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Location: Fort Bend County, TX/USA/Mississauga, ON/Canada
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What are some of the highest paying school districts in the U.S.? I'm graduating from undergrad soon & about to go for my M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching) & I'd like to know what some of the highest paying school districts are? I am also considering Primary Teaching aside from Secondary? Are they based solely off of experience or by educational background (ie-bachelor's, M.Ed, etc.) Can anyone help? Thank you.
In our school district the pay scale is solely based on your education and teachers are often preferred with just a Bachelors degree instead of a masters if they have the same amount of teaching experience. That is, there is no advantage to hiring someone that's had one year of student teaching but has a masters and they have to be paid $50,000. compared to someone that has a bachelors, the same one year of student teaching and would start at $44,000. There is no difference in pay if you teach elementary or secondary.
I think you are going to find that where there is a high pay scale, there is a high cost of living and fierce competition for jobs. Just my 2 cents.
Also, areas with high pay also tend to be high cost of living areas.
Agreed. They can balance out.
However, where I work, the district will often hire the person with the Masters over another. You aren't required to receive it, but they always want to know when you plan on getting it. The district can tout the qualifications of the staff.
You will most likely get the highest salaries in Northern NJ, Western CT, and Long Island, Westchester and Rockland Counties in New York. But as others have said, these areas are all very expensive to live in and competition for jobs is brutal, especially in nicer areas. (I've heard of some positions in affluent districts getting close to 1000 resumes.) But, teachers in these areas can start at close 50K and top out at 100K or more. Benefits in these states tend to be among the best as well.
In most school districts, salary is based on your level of education and experience. I don't think I've ever seen a district pay different salaries to teachers on one level vs. teachers on another level (primary school teachers vs. high school teachers, for example). All districts have a BA level, and almost all have an MA level. Many have doctoral levels, and many have salary guides for people who have earned extra credits beyond the BA or MA levels. (A lot of districts are phasing out the guides that offer increased salaries beyond the BA level, however. The next step up from a BA in these districts would be an MA.)
I currently teach in an urban district in Northern NJ. It's easier to get a job in an urban area, but still a challenge, as the pay is on par with wealthier districts, and sometimes applicants are subject to shenanigans that tend to happen more often in urban districts. (Losing applications, saving positions for the superintendent's daughter, making you do a demo lesson with the toughest class in the school, etc.)
What are some of the highest paying school districts in the U.S.? I'm graduating from undergrad soon & about to go for my M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching) & I'd like to know what some of the highest paying school districts are? I am also considering Primary Teaching aside from Secondary? Are they based solely off of experience or by educational background (ie-bachelor's, M.Ed, etc.) Can anyone help? Thank you.
I think you need to know the cost of living also. Maybe NY pays much better than TX, but you can have more for your money in TX (just an example xD)
Anyway, IDK if someone, considering all the above, has concluded what's the best state, city or district for a teacher to live? and how does a teacher live in an expensive place? I have a friend who's a teacher in NYC, working in a private school, but she only was able to afford living there thanks to her husband. She told me she even can't pay her things at the end of the month because living there is so expensive, even with them living in a tiny apartment. Are teacher from expensive places married to people making good money only or there are other stories?
Here's the tricky thing about getting a teaching job. If you are looking for a job in a popular area, you are competiting with people that are certified but each state has it's own unique certification rules and hoops to jump through - and it's not cheap. College board not only makes money with the SAT's but also with state Praxis tests and most states want you to take their tests. Your college will make sure you are certified for the state you are in but most likely will not have a clue about what other states require. And some of the Praxis tests are like the SAT's - only given at certain times a year.
If I sound a tinge frustrated it's because my daughter did some hoop jumping to get her job here in PA. It took her two full months to get her PA certification and that was with the superintendent of the school district pushing for it.
Texas is overrun with elementary school teachers. There's no teacher shortage for those jobs unless you speak Spanish, then your're good. School districts in this area (Dallas, TX), start around $45,000, I think.
You also need to consider benefits. In Nevada, (up to now anyway) they paid retirement and health insurance for the teacher. That adds a lot to what you bring home. Also there is no state tax. (Of course now they are having huge budget problems, and something's gotta give. Also certification from out of state is a total nightmare.) Another thing to consider is how much supply money you get in your district. If you're buying pencils, paper, rulers, etc. for your classroom out of your pocket, it really adds up.
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