[troosevelt]

Here in my state teachers in good districts start at $60,000 per year and see minimal increases due to length of service; after 20 years they might be making $75,000 per year. You ever done the math on living on $60k per year? Hard to do a lot besides support youself on that income. I note that surrounding states (even higher cost states) have lower salaries.

Teachers get paid peanuts.

[lamasery]

It depends a lot on the state. Some actually do pay alright. Some pay terribly (and may have serious issues finding enough staff, as a result).

Unions are similar. People cry about them being a huge problem, but they have effectively no power (as in: don't even collectively bargain for contracts) in lots of states, including many of the ones with poor school performance. In other states, they really do have quite a bit of power.

[virissimo]

US teacher pay is near the top for OECD countries: https://www.oecd.org/en/data/indicators/teachers-salaries.ht...

[mlyle]

US overall pay and cost of living is even closer to the top for OECD countries, as shown upthread :P

[zozbot234]

That's not so low when you account for the fact that school is not in session during summer, and teachers get these months off.

[lamasery]

In states with lower teacher pay, most teachers without a much-higher-paid spouse take summer jobs or teach summer school. Also, none of them get as much time off in the summer as the kids do. Plus, you can't pay your mortgage with vacation days.

[troosevelt]

Teachers often end up working weeks that are more than 40 hours, though with grading, lesson planning, tutoring, etc.

[larkost]

Given the (often ongoing) educational requirements, if you pro-rate it you still come out much below most positions with similar requirements. We absolutely under-pay teachers in virtually every public school.

My mother retired after working her entire career as a teacher, and I earned close to double her final salary my first year working in tech. She has her masters degree and I did not graduate college. And if you count the stocks I got at the end of that first year, it was over triple.

She was a special ed. teacher teaching emotionally disabled grade schoolers (including a first grader that tried to kill his grandmother with a tv power cord). There is no way that I worked harder than she did.

[mold_aid]

You sure they're not on 20 pay contracts? Everybody tells me "it must be so nice, getting summers off" and I'm like "actually I look for summer courses because I don't get paid."

[phil21]

Here average teacher salary is over $100k. Projected to be $120k by 2027 due to their new union contract.

Newbie teachers start around $70k last I checked, and hit six figures in 5-6 years.

This is roughly double median salaries.

That said, I think they earn every bit of it even with "summers off" and their relatively lucrative benefit packages. The work environment is utter shit. Basically zero ability to manage a classroom and get rid of any shitheads - with very little supportive parenting or administration having your back. Even if salaries were $500k/yr I wouldn't remotely consider taking such a job.

Pay itself though? Not an issue for one of the worst performing major urban school districts in the nation.

[troosevelt]

I'm planning on transitioning into teaching due to not being employable (apparently) in tech anymore. It's about the only career I can transition into. I wish I could make six-figures!

[phil21]

Move to Chicago and get a job in CPS - you'll be at ~$100k in 5-6 years!

The idea of it actually sounds initially fun to me, until I talk to friends who actually work those jobs. For my temperament I know better. At best I'd rage quit, at worst I'd end up in prison.

[hackable_sand]

Teachers should be paid more, but this is a very paltry argument.

You can do a lot with $60k.