[light_hue_1]

> Counterpoint: teachers' pay is great, it's just backloaded in pension plans.

Nonsense. Even the most basic look at the numbers shows you this is absolutely false.

Let's take a rich liberal state first. MA. Average teacher salary: $60k. Average pension $43k. Teachers contribute 9.78% of their salary in order to get this pension! The state contributes 18.17% This is not all that different from a 401k.

You're confusing teachers with police officers, where the average pension is twice as high.

> Why didn't I end up in teaching? The licensing requirements in Minnesota are insane. Counselor's straight up told me I'd have to borrow ~$50k from the UMN for a MS in Curriculum and Instruction before I could teach.

Then you got terrible advice.

Because the licensing requirements in Minnesota are very lax: https://mn.gov/pelsb/aspiring-educators/portfolio/

You take two tests and fill out some forms. You don't even need a Master's in education.

They should really tighten that up. btw, you can definitely do that MS for <$20k online.

[andrewprock]

Pensions are typically not paid based on average teacher salary, but paid based on terminal teacher salary. Defined benefit pensions are quite different from a 401k.

In our district, once you qualify for a pension you get 2% of your terminal salary per year you work. If you work for 40 years, you will be paid 80% of your last year's salary.

[light_hue_1]

I don't understand this reply.

I quoted you the actual statistics for MA. https://www.teacherpensions.org/state/massachusetts

Teachers pay into the system, quite substantially, at rates that are similar to what you would pay for a 401k. And their average pensions are quite low.

[andrewprock]

The formula on that page is a fixed benefit based, not on average salary, but the average salary at the end of the teacher's career - last five years.

This is nothing like a 401k.