New career options for a teacher

[pryncess527]

i also don't understand the point about summer break being "unpaid" vacation. I do not know many jobs that get 8-10 weeks of paid vacation a year. Do the teachers that think like this consider all of the holidays during the school year such as Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Presidents Day, etc. paid holidays? How about the fall break long weekends, the 2 week Christmas break and Spring break?

To your point, you sign a contract and you know what the terms are. I don't understand the frustration. Most jobs are frustrating at some level.

The point about summer break being unpaid is because some people seem to believe that because teachers draw a paycheck for those months that they are receiving an 8 to 10 weeks paid vacation and that is not true. I was merely trying to make that distinction since the poster I quoted made the direct comparison between people who only get 2 to 4 weeks of paid vacation a year and nice summer breaks.

I did not intend to express frustration. I know teachers sign a contract, I know that they know what the terms are and I was not even suggesting that they are unfair. I was merely saying that comparing two weeks of paid vacation to two months of unpaid leave is not the same thing.

 

[CdnCarrie]

I think it is worth pointing out that teachers vacation is not paid, and therefore I do not think the comparison is A fair one.

They do get paid for the summer here. A contract is signed (very strong union) and they start off at about $55,000 a year and max out at around $85,000 depending on their credentials. It says right in their contract (that I just read online) that their annual salary is broken down into 12 installments.

It does not say they are being hired at $55,000 a year and working 10 months and then it is being prorated to $46,000 a year.
So you're splitting hairs here. they are giving a lump sum salary either in 10 months or 12 months installments to perform a job.The job is only for 10 months of the year plus some prep work in the summer.

Now support staff here are paid hourly. THEY do not get paid in the summer. They get paid ONLY the hours they work each day.

 

[morgan98]

The point about summer break being unpaid is because some people seem to believe that because teachers draw a paycheck for those months that they are receiving an 8 to 10 weeks paid vacation and that is not true. I was merely trying to make that distinction since the poster I quoted made the direct comparison between people who only get 2 to 4 weeks of paid vacation a year and nice summer breaks.

I did not intend to express frustration. I know teachers sign a contract, I know that they know what the terms are and I was not even suggesting that they are unfair. I was merely saying that comparing two weeks of paid vacation to two months of unpaid leave is not the same thing.

I actually agree with what you are saying here. I know I have never thought of the summer break for teachers as a paid vacation. However, I do think what people mean by being jealous of the summer break comment is that there are not many jobs that you can leave your job for basically eight weeks a year over the summer and have the same job to return to every fall. That is great flexibility and what many are envious of.

But, I think the other side of this is that if we are going to stress that summer is unpaid vacation for teachers, then when the discussion of teacher's pay comes up we need to remember that as well. That teachers are being paid for 10/12 of a full time job.

I think teaching is a calling and is a very important job. Good teachers are an asset to every school and community.

 

[donac]

This is such a sad thread. Until you have taught you have no idea what a teacher goes through. It is sad that so many new teachers teach for a few years and then give it up due to the pressure from all sides.

Good luck with your decision.

(I am a teacher with 38 years in and will be retiring next month)

 

[Patch'sD]

I only said it in direct reply to someone who tried to compare having two weeks paid vacation to having two months of unpaid vacation. I never implied that teachers are Tricked or don't know the terms of the job. I think the schedule is pretty nice too. But if someone is going to say teachers are lucky because most people only get two weeks of vacation, I think it is worth pointing out that teachers vacation is not paid, and therefore I do not think the comparison is A fair one.

I think it is a completely fair one. Teachers are paid an Annual Salary. How it is paid out is up to the district. A person in the private industry is gennerally given two paid weeks off, two weeks of sick days if they need it, and 10 paid Holidays a year. There are 260 days workdays a year. Subtract out the 30 days of paid time off, and a person in the private sector is working about 230 Days per year. A teacher is somewhere at 180 to maybe 200 days a year. Salaried Employees that are exempt may not get overtime, will have to take training, do not have Step pay increases for years of servicce or taking a some what related course, can be terminated at anytime, do not get stipends for coaching, chaperone duty, club advisor and on into the night.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

I know teachers aren't considered paid during the summer break but I'm curious about the other breaks during the actual school year. Do most teachers get paid for a fall break, Christmas break and spring break or any of the other breaks during the year? Just curious how that works during the school year.

 

[joannamet]

but in 2010 I joined the site teacherspayteachers.com. In my five years there I have built up my business to a level where I make about twice what I did as a classroom teacher with a Master's Degree.

