New career options for a teacher

[Allison]

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.

40 hours a week like most people do? Not my peers. Nobody I know gets bonuses either. Do you have any facts to support that claim?

How about this-How about people stop turning this into the career version of the mommy wars and accept that many, many people work a lot of long hours and have very stressful jobs for a variety of different reasons. For anyone to say other people don't know stress unless you are in a specific field is someone who has a very narrow focus on only what they do.

 

[msjprincess]

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

Yes, I know its "possible". But I find it improbable that all the teachers in the PP's area are working year round.

 

[msjprincess]

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).

According to the Maine State Retirement website. In most cases you can retire at 60, 62 or 65 with any number of years in service. You can retire at any age with 25 years of service. So if you have worked 10 years, you can retire in 15 years.

But maybe I'm searching the wrong site

http://www.mainepers.org/FAQs/Active_Members_FAQs.htm

Q. When can I retire?
A. When you can retire depends on your retirement plan.

In most cases, you can retire:

At age 60, 62 or 65 (your normal retirement age)



With at least one (1) year of creditable service immediately before retirement, if you have reached your plan's normal retirement age, or



At any age, with at least 25 years of creditable service

Your employer can tell you under which plan you are covered. You can find additional information on this Web site, by phone at 1-800-451-9800, or by e-mail at:

State Employees, Legislators and Judges – StateUnit@mainepers.org
Teacher Members – TeacherUnit@mainepers.org
Participating Local District members – PLDUnit@mainepers.org

 

[morgan98]

40 hours a week like most people do? Not my peers. Nobody I know gets bonuses either. Do you have any facts to support that claim?

How about this-How about people stop turning this into the career version of the mommy wars and accept that many, many people work a lot of long hours and have very stressful jobs for a variety of different reasons. For anyone to say other people don't know stress unless you are in a specific field is someone who has a very narrow focus on only what they do.

This exactly!!!! Is this a contest about who has the most stressful job? I think that is all relative and there are different types of stress. I do not think you can make a blanket statement that one career is so much more stressful than all of the others.

Also, in the salaried professional world, I know of very few people that only work 40 hours a week. Some positions have a mandated % of overtime every year.

Teacher pay varies widely by district, private school vs. public school etc. Before a teacher accepts a position, they know what the pay is. For those that think they are getting the shaft then maybe a career change is in order? I find it odd that the teachers can come on here and post about "all other professions" and claim to know what working conditions are, but no one but a teacher can have an opinion on teaching? Ridiculous!

 

[Happy Snowman]

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

52x5=260

 

[FlightlessDuck]

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

I don't understand what you mean by "5 missing days". Do you think there are 265 days in a year? Or did you misread the 3 as as 2?

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I was going to come back here to mention you could get a job in math related fields, like accounting or what have you, but then I realized your actual BA is in "Secondary Education Math". Where my wife and I went to school, you got a general degree in your field of study (English Literature, for example), as well as a teaching certification. I'm not sure if that's a state thing or a school thing. The fact that your degree is specific for secondary education math kind of sucks.

Still, you might be able to get a job in accounting or some other math related field. CPA?

 

[lovemygoofy]

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).

I just wanted to say that maybe you are feeling overwhelmed thinking you are having to bring in the retirement money while being burned out in your teaching career. You mentioned that right now only retirement income would be your husband's SS. Maybe you can check out your combined income and speak to a financial counselor about starting your own accounts. If you started to save so much now, it might make you feel less pressure to be the retirement bread winner. I think it is easy to be overwhelmed thinking of working another 30 years at any career. There seems to be a constant shove in our face to save save save for retirement. It can make anyone feel inadequate. I would just sit down and make a financial plan that doesn't make you feel you HAVE to continue on in this career if that isn't what you want.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

40 hours a week like most people do? Not my peers. Nobody I know gets bonuses either. Do you have any facts to support that claim?

How about this-How about people stop turning this into the career version of the mommy wars and accept that many, many people work a lot of long hours and have very stressful jobs for a variety of different reasons. For anyone to say other people don't know stress unless you are in a specific field is someone who has a very narrow focus on only what they do.

Yes, I do. I have 100's of friends in various fields from law,medical, factory, education at all levels, waste management, city, county, state, railroad, military, public and private sector, etc...All of my factory worker friends get bonuses from hourly to management and every single hourly person I know gets overtime if they work past their 40. Now, I will say, because the economy is doing well, most if not all my factory worker friends are putting in 50-55 hours a week. I do know others that put their 40 in and go home and don't have to work overtime because they can't be forced to work it.

