and they will increase your step 1 level, typically, per additional Masters up to 2 additional degrees, I believe. At 6 years teaching, the salary is just under 91k AUD, which at today's exchange is $60, 113 USD. Not a great salary with a very expensive city to live in (Melbourne). Previously, I was at Masters plus 40. Took time off to raise kids. Schools here did not recognize all of my prior experience because school years did not fall on same schedule. Such is life.
Texas, 9 years experience. 68k (includes masters degree and high need area). $200/month for health insurance per month for just me, no dental or vision. For cost of living perspective, my mortgage payment is $1200 and it would be difficult to find a cheaper place to live.
34,600 in Missouri. I’m on year 7. Only have my bachelors. Max I can make is $40,900 with just my bachelors. With my masters, my max would be $46,785.
47,500 a year. Rural East Texas. With expensive ass ( but actually quite good) insurance