Do private teachers really make a lot less than public teachers? If so...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Very, very few privates offer any tuition discount to their teachers and free tuition is a thing of the pass.

. You are mistaken- our private offers 50 percent discount to all staff for kids tuition.

Which would make your school one of the very few.

I suspect most privates do what ours does: faculty still have to apply for financial aid, like anyone else, but any salary paid by the school is not counted in the calculation. This means that a family living on a private school teacher's salary will get maximum financial aid, but a surgeon's wife who comes to be a preschool aid will not qualify for free tuition for her kids, or a coach with a wife with a multi-million-dollar trust or a biglaw partnership won't qualify either.

[Anonymous]

Having taught in a "top" DC private and in FCPS, I would openly admit working at the private school was much easier because the school basically screens out any challenging students and teachers don't need to deal with educational compliance issues, like special education and ESOL. Special education is a huge issue -- unless the private focuses on it, don't expect much and if you make a fuss, I've seen many parents pushed out of the private.

There is less accountability as well, so you are free to use whatever materials you want and follow whatever curriculum you felt was necessary. So, the consistency between teachers and courses varied dramatically. FCPS has the pacing guide so it's more consistent. The demands on teachers are greater in FCPS. We're expected to have data and evidence to support our effectiveness. In my private, it was very much staying on people's good sides, not pissing (the right) parents off, and having happy customers, I mean, erm students. I never had to demonstrate my effectiveness in any meaningful way beyond an observation here or there. And my students' performance had no bearing on mine. That's not the case in FCPS.

In terms of money, they pay less because they can. People take it because they aren't licensed or if they are licensed, it's much, much easier work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our private our teachers have very small class sizes and well supported students. They also have flexibility to adapt the curriculum to suit the class' needs. Their professional development opportunities are amazing and provide observable benefits to their students. I chaperoned a field trip and one of the teachers who planned it told me she had applied to our school for several years in a row knowing full well that there were no advertised openings. Her hope was that when an opening became available, she would be considered since the school would know of her dedicated interest. We have very little turnover in the teaching and admin staff.

Do you know anything about their pay and benefits?

No, I don't. They seem to be pretty happy with their jobs and when I meet and talk with them in parent teacher conferences, they "get" my kid. I support the teacher appreciation fundraising and provide whatever I can of what I am asked to do to support them because I think so highly of them.

No professional, responsible teacher is going to complain about their job with you, or speak about their school in a negative way at a parent teacher conference (or anywhere else). I've been a teacher in independent schools for over a decade, and I did once work for an utterly miserable, bullying, ineffective admin in one of these schools. I used to cry every day after work, and had to go on antidepressants that year. However, every parent with whom I interacted would have seen a positive, composed professional who did not discredit the school in any way. They would have walked out thinking I was happy with my job because it would have been massively unprofessional and inappropriate for me to indicate otherwise. You know nothing about how happy your kid's teachers are in their jobs.

Well, I know that we have precious little turnover, teachers who spend decades teaching at our school, teachers who have applied to work at our school for multiple years in a row with no advertised openings, and teachers who move their own children into our school after experiencing the school community. I am going to go out on a limb and say I know more about my kid's school than you do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our private our teachers have very small class sizes and well supported students. They also have flexibility to adapt the curriculum to suit the class' needs. Their professional development opportunities are amazing and provide observable benefits to their students. I chaperoned a field trip and one of the teachers who planned it told me she had applied to our school for several years in a row knowing full well that there were no advertised openings. Her hope was that when an opening became available, she would be considered since the school would know of her dedicated interest. We have very little turnover in the teaching and admin staff.

Do you know anything about their pay and benefits?

No, I don't. They seem to be pretty happy with their jobs and when I meet and talk with them in parent teacher conferences, they "get" my kid. I support the teacher appreciation fundraising and provide whatever I can of what I am asked to do to support them because I think so highly of them.

No professional, responsible teacher is going to complain about their job with you, or speak about their school in a negative way at a parent teacher conference (or anywhere else). I've been a teacher in independent schools for over a decade, and I did once work for an utterly miserable, bullying, ineffective admin in one of these schools. I used to cry every day after work, and had to go on antidepressants that year. However, every parent with whom I interacted would have seen a positive, composed professional who did not discredit the school in any way. They would have walked out thinking I was happy with my job because it would have been massively unprofessional and inappropriate for me to indicate otherwise. You know nothing about how happy your kid's teachers are in their jobs.

Well, I know that we have precious little turnover, teachers who spend decades teaching at our school, teachers who have applied to work at our school for multiple years in a row with no advertised openings, and teachers who move their own children into our school after experiencing the school community. I am going to go out on a limb and say I know more about my kid's school than you do.

That sounds great.
Much like my public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At our private our teachers have very small class sizes and well supported students. They also have flexibility to adapt the curriculum to suit the class' needs. Their professional development opportunities are amazing and provide observable benefits to their students. I chaperoned a field trip and one of the teachers who planned it told me she had applied to our school for several years in a row knowing full well that there were no advertised openings. Her hope was that when an opening became available, she would be considered since the school would know of her dedicated interest. We have very little turnover in the teaching and admin staff.

Do you know anything about their pay and benefits?

