Weirdly (to me, at least) private school teachers make substantially less than public. The ones I know say it's worth it to be free of the onerous beauracracy that plagues public education.
- a lot less paperwork and mind bending BS.
- flexibility is higher. Hey, we're going to teach outside on stumps during the pandemic -> no problem. This is with most things. That said private schools tended to stay open with modifications (so if you didn't want that public school would be better to be at to check out during pandemic).
- Teacher has a lot of authority in their class.
- Teachers / teacher aids etc that don't work out, pretty simple process not to bring them back for the following year - so peer group tends to enjoy working with each other.
- You don't have to wade through the massive teacher certification processes necessarily.
- Admin often has your back on discipline issues.
Some downsides too.
- You can be let go easily if school feels its not working out (practically, if you have things covered its hard enough to find teachers they will work to keep you).
- Pay is lower.
- Expectations can be higher at good schools ie, you might need a masters etc.
- Quality of programs varies WILDLY!
Unfortunately one of those onerous bureaucracies involves having an actual education in how to educate, or a teaching certification. Which is how my private catholic high school had a baseball coach as a history teacher who didn't really know how to teach history.
I had a few former scientists (left the field after PhD) teach me in high school and holy shit it was amazing, leagues above anything my friends were learning in the local public school. There are pros and cons, but the point I was at in high school I found much more value in talking to those science teachers than the ones that had an education in education with science as a secondary concern. Teaching certifications have a place but I also think it is a good thing most private schools don't require them.
Private schools (non charter, non voucher) have more engaged parents and by being selective and flexible may have a lower number of children with special needs, behavioral disorders, and/or more flexibility in providing services for them.
That's not surprising, the private teachers are not unionized. I think a lot of the hate for teachers' unions is driven by decades of propaganda - both from private institutions and both of the major political parties. Slashing teacher salaries by ~20% is the wet dream of many "education reform" advocates. Though I wonder what effect that will have on society and the quality of education, especially for those that can't afford the top tier private schools.
A big part of the hate for teachers unions is the inability to fire bad teachers.
>California has more than 1,000 school districts and 300,000 teachers, yet only 667 dismissal cases were filed with the Office of Administrative Hearings between January 2003 and March 2012, according to the Los Angeles Unified School District”s chief labor and employment counsel, Alex Molina. Only 130 of those actually got to the hearing stage, and 82 resulted in dismissals — fewer than 10 a year.
Not only that but a career public school teacher in many places can retire with a nice pension, private school teachers don't. Even if you look at some of the best private high schools in the country the teacher salary just isn't great.
The only way it makes sense financially to teach at a private school is if you have kids you want to go there. Many schools will do reduced or even free tuition for teachers' kids. It's relatively common for private school teachers to either be early retirees from a more lucrative field or have a spouse that works.
That said, many private school teachers do it because they have more flexibility in designing a curriculum, are much less likely to encounter disruptive students, etc. Private schools also don't actually do 180 days. So it is a more enjoyable job day to day for sure.
Shame on whoever thinks the salary difference goes to the education management companies behind the charter school movement. (Looking at you, Edison Schools failing the young people of Philadelphia!)
This makes sense to me (and matches the facts I've found) -- when folks talk about private industry being "more efficient" they often mean cheaper, which also often means those near the bottom rung are the worst paid relative to work and experience. It's unnecessarily explosive and results in qualified and motivated teachers leaving the industry prematurely.
Private schools
- a lot less paperwork and mind bending BS. - flexibility is higher. Hey, we're going to teach outside on stumps during the pandemic -> no problem. This is with most things. That said private schools tended to stay open with modifications (so if you didn't want that public school would be better to be at to check out during pandemic). - Teacher has a lot of authority in their class. - Teachers / teacher aids etc that don't work out, pretty simple process not to bring them back for the following year - so peer group tends to enjoy working with each other. - You don't have to wade through the massive teacher certification processes necessarily. - Admin often has your back on discipline issues.
Some downsides too. - You can be let go easily if school feels its not working out (practically, if you have things covered its hard enough to find teachers they will work to keep you). - Pay is lower. - Expectations can be higher at good schools ie, you might need a masters etc. - Quality of programs varies WILDLY!