Private School Salaries (Sidwell)
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
I’m the PP. I can only compare my former public school to my current private, so I can’t speak for all privates. In my case, though, I am so glad I made the switch! It isn’t easier, necessarily. I am required to do things I never had to do in public, like post my weekly lesson plans before each week begins. I am also observed more frequently. I definitely put in the same amount of hours! The part I love is that I am treated like a professional. I am trusted to do my job and it is accepted that I am an expert in my subject area and my classroom. I feel that admin is there to support me and not just judge. If they find something during an observation that can be improved, it is told in a “let’s try to make this better” tone instead of the “gotcha!” I remember. There is a school-wide effort to reflect and improve. It’s a style of leadership I can respect and really get behind. It’s wonderful! |
Anonymous
Teachers get paid 50 dollars an hour roughly. If you factor in 13 weeks PTO- they work around 1500 hours a year, so at a salary of 75k that’s about 50 an hour. |
Anonymous
Your math is accurate, but it is important to note teachers don’t get 13 weeks PTO. I get 2 weeks. I am between contracts during the summer months. I don’t get a ton of leave during the year for appointments, illness, etc. If I need to take 2 hours off, I have to put in for a full day. Saying I get 13 weeks off suggests far more flexibility than I actually have. Also… 75K isn’t nearly enough considering the challenge of the job and the importance of the work. |
Anonymous
Good luck trying to support yourself comfortably and securely around here on 75K. You either need spousal income or other income to get by. So a big part of the potential teaching pool is GONE. The bottom line here is that teaching isn't valued in our economy and society like many other professions. It's ironic that people make millions in other professions then want the best education money can buy for their kids but will only support teacher pay at 1/8 or less of their own income. They get what they pay for. |
Anonymous
This isn't accurate at all -- and really depends on the school you are at. My wife is a teacher at an independent school. Her Contract runs from August - August, and gets paid on a 12 month cycle for 10 months of work -- however you slice it, in this example you'd make 75k in a year for 1500 hours of actual work.... (if you worked year round at your rate it would be equal to about a 100k job, which is still low -- I get that). You also get a lot more then 2 weeks paid time off -- I just looked at her calendar and during the school year in addition to actual holidays she had 17 days off (2 weeks during Christmas, 1 week for spring break). I'm not saying that teachers are paid incredibly well -- but I am saying its a flexible work schedule that provides a better way of life then most jobs, which is the allure. My wife is home with my kids during the summer (which saves us a ton on camp bills), gets home by 4pm everyday (which saves us on aftercare costs) and I'm sorry to hear that your school isn't flexible for taking days off -- but my wife always takes off when the kids are sick or gets a sub for one class so she can run to a dentist appointment. |
Anonymous
Your wife has a great set-up. Good for her, and I mean that sincerely. I have worked for two schools. My contract is always a 10-month contract. I had 14 days of leave at one and 12 days at the other. At both schools, there are days I couldn’t take off, like Fridays before breaks. Neither school allows for hourly leave, so an appointment takes a whole day. Leaving at 4? I am required to lead after-school activities or provide office hours so I am usually there later. I worked in a corporate environment before switching to teaching. I could come in late, leave early, take leave without providing a plan or finding a replacement, go out to lunch, visit the bathroom whenever I wanted, etc. None of that occurs now because my schedule is so rigid. I like my job, but I laugh at the idea of calling it flexible. |
Anonymous
That's what most teachers experience. Combine that with a paycheck that is half or less of what your peers make in other professions, and the teaching pool is limited to those who can afford it anyway for other reasons and really care about teaching. I switched to teaching as a third career only after I had covered all of my funding and retirement needs. Imagine what the hiring pool would look like with a salary band at $100-150K instead of $50-75K. |
Anonymous
I worked in independent schools, boarding and day, for 38 years. Two of my sisters and one brother-in-law worked in public schools. They were paid better and had wonderful retirement and health plans compared to mine. My vacations were longer, and my freedom in the classroom and access to resources was greater. Plus my teaching environment was idyllic compared to what they dealt with — and all three were in either wealthy suburbs or quiet rural schools. The private school kids were still kids, but the culture was pro-learning, and students with serious learning or behavior issues weren’t admitted as we couldn’t help them; we weren’t staffed for them. I loved teaching there, and the biggest benefit I received was that my own kids got free independent school educations. But the commitment expected was intense. I worked until 5:00 or 6:00 most days, coaching after school. There were weekend games and evening commitments; dances, musicals, parent events, trips, all which had to be chaperoned. Because you were getting free tuition, you really felt like you had to pitch in; they never let you forget what a huge benefit it was, especially if there was a waitlist in your kids’ grade and he was taking the place of a “paying customer,” as a board member once said to me. You were continually thanked by the parents and board members sincerely, but never compensated financially at a level on par with public school colleagues. Our school paid 3% of our salary into our retirement; when I retired I had worked my way up to $69,000. You can do the math on my retirement portfolio. Because my husband makes a decent salary, I was able to keep this job, but it isn’t economically feasible at many schools without an income-earning partner. Some urban schools pay much better; some boarding schools do better still if you don’t mind living on campus full-time. And administrators can do very well, but I remained a humble teacher, so that was my choice. I know of very few teachers who are hired without any teaching credentials. That might have happened 30 years ago, but those days are long gone. You can substitute teach without experience, though, and that would be a good way to get a feel for the classroom. I believe that passion for one’s subject and expertise are incredibly important for success in the classroom; independent school teachers are famous for that. But without good classroom management skills and empathy for the kids, it’s likely to be wasted, in my experience. |
Anonymous
I thought there was a teacher shortage? Especially during the pandemic. I am sure I read there was a nationwide teacher shortage that was like at crisis level? Is that not accurate? Also, like most labor “shortages” it’s really a shortage of budgets to pay teachers a living wage |