re: Elementary teacher salaries at private vs public

quote:

---

I have to ask.. why does she do it? Does she just prefer teaching that much more over an office job?

---

I always find that an odd comment. It's as if no one should want to be teachers knowing that the starting pay and earning potential is far behind what is found in many other fields. Yet, teachers are among the most important jobs in our society.

For staters, it was her first full time teaching job after school, and at the time most school districts were not hiring. She had been working as a recruiter at a for profit school while looking for teaching positions. It actually paid well, and had great potential for advancement. She was very good at it, but it wasn't very fulfilling. We eventually moved to a new area for my work, and she was offered that Catholic school job.

Sure it payed much less, but she was finally doing what she wanted to do. She's home now with our son because we can't really justify putting him in daycare with that type of salary.

Sure, she is incredibly frustrated at times because she works her arse off as a teacher. This includes staying several hours late each day, and going in on weekends. This is why I laugh when people talk about how much less teachers work.

She's Type A, very bright, and sometimes I secretly wish she had gone to law school like her sister. She'd be much better compensated for burning the midnight oil. My wife is considering public school jobs when she goes back, but now she's unsure because we live in EBR again.