I get 18/hr- they get 42? WWYD?

[LuluLovesDisney]

I am working a summer job for the Board of Ed. (I'm a teacher) In my town, I am getting paid 18 an hour, which is nothing compared to all the work it requires, etc. However, I'm doing it because I am only one of three people who are trained in it, and they needed me. My boss specifically asked me to learn it last year because she knew they'd need me at some point.

It's a lot of work and it's not worth it, but I wasn't really annoyed until I found out that my friend who teaches 10 minutes away is doing a summer program and gets paid 38 and hour, AND the people who do the program I do get paid 42? 18 an hour vs. 42 an hour is not even comparable and since we're doing exactly the same job, it's bothering me. Now, for a regular teacher's salary, her district does pay slightly more than mine- just about 4000 a year (gross) more for comparable steps (level of education, yrs. of experience, etc.) but that's not a more than 100% difference, you know?

Now, if I don't do this program next summer, I don't think it would look good to my boss, etc. but this really isn't even close to being fair. My friend says I could easily get a job in her district next summer, but I would feel disloyal.

I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining too much, I'm just not sure what to do in the future. I'd like to keep my job, but this summer thing is just not right. What would you do?

 

[Steamboat Marti]

I understand that you would feel disloyal - but remember, a school is a business. That being said, this is a matter of economics and I'd move to the other district pure and simple. If the boss were paying my bills, maybe I'd consider staying, but nobody in their right mind would stay for less than half the money.

I'd be outta there...

 

[escape]

Hey, money is money! How can your boss blame you for wanting to make more? I can't see that as being disloyal.

 

[jfulcer]

It's hard to compare yourself to others that are doing the same job and getting paid more for it. A different district may have wildy differing views on what they pay for different things. Also, the other school district may have more money or are short changing in another area to pay that high salary for the position you are looking at.

I would go into the board of education, and without emotion and without accusations/etc outline exactly what you said here (it's good to have the example), that similar positions are getting paid considerably more and you want to see if there's any way they can make it more equitable for you.

If they say yes, you're golden. I don't know id I'd expect it to be the same, but at least better.

If they say no, then I don't know that i'd feel a lot of loyalty, especially at a $20/hr difference.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Hi, guys! Thanks for the responses so far.

The reason for my guilt/feelings of disloyalty is that I know I'm only one of three people in the district who is trained in this and they're really be in a pickle to find more. I want to keep my teaching contract with this district as I really enjoy it. Although there are drawbacks, I really like the people I work with and the curriculum I teach. I loved most of my classes (please exclude fourth period though, lol) and I would be happy continuing there since I feel my salary is fair.

I think the issue is economics. The other school district is an Abbott district. They are very much an inner city. Although my district is urban and near this inner city area, it's definitely the nicer of the two.

I can still teach in my district but teach the summer program in the other district, but I'm not sure if that looks bad.

In most careers pay is negotiable, but as a teacher, it's different. The hourly rate is the same whether you are a first timer who is learning the ropes or a seasoned pro who is invaluable to the program and has been doing it perfectly for twenty years. It's not a case where you will be compensated for better work. If you're hired to teach this program, this is they pay rate, period. That's what's so annoying- one teacher in my district could be doing the best job possible and be getting paid less than someone who is coasting along in the other district.

Anyway, I have a whole year to think about this, but now I know why I was asked to train for this. I'm a mushball who has a hard time saying no.

 

[horseshowmom]

Quite honestly, I'd go ahead and discuss it with your boss now (or when school starts). Tell her as nicely as possible that you aren't going to be able to do the summer program next year and wanted to let her know now to give her time to look for someone else to be trained for next summer.

If she asks you why, I'd explain about the difference in pay. She would have to be pretty bad not to understand how the difference in pay would help you. Of course, I know some employers are that way, but I doubt that they would hold it against you. You must be a good employee, or they wouldn't have asked you to take the training.

