Do elementary teachers in California make decent money?

Question:I am a single mom and thinking about going to school. I have always had an interest in being a teacher but want to make sure it pays enough.

Answers:
It depends on where you are in California and what district you work for. First year teachers in the district that I work for start at about 50k. The salary cap is at about 95K. It is a decent amount, but compared to the other Silicon Valley people who get 10% ore more pay increases, it is very depressing. We're going into a negotiation year so it will be interesting to see what happens.
It depends on what you consider decent money.

If you are a beginning teacher in a public school in California and have a Master's degree, you may start at $38,000 per year. That sounds OK until you realize that your peers in other fields who have an equivalent education start at $45,000 and up. After ten years of teaching you may be up to $62,000. Wow! However, your friends in the other fields have now doubled or even tripled their income. In a private school you will make even less. So while your friends are moving into McMansions, you will be fixing up that run-down condo in a not-so-good-area. After twenty years of teaching, you may be in the $75,000 range. That's where it tops out, so no matter how much longer you work, it won't be much more than that.

However, there is more to teaching than money. The amount of satisfaction that you get from seeing those children "get it" is priceless. But unless you really really want to be a teacher, this may not be enough.
my mother is a teacher and she says she makes 2,000 dollars a month. Theres a choice..you can make a lot during the school year and not get paid during summer or you can get paid all year long but less. Its all the same, though..GOOD LUCK!!! oh and this is in the bay area
In our district, the pay scale caps at about 72K. My friend made that much after a few years of selling cars, and she didn't even have her college degree yet.

However, I've had enough money to get a nice apartment, drive an okay car, and feed my family, so it's a matter of perspective: how much is enough? It might be worth it to have a schedule that is close to your kid's.
It is district specific. Use www.edjoin.org if you want to find out what jobs are available in your county (and specifically what may be available in the future). They also have links to school websites which usually publish their pay scale.

Don't forget to think about benefits. Schools usually offer great medical benefits with little or no out of pocket expense and good retirement.

This article contents is post by this website user, EduQnA.com doesn't promise its accuracy.



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