No, I don't. They seem to be pretty happy with their jobs and when I meet and talk with them in parent teacher conferences, they "get" my kid. I support the teacher appreciation fundraising and provide whatever I can of what I am asked to do to support them because I think so highly of them.

No professional, responsible teacher is going to complain about their job with you, or speak about their school in a negative way at a parent teacher conference (or anywhere else). I've been a teacher in independent schools for over a decade, and I did once work for an utterly miserable, bullying, ineffective admin in one of these schools. I used to cry every day after work, and had to go on antidepressants that year. However, every parent with whom I interacted would have seen a positive, composed professional who did not discredit the school in any way. They would have walked out thinking I was happy with my job because it would have been massively unprofessional and inappropriate for me to indicate otherwise. You know nothing about how happy your kid's teachers are in their jobs.

Well, I know that we have precious little turnover, teachers who spend decades teaching at our school, teachers who have applied to work at our school for multiple years in a row with no advertised openings, and teachers who move their own children into our school after experiencing the school community. I am going to go out on a limb and say I know more about my kid's school than you do.

That sounds great.
Much like my public school.

That's wonderful. I know I find it gives me a lot of peace of mind to be happy with the decisions we have made about our child's education. I am glad that you are happy with your choices too.

[Anonymous]

I've known a few PS teachers who moved into a private setting after retiring. So they are receiving their full benefits and making a nice living working 10-months.

It's a win-win.

But they're rare. At this point, the PS systems eat their own and very few newbies stay through retirement.

I'm 10 years out and don't think I can stay for much longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've known a few PS teachers who moved into a private setting after retiring. So they are receiving their full benefits and making a nice living working 10-months.

It's a win-win.

But they're rare. At this point, the PS systems eat their own and very few newbies stay through retirement.

I'm 10 years out and don't think I can stay for much longer.

+1000 I will definitely be going the private school route. I love teaching and I'm very good at it but the wacky things we have to do to satisfy admin and CO are wearing me down.

[Anonymous]

I wish I could afford to work in a private school. I'm so sick of the BS in public school.

[Anonymous]

Good to know it's not really a pay problem in public school. If you're willing to move to private you obviously don't need the extra money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good to know it's not really a pay problem in public school. If you're willing to move to private you obviously don't need the extra money.

Actually, it is a pay problem in public. That's where people are not connecting the dots. The closer that private school pay gets to public school pay, the more attractive privates become, then add in the much shorter school year schedule, the more agreeable parents, the better work-life balance and you have a winner. Ding, ding, ding!

At my school and many of my friends' schools there is a huge gap. Either teachers cycling in for one or two years OR the old-timers. There is no one in the middle except a couple of people who hung on by their fingertips to make it past probationary status but they should have not have been signed for a second year. This should be scaring the pants off of the school boards and all the central office folks but there is not a peep coming out of their mouths. I think they have no clue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Good to know it's not really a pay problem in public school. If you're willing to move to private you obviously don't need the extra money.

Oh there is a pay problem but nobody cares. The only people I know who can afford to teach in private schools either live a home with their parents or who have spouses with a high salary. I can barely pay my bills on my public school salary but at least I am not dependent on someone else.

[Anonymous]

In my experience, it is 50% less.
Worth it to me because we can live on my spouse's salary, and my paycheck goes to savings and extras, including tuition.

At our school, the parents are very invested in the success of the child and the success of the school.
There is a lot less arguing and there are no federal mandates.

There is less stress, the children are respectful because it is priortized.

I work at a faith-based school and feel like my mental/spiritual well-being is a priority. At public school, we made a lot of decisions to avoid being sued, like not using a child's actual name in an email. I found it made teachers and parents detached from one another.

In public school, I am also heard teachers refer to kids as "IEP"s, like, "I have 25 students and 2 are ESOL, 3 are IEPs". My kid had an IEP and I didn't like children being referred to as a burden, but the mindset was stuck. At private, we have kids with language needs and learning issues, but we say, "Jenny needs to sit up front" not "Put all your IEPs near the desk," which sounds cold but that was my take away, and not why I went into teaching.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree that private schools have more resources and better training than the public schools. Not at all true.

I was just thinking the same, especially about the resources.

I have taught in a public school for 24 years and have never needed anything that wasn't provided. Everything I have requested beyond that has been provided by the school.

Shhhh...you're spoiling the narrative. You're supposed to talk about all the stuff you buy and bring to class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I disagree that private schools have more resources and better training than the public schools. Not at all true.

I was just thinking the same, especially about the resources.

I have taught in a public school for 24 years and have never needed anything that wasn't provided. Everything I have requested beyond that has been provided by the school.

Shhhh...you're spoiling the narrative. You're supposed to talk about all the stuff you buy and bring to class.

Maybe rich counties like FFX and MCPS have enough money for all of the supplies you need. The parents will gladly send in more too. Not all districts have such wealth.

[Anonymous]

Privates can pick and choose their students. At my private, they immediately expell students on the first instance of a serious behavior problem (drugs, alcohol, violence) and eventually if they talk back to teachers or have consistent problems which don't resolve. Students have even been expelled for repetitive cheating.

So, less salary for the teachers, but significantly fewer problems. Those kids are sent back to public school.