As for me, I have worked for the county, two different factories, education, retail, food services, lawn services, and for myself. No, I have not worked in every field and you are correct, all jobs have stress but none of these were in the same state as far as stress level is concerned. Trust me, I hear everyone complain about what they don't like about their job and how stressful it is but there are very few professions where kids, parents, grandparents, the public, your boss(es), and the gov't are constantly complaining publicly about how terrible of a job you are doing. Most jobs have only a handful of people breathing down your back and more of those are only 2-3 people tops. While I was teaching, I was evaluated anywhere from 4-9 times a year. EVERYONE I know is evaluated once and some aren't evaluated at all. I had vice principals, principals, dept. chair, at least 6 different main building administrators could come in at any time. Not to mention, any parent or person from the community could come in when they wanted. All they had to do was give me a notice in the morning saying btw a parent is coming by to observe your class. I could go on for hours. No, other job is like this. And pay raises being based off of kids taking 1 test in which the kids have no consequences if they fail. How many people have their raises based off of work from other people that cannot suffer any consequences?

 

[IndyRnRfan]

This exactly!!!! Is this a contest about who has the most stressful job? I think that is all relative and there are different types of stress. I do not think you can make a blanket statement that one career is so much more stressful than all of the others.

I find it odd that the teachers can come on here and post about "all other professions" and claim to know what working conditions are, but no one but a teacher can have an opinion on teaching? Ridiculous!

So, you are telling me that a nurse which my wife is has the same stress level as someone working on a line in a factory or a secretary??? My wife loves to bring this up every time someone talks about this. In her profession, she can't make one mistake EVER or she either A)seriously hurts or kills someone or B)gets written up and most likely will loose her license and be fired.

I find it odd that people who have never been in charge of a classroom can come on here and say your job is just like everyone else's. That to me is comical. I have worked quite a few other jobs and I feel I can make that statement. Some teachers may not agree and may have had other jobs more stressful but not me, not even close.

 

[Allison]

Yes, I do. I have 100's of friends in various fields from law,medical, factory, education at all levels, waste management, city, county, state, railroad, military, public and private sector, etc...All of my factory worker friends get bonuses from hourly to management and every single hourly person I know gets overtime if they work past their 40. Now, I will say, because the economy is doing well, most if not all my factory worker friends are putting in 50-55 hours a week. I do know others that put their 40 in and go home and don't have to work overtime because they can't be forced to work it.

As for me, I have worked for the county, two different factories, education, retail, food services, lawn services, and for myself. No, I have not worked in every field and you are correct, all jobs have stress but none of these were in the same state as far as stress level is concerned. Trust me, I hear everyone complain about what they don't like about their job and how stressful it is but there are very few professions where kids, parents, grandparents, the public, your boss(es), and the gov't are constantly complaining publicly about how terrible of a job you are doing. Most jobs have only a handful of people breathing down your back and more of those are only 2-3 people tops. While I was teaching, I was evaluated anywhere from 4-9 times a year. EVERYONE I know is evaluated once and some aren't evaluated at all. I had vice principals, principals, dept. chair, at least 6 different main building administrators could come in at any time. Not to mention, any parent or person from the community could come in when they wanted. All they had to do was give me a notice in the morning saying btw a parent is coming by to observe your class. I could go on for hours. No, other job is like this. And pay raises being based off of kids taking 1 test in which the kids have no consequences if they fail. How many people have their raises based off of work from other people that cannot suffer any consequences?

And I can say the opposite about my friends and the experience I have. No overtime pay, tons of hours, no bonuses. So what does that mean-jobs are all over the map on this kind of thing.

You are proving my point and creating a contest of who has the most stress. Sorry, it just doesn't belong to one field. Of course, teaching is stressful. I don't anyone would think it is not.

 

[morgan98]

So, you are telling me that a nurse which my wife is has the same stress level as someone working on a line in a factory or a secretary??? My wife loves to bring this up every time someone talks about this. In her profession, she can't make one mistake EVER or she either A)seriously hurts or kills someone or B)gets written up and most likely will loose her license and be fired.

I find it odd that people who have never been in charge of a classroom can come on here and say your job is just like everyone else's. That to me is comical. I have worked quite a few other jobs and I feel I can make that statement. Some teachers may not agree and may have had other jobs more stressful but not me, not even close.