Now there is a solid tip. I've been lurking here hoping for some intell. We moved for my husband's job 3 years ago and I gave up teaching after 16 years. Since then I've been looking for a new path. I've looked at Teachers Pay Teachers and considered developing materials for them. Now I'm inspired to start working. Thanks.

 

[Happy Snowman]

I know teachers aren't considered paid during the summer break but I'm curious about the other breaks during the actual school year. Do most teachers get paid for a fall break, Christmas break and spring break or any of the other breaks during the year? Just curious how that works during the school year.

Teachers are generally contracted for XXX number of days/year, in our area it's 230 days, which includes student contact days and workshop days before and during the school year. They get 2 personal days that are paid and no "vacation" days. Given that a 52 week year has 260 days....teachers really do not work fewer days then those in the corporate world with 10 paid holidays (Christmas, etc.) and 20+ days of PTO. I'll let you do the math on that.

 

[Bec3b1g]

I am currently a high school math teacher in Maine. When the school year finishes in a few weeks, I will have completed my 10th year in teaching . While I love teaching, I would have to work another 32 years before being able to retire and I'm not sure I can do that. Plus, this thought has been crossing my mind more and more around this time of the year, when you hear about budget cuts, reduction in force, etc. I have no interest in becoming an administrator. For what it's worth, I have a BS in Secondary Education Mathematics and a MS in Instruction and Curriculum Studies. I'm curious if there are any former teachers on the board who left teaching to pursue another career and if so, your experiences.

I'm not sure where you live, but some Children's hospitals and Cancer centers employ teachers.

 

[disykat]

As others have stated, we are contracted by the number of days we work. We do not get paid time off. They take the number of days school is in session plus a few staff days - that number varies by district - calculate our salary and then divide it into 12 paychecks. That is NOT the same as getting paid vacation.

I am content with my teaching salary and enjoy the amount of time off, but it drives me crazy when people say we are paid for the summer because it's simply not true. We are paid for the days we work, they just cut the checks differently. We do not get paid for vacations or holidays, other than two days a year that are called personal days..

I get paid for 185 days. During that time I'm allowed some sick leave and two paid personal days. I don't get paid for any other vacation. I happily work many days unpaid for planning etc. because of the other benefits of teaching. (One of which is not working the entire year!) But please don't tell me I'm getting paid for something I'm not.

A better comparison would be a seasonal employee who only gets paid during the portion of the year they work, but banks it to last all year.

My pay being divided into 12 checks has nothing to do with how many days I'm getting paid for.

 

[disykat]

I know teachers aren't considered paid during the summer break but I'm curious about the other breaks during the actual school year. Do most teachers get paid for a fall break, Christmas break and spring break or any of the other breaks during the year? Just curious how that works during the school year.

Teachers do not get paid for days they are not working. Their salary is computed by the number of days they are contracted to work in a year and then divided by 12.

 

[momtosam]

OP, I hear you! I feel like I am stuck. I'm about halfway to retirement (35 years here for full benefits) and I can't imagine making it that far. I LOVE MY STUDENTS but all the other BS is draining me. I don't feel like I can leave at this point, though. My state has a pretty solid retirement system (for now). I'd be a fool to take a job that doesn't pay into it. I make a good salary and doubt that I would match it if I started over somewhere else. I taught a few adjunct classes at a local college and LOVED IT, but the pay was meager and I wouldn't be able to get enough courses to make a decent income. So for now I try to be thankful that I am on my children's schedule and I mutter, "It is what it is," a lot.

 

[TaylorEar]

This thread has been really interesting for me to read, as I'm gearing up to student teach in the fall. When I think about becoming a teacher money is the last thing I'm thinking about (aside from being able to pay off student loans!). I'm coming to it relatively late in life, so I'll probably be teaching until the day I drop dead, in terms of retirement. I believe that the schools around here allow teachers to choose whether or not to have their salaries dispersed over a period of 9 or 12 months, whichever works best for them/their families. I totally understand how teachers can get burned out and become disenchanted with the whole system, especially as more and more states overemphasis common core/standardized testing/ etc. but I'm really eager and excited to start teaching.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Teachers are generally contracted for XXX number of days/year, in our area it's 230 days, which includes student contact days and workshop days before and during the school year. They get 2 personal days that are paid and no "vacation" days. Given that a 52 week year has 260 days....teachers really do not work fewer days then those in the corporate world with 10 paid holidays (Christmas, etc.) and 20+ days of PTO. I'll let you do the math on that.

