[Recentgrad08]

Hi all. I've been offered a position in the Clark County Public Schools. I don't have details as to where I would be working because I have not yet accepted the offer. The starting salary I was offered was a little over $39,000. This was drastically lower than the starting salaries where I am currently living. I was informed that there were opportunities to possibly add between 4-8K per year to this salary depending on how many additional days of the year round schooling I might be able to provide therapy. In the coming days I will probably have more questions but right now I want to know if I can even afford to consider this job. I am 23 and single. I will only need a 1 bedroom or studio. I would love to live in Las Vegas but I don't want to be too broke to enjoy it.

[VegasGrace]

Sure...but ask for benefits...maybe even if you sign a contrat they pay off your student loans.

Salary isn't the only 'pay' when it comes to paychecks.

[Recentgrad08]

Originally Posted by VegasGrace

Sure...but ask for benefits...maybe even if you sign a contrat they pay off your student loans.

Salary isn't the only 'pay' when it comes to paychecks.

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely ask about student loan forgiveness. This is my first "real" job .

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Recentgrad08

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely ask about student loan forgiveness. This is my first "real" job .

Here is the deal. Las Vegas school teachers generally start poor. But they do better over a few years.

You can get by on your salary particularly if you augment it a little. What they are likely suggesting is substituting when not on an active track. You can add a good bit to your income.

You can also pick up some tutoring in the system or part time work outside the system.

Be a little busy your first couple of years but you will get by. And Vegas is a nice place to be in the early twenties.

[radraja]

You should be able to live comfortably, especially if you only need a small one-bedroom apartment. You won't live like a king, but you will be comfortable.

And like olecapt said, even though starting salary is low, CCSD workers tend to end up making a lot of money over time. And you can always supplement your income until then if you wish (although you probably won't need to).

[Recentgrad08]

Originally Posted by olecapt

Here is the deal. Las Vegas school teachers generally start poor. But they do better over a few years.

You can get by on your salary particularly if you augment it a little. What they are likely suggesting is substituting when not on an active track. You can add a good bit to your income.

You can also pick up some tutoring in the system or part time work outside the system.

Be a little busy your first couple of years but you will get by. And Vegas is a nice place to be in the early tweinties.

Thanks for the advice. Luckily I will be practicing speech pathology and after I finish this first year which for us is kind of like a probationary period before you are fully certified, I should be able to pick up some part-time work. Before that, I'm not above whatever other kind of job I may need to do to make ends meet. I just wanted to make sure this salary wasn't hopelessly low for the area. I have had several friends and family members mysteriously insist that they will come visit me to keep the homesickness away if I move to the Las Vegas area.

[Recentgrad08]

Originally Posted by radraja

You should be able to live comfortably, especially if you only need a small one-bedroom apartment. You won't live like a king, but you will be comfortable.

And like olecapt said, even though starting salary is low, CCSD workers tend to end up making a lot of money over time. And you can always supplement your income until then if you wish (although you probably won't need to).

Thanks. Not living like a king or a queen in my case won't be a big adjustment. I am fresh out of grad school and have forgotten what other food groups exist beyond ramen noodles and coke.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by Recentgrad08

Thanks for the advice. Luckily I will be practicing speech pathology and after I finish this first year which for us is kind of like a probationary period before you are fully certified, I should be able to pick up some part-time work. Before that, I'm not above whatever other kind of job I may need to do to make ends meet. I just wanted to make sure this salary wasn't hopelessly low for the area. I have had several friends and family members mysteriously insist that they will come visit me to keep the homesickness away if I move to the Las Vegas area.

That is the only problem with the one BR apartment. When one moves to Vegas "they" feel obligated to come and make sure you are OK. Check out the nearest Casino and learn their rates. And then refer the visitors to that. They will be both shocked - that you would refer them to a Casino - and pleased that they don't have to bunk on the coach.

They will go home telling tales on your wild life.

So enjoy...

[ndb3]

You're being low balled, probably because you're a new grad.

Find Jobs - Health Svcs. ( Nurse, OT, PT, Psychologist, Speech Pathologist ) Jobs in Las Vegas, NV - Clark County School District

My wife is an Occupational Therapist and has worked with Speech Therapists at SNF's, and said that you should at least be somewhere between $25-30/hr. if you wanted to work at a Skilled Nursing Facility. Home care pays the most, about $75/visit, however there is the expense of gas and not sure how busy Speech Therapists are with home care, and of course you would be working with geriatrics.

Speech Therapist Jobs in Las Vegas, NV on CareerBuilder.com

You can also check out craigslist for jobs. Let me know if you have any questions about a particular facility. Unfortunately my wife doesn't know much about working with CCSD.

[ndb3]

Also make sure you ask for a sign-on bonus, you should at least be able to get $5-10k...