I guess I would say it could depend what type of nurse vs. what type of secretary. I do not think you can know for sure. There are all types of stress. I am a CPA. I have signed tax returns for billion dollar corporations. There is the IRS and the PCAOB and difficult clients and charge hour pressures and I can lose my license too. I cannot kill someone, but there are times that the financial industry can be stressful as well. (just as an example)

I have never said teaching is like anyone else's job. I just don't think people can say it is harder or more stressful that everyone else's job.

 

[morgan98]

Yes, I do. I have 100's of friends in various fields from law,medical, factory, education at all levels, waste management, city, county, state, railroad, military, public and private sector, etc...All of my factory worker friends get bonuses from hourly to management and every single hourly person I know gets overtime if they work past their 40. Now, I will say, because the economy is doing well, most if not all my factory worker friends are putting in 50-55 hours a week. I do know others that put their 40 in and go home and don't have to work overtime because they can't be forced to work it.

As for me, I have worked for the county, two different factories, education, retail, food services, lawn services, and for myself. No, I have not worked in every field and you are correct, all jobs have stress but none of these were in the same state as far as stress level is concerned. Trust me, I hear everyone complain about what they don't like about their job and how stressful it is but there are very few professions where kids, parents, grandparents, the public, your boss(es), and the gov't are constantly complaining publicly about how terrible of a job you are doing. Most jobs have only a handful of people breathing down your back and more of those are only 2-3 people tops. While I was teaching, I was evaluated anywhere from 4-9 times a year. EVERYONE I know is evaluated once and some aren't evaluated at all. I had vice principals, principals, dept. chair, at least 6 different main building administrators could come in at any time. Not to mention, any parent or person from the community could come in when they wanted. All they had to do was give me a notice in the morning saying btw a parent is coming by to observe your class. I could go on for hours. No, other job is like this. And pay raises being based off of kids taking 1 test in which the kids have no consequences if they fail. How many people have their raises based off of work from other people that cannot suffer any consequences?

This is the other thing. Teaching is a professional job. Comparing teaching to hourly positions that receive overtime is not accurate either. Salaried positions are not paid for overtime. You can work 50, 60 even 70 hours a week for the same pay. Bonuses are not guaranteed either.

 

[IndyRnRfan]

And I can say the opposite about my friends and the experience I have. No overtime pay, tons of hours, no bonuses. So what does that mean-jobs are all over the map on this kind of thing.

You are proving my point and creating a contest of who has the most stress. Sorry, it just doesn't belong to one field.

I am agreeing with you, every job has stress but there are jobs that have much more than others, teaching being one of them. As for no overtime pay, yes if they aren't working over 40 hours they won't. If they are, they have to be paid overtime, that is a federal law if I am not mistaken.

I guess I would say it could depend what type of nurse vs. what type of secretary. I do not think you can know for sure. There are all types of stress. I am a CPA. I have signed tax returns for billion dollar corporations. There is the IRS and the PCAOB and difficult clients and charge hour pressures and I can lose my license too. I cannot kill someone, but there are times that the financial industry can be stressful as well. (just as an example)

I have never said teaching is like anyone else's job. I just don't think people can say it is harder or more stressful that everyone else's job.

I'm not saying it is harder or more stressful than everyone else's job but it is towards the top. I have an aunt who is a CPA like you and I do know what you are talking about. That is a stressful job especially when their books are not updated the way they should be.

 

[Allison]

Getting way off topic but it is not federal law to pay overtime to someone who works over 40 hours a week if they are in a position that is considered exempt.

Now back to your regularly scheduled discussion...

 

[undertheradar]

Yes, I do. I have 100's of friends in various fields from law,medical, factory, education at all levels, waste management, city, county, state, railroad, military, public and private sector, etc...All of my factory worker friends get bonuses from hourly to management and every single hourly person I know gets overtime if they work past their 40. Now, I will say, because the economy is doing well, most if not all my factory worker friends are putting in 50-55 hours a week. I do know others that put their 40 in and go home and don't have to work overtime because they can't be forced to work it.