I know that we have a summer program and an afterschool program in our district which are paid for with grant money, and we have a set rate - $20 per hour (regardless of years of experience, etc.). If our teachers wanted to go elsewhere during the summer, nobody would hold it against them (both DH and I work for this district).

Good luck next summer!

 

[golfgal]

I would bet that most of the pay difference comes from the fact that the other school is inner city and they usually have to pay more to attract teachers. When you teach in a good school district you don't always get top pay.

Is your friend doing the EXACT same thing you are doing? How do you know that your co-workers are being paid $42/hour? Are they full time/year round employees? What is the summer program you are doing? $42/hour is over $87,000/year. I don't know what teachers salaries are like in your area but this would be closer to the salary of a principal in our area.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

I would bet that most of the pay difference comes from the fact that the other school is inner city and they usually have to pay more to attract teachers. When you teach in a good school district you don't always get top pay.

Is your friend doing the EXACT same thing you are doing? How do you know that your co-workers are being paid $42/hour? Are they full time/year round employees? What is the summer program you are doing? $42/hour is over $87,000/year. I don't know what teachers salaries are like in your area but this would be closer to the salary of a principal in our area.

My friend is not doing the exact same program I am doing. She is teaching regular summer school classes. She gets 38/hr. She received a summer school flyer advertising the summer school programs and pay rate. She told me that since the program I do (which is a special program for students who are English as a Second Language students who have failed state testing. If you want more info, PM me and I'll explain it all.) takes training in addition to standard teacher certification and requires more out of school work time, they pay 42/hr for that.

I don't think the hourly pay for the summer programs really equates to the salaries because they are based on funding and because certain jobs have to attract teachers to work over the summer. If they paid little, teachers wouldn't have any motivation to work. Many teachers around here have been working for twenty years or more and get paid 60-80,000 /yr. They won't work during the summer. There's always a shortage of teachers willing to work summer school programs. My district doesn't offer regular summer school, but they (legally) have to offer this program that I do. Since you will probably work 3-6 hours a day only, and 5-6 weeks, the hourly pay has to be decent for anyone to want to prepare lessons, do grading, etc. for such a short amount of time. So even if it were 40/hr multiplied by 4 hours a day for 25 days, it's only 4000 pretax for 5 weeks of summer school- less than 3000 net. For most teachers, it's not worth half their summer vacation.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their help. I'll be back if anyone has any more questions/advice.

 

[daisyduck123]

I think that's awful what they are paying you. I'd be out of there. I know that tutors charge different wages in different parts of the country, but if I needed the money badly enough to work over the summer (I'm a teacher too), then I would tutor. Around here, tutors get paid $30.00-$45.00/hour.

If you can earn more money elsewhere, you should go there. Your boss should understand. That is huge discrepancy in the wages & shouldn't be overlooked.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Eighteen dollars an hour!! You have to be kidding me. My mother in law is a teacher's aide and she got 25 per hour to take a reading course! I think that is outrageous. Do you teach in the NE specifically Mass? I ask that b/c of the top rate you mentioned for teachers in your area 60-80. Most teacher rates I see across the country seem to be less than this.

I stopped teaching in the summer b/c the pay was much lower than my yearly pay and they do not take out tax so you have to keep track and I usually spend the whole thing and then I end up owing tax money. I would tell your boss that you can make the same rate working part time at Costco with a heck of a less responsibilty. If you are in the minority of qualified people I would take the summer off and let them try and find someone with the same qulifications for the bargain price.

I love how people under value the teachers. YOUR hairdresser makes much more per hour and does not have the future of a generation in his/her hands!!

 

[Cindy B]

In our state, Title I schools get extra funding so they can pay teachers more.

If this other school is a Title I funded school, that is where the extra money is coming from.

 

[kirbsam]

the reason you are able to make the money that you are is because of your training. if the district paid for your training, to take the summer off and hold the district ransom, as someone posted, would be pretty unethical, because it sounds like the district had an expectation that you would use it for their district. if the district didnt pay for your training, then i would feel free to do with my skills whatever i wanted.

