Private school teacher salary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a private and have 13 years experience. I make $80K, have no defined-benefit pension, and terrible health insurance (expensive and barebones).

I've taught for 10 years in DCPS and make around $117k. Can I ask what perks you receive that make the lower salary worth it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a private and have 13 years experience. I make $80K, have no defined-benefit pension, and terrible health insurance (expensive and barebones).

That’s actually better than me! 20 years experience with a Master’s and salary is only at $80k with additional stipends. We also don’t have a salary scale so you can assume at best a 2% annual raise. Additional certifications or courses don’t get you any more pay.

My spouse is also a private school teacher. A grade Dean in a DC private making $76k with 17 years experience. No 403b matching, no tuition reimbursement, no PD budget, decent ish healthcare ($350/mo versus $1,100/mo at my school) but good tuition remission. 80% because spouse earns 10% off each year of employment up to 80%. My school offers faculty 50% off plus you can apply for FA. We received generous FA and despite the mediocre experience for our kids we kept sending them to our schools because otherwise it’s an unpaid benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a private and have 13 years experience. I make $80K, have no defined-benefit pension, and terrible health insurance (expensive and barebones).

I've taught for 10 years in DCPS and make around $117k. Can I ask what perks you receive that make the lower salary worth it?

Don’t know about DC but in MD private schools have less school days. State only requires 168 school days for privates versus 180 for public. In Va it’s the same school day requirements for both. In Md, any day with student son campus counts as a school day. Do orientation, conferences, and graduation account for 6 school days.

Class sizes are smaller but you will spend more time communicating with parents which can be good or bad depending on the parent. Facilities can appear better on the surface in private over public because they spend more on landscaping and such. However, my school has world language classes using a conference room as a classroom and other less than ideal teaching spaces. They often create the class schedule based on student and ret preferences and not on actual building spaces and staff available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach at a private and have 13 years experience. I make $80K, have no defined-benefit pension, and terrible health insurance (expensive and barebones).

I've taught for 10 years in DCPS and make around $117k. Can I ask what perks you receive that make the lower salary worth it?

Smeller classes, kids who want to be there, parents who care. Plus free tuition for my kids. My husband carries the insurance, etc.

[Anonymous]

I am a teacher at a well-regarded elementary level school on these forums. At around 10 years at of experience, I make just over 70k. We also have a great PD budget and opportunities for additional pay with additional responsibilities. I put 5% into retirement and the school puts in 7%. I could make more in some public schools, but I love the lack of bureaucracy and testing, the autonomy in my classroom, and the engaged community, so it's worth in for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I left a Big 3 private in 2016 and was making $75,000 with 11 years of experience.

75K/year at a Big 3? Seriously? I have four kids at one of the big 3. What the hell does the school do with almost 200k/year in tuition from me?

Why can't the big 3 pay teachers like Google SWE with benefits? I am sure the money is there and the school can raise tuition if it wants to, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left a Big 3 private in 2016 and was making $75,000 with 11 years of experience.

75K/year at a Big 3? Seriously? I have four kids at one of the big 3. What the hell does the school do with almost 200k/year in tuition from me?

Why can't the big 3 pay teachers like Google SWE with benefits? I am sure the money is there and the school can raise tuition if it wants to, right?

New poster here. I left my job at a Big Three for an MCPS position and have never looked back. I got a big raise, excellent health insurance, dental and vision coverage, a pension, and parents who don't treat me like The Help.

[Anonymous]

Is a perk of teaching at a private school that your kids are more likely to get into the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is a perk of teaching at a private school that your kids are more likely to get into the school?

17:10 here. Possibly, if they are qualified - but at my Big Three there was no tuition remission and we could not afford the tuition, so the admissions thing was moot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left a Big 3 private in 2016 and was making $75,000 with 11 years of experience.

75K/year at a Big 3? Seriously? I have four kids at one of the big 3. What the hell does the school do with almost 200k/year in tuition from me?

Why can't the big 3 pay teachers like Google SWE with benefits? I am sure the money is there and the school can raise tuition if it wants to, right?

Look up your school's 990 and see what HoS makes. That should partially answer your question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left a Big 3 private in 2016 and was making $75,000 with 11 years of experience.

75K/year at a Big 3? Seriously? I have four kids at one of the big 3. What the hell does the school do with almost 200k/year in tuition from me?

Why can't the big 3 pay teachers like Google SWE with benefits? I am sure the money is there and the school can raise tuition if it wants to, right?

Look up your school's 990 and see what HoS makes. That should partially answer your question.

My HoS earned every penny. They don't ever get a day off and led schools through 2.5 years of a pandemic. This isn't where to direct your anger - also $75K 6 years ago doesn't seem like a terrible teacher's salary to me. What would you think a teacher with those qualifications would receive?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left a Big 3 private in 2016 and was making $75,000 with 11 years of experience.

75K/year at a Big 3? Seriously? I have four kids at one of the big 3. What the hell does the school do with almost 200k/year in tuition from me?

Why can't the big 3 pay teachers like Google SWE with benefits? I am sure the money is there and the school can raise tuition if it wants to, right?

New poster here. I left my job at a Big Three for an MCPS position and have never looked back. I got a big raise, excellent health insurance, dental and vision coverage, a pension, and parents who don't treat me like The Help.

How did you get a raise? MCPS caps the entry step for new employees. I have 20 years experience with a Masters but MCPS will only pay. For 8 years

[Anonymous]

I’m at MD k-8 independent. Teaching 20 years, no masters, and only make $85k. Insurance is good, dental and vision included. I have a decent size TIAA retirement fund (around $500k). Been putting in the maximum and school matches. Love it there but pay isn’t great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left a Big 3 private in 2016 and was making $75,000 with 11 years of experience.

75K/year at a Big 3? Seriously? I have four kids at one of the big 3. What the hell does the school do with almost 200k/year in tuition from me?

Why can't the big 3 pay teachers like Google SWE with benefits? I am sure the money is there and the school can raise tuition if it wants to, right?

Look up your school's 990 and see what HoS makes. That should partially answer your question.

My HoS earned every penny. They don't ever get a day off and led schools through 2.5 years of a pandemic. This isn't where to direct your anger - also $75K 6 years ago doesn't seem like a terrible teacher's salary to me. What would you think a teacher with those qualifications would receive?

75K/yr with 11 years experience is a low salary.  Teachers at the big-3 should be paid like 240k/yr, like a Google Software Engineer, and they need to produce just like Google software engineers.  I am willing to pay double the current tuition for this to happen. 

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I left a Big 3 private in 2016 and was making $75,000 with 11 years of experience.

75K/year at a Big 3? Seriously? I have four kids at one of the big 3. What the hell does the school do with almost 200k/year in tuition from me?

Why can't the big 3 pay teachers like Google SWE with benefits? I am sure the money is there and the school can raise tuition if it wants to, right?

Look up your school's 990 and see what HoS makes. That should partially answer your question.

My HoS earned every penny. They don't ever get a day off and led schools through 2.5 years of a pandemic. This isn't where to direct your anger - also $75K 6 years ago doesn't seem like a terrible teacher's salary to me. What would you think a teacher with those qualifications would receive?

Nobody’s HoS should earn 3x what MCPS/FCPS superintendents make, especially while paying teachers peanuts. So yeah that’s precisely where it should be directed.