As for me, I have worked for the county, two different factories, education, retail, food services, lawn services, and for myself. No, I have not worked in every field and you are correct, all jobs have stress but none of these were in the same state as far as stress level is concerned. Trust me, I hear everyone complain about what they don't like about their job and how stressful it is but there are very few professions where kids, parents, grandparents, the public, your boss(es), and the gov't are constantly complaining publicly about how terrible of a job you are doing. Most jobs have only a handful of people breathing down your back and more of those are only 2-3 people tops. While I was teaching, I was evaluated anywhere from 4-9 times a year. EVERYONE I know is evaluated once and some aren't evaluated at all. I had vice principals, principals, dept. chair, at least 6 different main building administrators could come in at any time. Not to mention, any parent or person from the community could come in when they wanted. All they had to do was give me a notice in the morning saying btw a parent is coming by to observe your class. I could go on for hours. No, other job is like this. And pay raises being based off of kids taking 1 test in which the kids have no consequences if they fail. How many people have their raises based off of work from other people that cannot suffer any consequences?

I don't think you understand how it all works. There is no blanket statement that "X" job has more stress than all others. There are many people who work very hard in thankless, non-bonus positions. The reality is that a few at the top receive far higher pay than those at the bottom.

To put it out there, when did we force people to become teachers if the compensation is so terrible and the stress so high? I do not remember when we started a draft for teachers. For those of you who are unhappy, be careful what you wish for. I live in an area of the Midwest where people believe that a part time job should start at $15 per hour, can you imagine how many companies here cannot find help? These are jobs like landscape labor, store clerks, etc. Again, if you don't like the terms, don't sign the contract.

 

[morgan98]

I was going to come back here to mention you could get a job in math related fields, like accounting or what have you, but then I realized your actual BA is in "Secondary Education Math". Where my wife and I went to school, you got a general degree in your field of study (English Literature, for example), as well as a teaching certification. I'm not sure if that's a state thing or a school thing. The fact that your degree is specific for secondary education math kind of sucks.

Still, you might be able to get a job in accounting or some other math related field. CPA?

In order to be a CPA, they are going to need go back to school to get the hours in accounting required to sit for the exam. Then pass the four part test which has a low pass rate. Then entry level CPA's at a firm are generally required to work 300-350 hours overtime a year at a starting wage. Again, there is no silver bullet. I am not sure that would be less frustrating or stressful that the current teaching position.

 

[ilovefh]

This thread made me curious about how many days I actually work. I had never added it up. I'm a SAHM right now but my last year of teaching I was contracted for 196 days. That includes a week before school starts, a week after school ends and various teacher work days. That summer I did 5 days of required gifted workshop through the district, 5 days at a workshop for a program we implement in our school, 3 days looking at data, 3 days at a common core workshop and 5 days at math meetings with my department. So that is a total of 217 days. Some of those things are "optional" but we're told they track who goes to these things. Which means that because there is no tenure anymore you need to go or it could affect your renewal.

 

[TAX GUY]

I was going to come back here to mention you could get a job in math related fields, like accounting or what have you, but then I realized your actual BA is in "Secondary Education Math". Where my wife and I went to school, you got a general degree in your field of study (English Literature, for example), as well as a teaching certification. I'm not sure if that's a state thing or a school thing. The fact that your degree is specific for secondary education math kind of sucks.

Still, you might be able to get a job in accounting or some other math related field. CPA?

I was about to reply, then read this...

In order to be a CPA, they are going to need go back to school to get the hours in accounting required to sit for the exam. Then pass the four part test which has a low pass rate. Then entry level CPA's at a firm are generally required to work 300-350 hours overtime a year at a starting wage. Again, there is no silver bullet. I am not sure that would be less frustrating or stressful that the current teaching position.

Many accounting (public accounting) jobs aren't really "math" based but more of accounting and (assuming its tax related) tax law/regulations and how to properly apply it. I've done both public and private accounting and while each has me dealing with numbers daily, its not really "math" based. It helps that I enjoy math and numbers, but not really the main focus.

I love being an EA (Enrolled Agent) for a public accounting firm. Yes, "tax season" is MANY MANY hours put in and can get stressful in the 10 week period, but this is something I knew coming into it. Being at a small, privately owned firm, we get comp time for all the "OT" we do during tax season. That now allows us to take the time off during the "off season"..... which happens to be the SUMMER!! Not all firms do this, so I am thrilled to have this option.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

This thread made me curious about how many days I actually work.

I am a Monday - Friday employee all year, with 8 holidays, which is 252. If I take all 30 days of PTO I have available to me in any given year, I work 222 days.