 

[golfgal]

My friend is not doing the exact same program I am doing. She is teaching regular summer school classes. She gets 38/hr. She received a summer school flyer advertising the summer school programs and pay rate. She told me that since the program I do (which is a special program for students who are English as a Second Language students who have failed state testing. If you want more info, PM me and I'll explain it all.) takes training in addition to standard teacher certification and requires more out of school work time, they pay 42/hr for that.

I don't think the hourly pay for the summer programs really equates to the salaries because they are based on funding and because certain jobs have to attract teachers to work over the summer. If they paid little, teachers wouldn't have any motivation to work. Many teachers around here have been working for twenty years or more and get paid 60-80,000 /yr. They won't work during the summer. There's always a shortage of teachers willing to work summer school programs. My district doesn't offer regular summer school, but they (legally) have to offer this program that I do. Since you will probably work 3-6 hours a day only, and 5-6 weeks, the hourly pay has to be decent for anyone to want to prepare lessons, do grading, etc. for such a short amount of time. So even if it were 40/hr multiplied by 4 hours a day for 25 days, it's only 4000 pretax for 5 weeks of summer school- less than 3000 net. For most teachers, it's not worth half their summer vacation.

Anyway, I want to thank everyone for their help. I'll be back if anyone has any more questions/advice.

Pay varies so much from area to area that it is hard to compare rates. The fact is a summer "temp" is going to make significantly less that a full time/regular, it is going to be that where everywhere. I am looking at 4 hours/day for 5 weeks for $4000 and thinking that is really good pay when starting teachers in our area make about $25,000/YEAR. A head coach of a sport will make about $4000 with about 10 years experience or so and that is a lot more hours/prep then you are putting in for a longer time--again, that is pay in our area.

You need to sit down with the principal or program director with facts and figures from other programs of the same type and show what they are getting paid. It probably won't do much good since these types of programs are prebudgeted and the salaries are set, but maybe for next summer it will be better.

 

[LuluLovesDisney]

Hi, guys! I appreciate the advice/encouragement so much!

I do teach in the NE, in New Jersey. The NJEA has a 40K by the first day campaign to get every district to offer at least that rate for starting pay (way more than I started with, BTW, lol)

The district didn't pay for my training because I was trained by another teacher. She agreed to mentor me in this particular area for a few weeks before school and let me observe her using this method. (She was also *my* second grade teacher )

The only thing I didn't understand, golfgal, was the part about summer "temps" always making less than full time salaried. I am a full time teacher and I make a full salary, which, while it is a few thousand less than my friend's district, it's not really all that different. I am working this summer program for an additional 18/hr. while in my friend's district, working this summer program pays 42/hr.

During the school year, this is considered a class, so it just fits in with normal salary. Like, I would teach one class of these students, plus four other English classes as my regular schedule. So there's no one that just does this program as their full time position. Someone who works this program at 42/hr for 5 hours a day for 5 weeks in the other city, would make over double what I would get paid for working 5 weeks with a full classload with more hours (8-3) as a full time salaried teacher. (Thus my crabbiness, lol)

I'm the one who accepted the job, so it's not the school's fault but I felt sort of guilted into it, and I'm trying to figure out how to not feel taken advantage of next year without offending them. In Sept., I will have tenure, so it's not as if they will fire me for not agreeing to the summer program, but I always try to do the right thing, esp. at work, you know?

 

[horseshowmom]

I always try to do the right thing, esp. at work, you know?

I'm sure you are very conscientious and try to do as good a job as possible, but keep in mind that your "job" is during the school year. The summer job is a separate issue. You don't "owe" your school district your summer (I don't mean to come across as being blunt - just giving my opinion).

If you're working during the summer, I assume you're doing it to generate extra income (completely aside from your "regular" job). I am a school administrator, and I honestly don't see how anybody could blame you for increasing your salary $20+/hr. They would have to be a real Scrooge (IMHO).

Again, good luck!