Private school teacher salary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: 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. 

To baseline a bit, $240 k/yr is a typical Principal Software Engineer salary in Silly Valley, usually meaning someone with 20-30 years experience and a Masters degree. Entry-level software engineers with a BSCS out there are a bit over $100 k/yr. There is a distinct pyramid shape to those industry job openings, as well…

Question:

Are the big 3 paying a noticeable salary supplement (or some kind of alternate pay scale) to faculty teaching STEM who have a STEM degree ?

This is not accurate.  My daughter works for Apple and my son works for Google, and they both have BS degrees in CS from University of Virginia in 2021.  My son was paid 175K/yr by Google after graduation and my daughter was paid 165K/year by Apple in Software Engineering.  Both of them are working remotely.  Both of them also attended one of the big-3 schools.  You don't need a Master degree with 20 - 30 years of experience to make 240K.  I work in cyber security with 25 years of experience and my salary is 400K/yr.

The point is that teachers at the big 3 should be compensated just like Google Software Engineers.  It is ridiculous that teachers at a big 3 with many years of experience got paid less than a recent graduate Software Engineer. 

This is very very rare in terms of starting salary or even 25 years experience. q2w

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly true. I’m a teacher and one of my children wants to be one. She is in college now and I have done everything to discourage her from teaching. It’s not possible to make a living wage. Unless you are married to a money maker it isn’t sustainable. I think I have succeeded. She just added a second major and is less excited about being a teacher. It’s too bad, she would be amazing as a teacher.

75-100k isn't a living wage? I don't think that phrase means what you think it means.

It may not be enough to fund the lifestyle you want her to have, but be serious.

[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.

Isn’t it a lot more work though? Big classes, special Ed. Paperwork, busywork required by administration. Classes are harder to teach because of the wide range of students

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting read. I just left DCPS and was @ top of the PhD payscale. I’m interviewing tomorrow at a big private here in the DC area. Sounds like with 15 years experience in the classroom and a PhD I should expect around $75-80?

Why did you leave DCPS?

[Anonymous]

I have only been teaching for 3 years - MCPS.
I sometimes think of applying to private.
Teaching at MCPS is fine but exhausting. But I teach at a mixed income school and I keep thinking that these kids need me more than private school kids.
Dumb reason I know. All kids need good teachers. But kids at my school have fewer resources and less access to strong mentors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have only been teaching for 3 years - MCPS.
I sometimes think of applying to private.
Teaching at MCPS is fine but exhausting. But I teach at a mixed income school and I keep thinking that these kids need me more than private school kids.
Dumb reason I know. All kids need good teachers. But kids at my school have fewer resources and less access to strong mentors.

Not dumb! Thoughtful of you, and finding your work meaningful is huge. Good for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly true. I’m a teacher and one of my children wants to be one. She is in college now and I have done everything to discourage her from teaching. It’s not possible to make a living wage. Unless you are married to a money maker it isn’t sustainable. I think I have succeeded. She just added a second major and is less excited about being a teacher. It’s too bad, she would be amazing as a teacher.

75-100k isn't a living wage? I don't think that phrase means what you think it means.

It may not be enough to fund the lifestyle you want her to have, but be serious.

Not PP, but to me a livable wage for a career means a wage where you can afford to purchase a home and raise a family. 75k is not accomplishing that in this area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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. 

They would just divert the money to managers, facilities, and fundraising. Private schools and tutoring companies exist to teach, but that's not where a lot of money goes.

If 10 students generate $500k, the corresponding teacher gets less than 20%. Simple math. If you want to pay great teachers, hire them directly for that $120 an hour you think they deserve.

Can someone explain this to me? Harvard pays its professor an average salary of 226K/year on a 52.6K/year in tuition while Sidwell school tuition for upper school is almost 51.6K/year but I don't think Sidwell school pays its teachers 226K/year. I am sure Sidwell school also has wealthy donors just like Harvard. Where does the money go?

Harvard has a $53 BILLION endowment that produces a few billion dollars per year in dividends at a minimum. They basically have an infinite pool of money to draw on, so overpaying anyone they like is easy.

Maybe if more parents demanded accountability for private school spending, something could change. But most of it stays in the black box where only the board and a few administrators know all the details.

The bottom line is that society values computer programmers and lawyers parsing contracts far above educating their children. Seems stupid but there it is. No denying the numbers.

The bottom line is that parents choosing private want small class sizes. That leaves fewer students to spread the teacher salary across. Those parents also demand nice grounds and facilities and a high level of service both of which cost money. Would you be willing to pay double or triple to pay your child's teacher in a manner that you think is appropriate? Would you be willing to balloon their class sizes to get more tuition dollars to increase salaries?

As parents with kids at a big 3 school, I am willing to do whatever it takes to get teachers' salaries to a competitive level. If I have to pay double the tuition I am paying now, so be it. What we need is smart people to become teachers, and paying them a salary like Google engineers will encourage more of them into teaching careers.

Don't the big 3 schools have a big endowment and wealthy donors? I am sure they wouldn't mind giving money to the school to attract teaching talents.