230 days would be unheard of for teachers around here. Most are contracted for 180-190 days.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

I know teachers aren't considered paid during the summer break but I'm curious about the other breaks during the actual school year. Do most teachers get paid for a fall break, Christmas break and spring break or any of the other breaks during the year? Just curious how that works during the school year.

No, you are paid for the days you are teaching school. Usually 180 days. When school is out there is no pay.

I would also like to note that a former teacher friend of mine kept track of all the hours she worked(actually a few of them did this) outside of school for an entire year which none of them got paid for. The numbers varied but the highest was right around 350 hours and the lowest was around 245. Tell me how many of you would work 6-8 weeks a year for no pay? There is no teacher that works 40 hours a week like most people do and when you work overtime you are compensated for it. Salaried personnel are usually compensated for their overtime by getting bonuses or a higher starting pay rate. For those of you complaining or seem a little upset about teachers pay and vacation time, unless you have done it, you have no idea what it is like. I can't tell you how many parents have come into my classroom and said by lunch, how do you do this every day? Yes, some states pay well, others not so well. There is no step rate in our state any more or any compensation for getting a masters degree. A new teacher averages around 37,000 for the first year. They could be at that pay for the next 10 years which means they will actually take a pay cut for those 10 years since insurance goes up every year. Stress, you don't know stress unless you are in the medical field, police, or fire dept., etc... Children's futures are in your hands every day, safety is always on your mind, testing don't even get me started on this, clothing I can't even tell you how many pairs of shoes, shirts, pants, and winter coats I have given to kids. When a kid is so dang mad at the world and throwing a ***** fit in class and come to find out he hasn't had anything to eat since lunch the day before really peeves you off. I'm not saying it's the hardest job I've ever had but it is by far the most stressful and you get it from all around, parents, kids, administrators, gov't who don't know their butt from a hole in the ground, and the public.

Oh, and someone mentioned coaching and getting paid as well. Yes, you do. I do for hs baseball. I figured this out last year. I made .55 cents per hour doing this.

 

[kimmar067]

Teachers are generally contracted for XXX number of days/year, in our area it's 230 days, which includes student contact days and workshop days before and during the school year. They get 2 personal days that are paid and no "vacation" days. Given that a 52 week year has 260 days.....

..... um, what happened to those other five days?

 

[kimmar067]

Oh, and someone mentioned coaching and getting paid as well. Yes, you do. I do for hs baseball. I figured this out last year. I made .55 cents per hour doing this.

.... oh, soooooo, what you are REALLY saying is that you got a raise....[ ]

 

[msjprincess]

Teachers are generally contracted for XXX number of days/year, in our area it's 230 days, which includes student contact days and workshop days before and during the school year. They get 2 personal days that are paid and no "vacation" days. Given that a 52 week year has 260 days....teachers really do not work fewer days then those in the corporate world with 10 paid holidays (Christmas, etc.) and 20+ days of PTO. I'll let you do the math on that.

230 days? How is that possible? Most school years consist of 180 days. In order to work 230 days they would have to work an additional 10 weeks. Which would be the entire summer.

I have several teachers in my family. None of them work anywhere near that. They have 3 or 4 conference days during the school year, go in a few days before school starts in the fall and once every few years they attend a workshop over the summer break.

 

[kimmar067]

230 days? How is that possible? Most school years consist of 180 days. In order to work 230 days they would have to work an additional 10 weeks. Which would be the entire summer.

I have several teachers in my family. None of them work anywhere near that. They have 3 or 4 conference days during the school year, go in a few days before school starts in the fall and once every few years they attend a workshop over the summer break.

......pssssst......it's possible....although we would have to get back those 5 missing days first....

 

[PrincesCJM]

OP here. This thread got me thinking and I did a brief search online with the Maine State retirement system. It looks like I would qualify for full retirement at 62, which would mean only 29-30 more years of teaching, since I had enough years in the system before a change to 65. A full retirement would be necessary for my family given that my husband's only retirement income (at least at this point) would be SS.

In my district, we are contracted for 180 days. Don't get me wrong, I love my summers home with my son but I just wonder if there is more out there. If teaching really was just teaching, I could do it. It's all of the extras added in that become increasingly frustrating. I've looked online at job postings in a math field but they all want experience and/or a specific math degree (mine's in secondary math education).