So you think cutting the size of privates (the inevitable result of doubling or tripling tuition depending on which google engineers you want to keep pace with) and massively cutting back on financial aid to the point where the schools would only educate the richest is really going to encourage a wave of the best and brightest to become teachers? If someone is really motivated by serving the wealthiest in order to make money, law and finance still pay better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly true. I’m a teacher and one of my children wants to be one. She is in college now and I have done everything to discourage her from teaching. It’s not possible to make a living wage. Unless you are married to a money maker it isn’t sustainable. I think I have succeeded. She just added a second major and is less excited about being a teacher. It’s too bad, she would be amazing as a teacher.

75-100k isn't a living wage? I don't think that phrase means what you think it means.

It may not be enough to fund the lifestyle you want her to have, but be serious.

Not PP, but to me a livable wage for a career means a wage where you can afford to purchase a home and raise a family. 75k is not accomplishing that in this area

Not alone, no. But most families have two incomes. And $150k for a family of four is perfectly livable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly true. I’m a teacher and one of my children wants to be one. She is in college now and I have done everything to discourage her from teaching. It’s not possible to make a living wage. Unless you are married to a money maker it isn’t sustainable. I think I have succeeded. She just added a second major and is less excited about being a teacher. It’s too bad, she would be amazing as a teacher.

75-100k isn't a living wage? I don't think that phrase means what you think it means.

It may not be enough to fund the lifestyle you want her to have, but be serious.

Not PP, but to me a livable wage for a career means a wage where you can afford to purchase a home and raise a family. 75k is not accomplishing that in this area

They just ask their parents for a downpayment. Duh. It's a cliche, but a LOT of private school teachers were private school KIDS and have rich parents. Even the middle aged ones started on third base. A sizeable number of teachers at my kids' school are alums.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:to me a livable wage for a career means a wage where you can afford to purchase a home and raise a family

The Global Living Wage Coalition disagrees with you.
https://globallivingwage.org/about/what-is-a-living-wage/

Of course those of us who can afford the luxury of private school tuition take home ownership for granted. It's obviously a nice to have, but buying a home is also a luxury. Not on the level of sending your kids to private, admittedly. Just not a necessity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So you think cutting the size of privates (the inevitable result of doubling or tripling tuition depending on which google engineers you want to keep pace with) and massively cutting back on financial aid to the point where the schools would only educate the richest is really going to encourage a wave of the best and brightest to become teachers? If someone is really motivated by serving the wealthiest in order to make money, law and finance still pay better.

How do you encourage the best and brightest to become teachers and compensate them well enough so that they don't leave?  53K starting salary is not going to do the job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly true. I’m a teacher and one of my children wants to be one. She is in college now and I have done everything to discourage her from teaching. It’s not possible to make a living wage. Unless you are married to a money maker it isn’t sustainable. I think I have succeeded. She just added a second major and is less excited about being a teacher. It’s too bad, she would be amazing as a teacher.

75-100k isn't a living wage? I don't think that phrase means what you think it means.

It may not be enough to fund the lifestyle you want her to have, but be serious.

Not PP, but to me a livable wage for a career means a wage where you can afford to purchase a home and raise a family. 75k is not accomplishing that in this area

They just ask their parents for a downpayment. Duh. It's a cliche, but a LOT of private school teachers were private school KIDS and have rich parents. Even the middle aged ones started on third base. A sizeable number of teachers at my kids' school are alums.

I am a private school teacher and this is grossly incorrect. None of what has been posted here has bothered me up to this point. You seriously think that "a sizable" number of teachers can ask their parents for a 200K down payment? Yuck to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sadly true. I’m a teacher and one of my children wants to be one. She is in college now and I have done everything to discourage her from teaching. It’s not possible to make a living wage. Unless you are married to a money maker it isn’t sustainable. I think I have succeeded. She just added a second major and is less excited about being a teacher. It’s too bad, she would be amazing as a teacher.

75-100k isn't a living wage? I don't think that phrase means what you think it means.

It may not be enough to fund the lifestyle you want her to have, but be serious.

Not PP, but to me a livable wage for a career means a wage where you can afford to purchase a home and raise a family. 75k is not accomplishing that in this area

Not alone, no. But most families have two incomes. And $150k for a family of four is perfectly livable.

Not with mortgage rates where they currently sit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you think cutting the size of privates (the inevitable result of doubling or tripling tuition depending on which google engineers you want to keep pace with) and massively cutting back on financial aid to the point where the schools would only educate the richest is really going to encourage a wave of the best and brightest to become teachers? If someone is really motivated by serving the wealthiest in order to make money, law and finance still pay better.

How do you encourage the best and brightest to become teachers and compensate them well enough so that they don't leave?  53K starting salary is not going to do the job.

Nothing about the private school model allows for it. Mimic public school class sizes and increase tuition (good luck holding onto students) and you might get enough tuition to support those salaries. Right now, the big 3 have no trouble either retaining or attracting teachers or attracting and retaining students, so apparently their salaries are cutting it.