Teacher pay (San Antonio, Austin, Anton: insurance, how much, house)

[2BTeach]

I am going to school to become a teacher but I am questioning the career path because of the pay. I know I want to be a teacher but I don't want to be struggling financially in the future. If anyone out there is a teacher do you mind disclosing how much after taxes and insurance is your average paycheck. Thanks

[jkmjuarez]

You will be fine as a teacher. Well in my eyes you will be. I am not going to disclose how much pay checks are, because that is private information. But if you go to any of the SA school district websites, go to employment, and find the salary schedule. Most school districts (larger ones) are starting at $40K or above for 1st year teachers. It is amazing the difference when my husband started working 8 years ago - 1st year teachers were starting out in the high $20's. Crazy!

The benefits are usually good, you have to (no choice) contribute to your retirement account, and of course the hours and days you work per year are wonderful having summers off!

I would gage that if you had insurance for yourself, gave the standard amount towards retirement, and with taxes out - you would be looking at around 22% off the original salary on a monthly basis.

DM me if you have more detailed questions - my husband has been a teacher for a while now and I am graduating in October going into teaching also. Teaching is a hard job, but well worth the rewards from the kids! You just have to find your nitch on what you like to teach!

[Lauren0319]

I taught for 6 years (loved it!!!) in Ft. Worth. Last year, my monthly "bring home" was around $2,800. That did not include insurance (got that through my husband.) Not bad for 10 months of work
HTH!

[fierce_flawless]

Two of my close friends are High School teachers and one has taught in SA for a long time, the other did but has now moved to another city.

Both live comfortably. Both travel every summer. Both are single moms. It seems to be a fairly secure career path. Both have taken their kids to Europe, Africa, Greece, etc. They live fairly frugally to afford this but neither are doing without or living dirt-cheap by any means..

[shenane]

There are a lot of people in San Antonio who make well below what teachers make and they are surviving. The cost of living is quite low here (even our gas is cheaper than lots of other places). I'd rather make a little money doing what I want rather than a lot money doing something that I'm not interested in. I can live without the 42 inch HD TV and 3K SF house
Good luck

[1StarRanch]

I'd have to say, don't be a teacher for the money. Be a teacher because you want to make a difference in someone's life. Just my opinion.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by 1StarRanch

I'd have to say, don't be a teacher for the money. Be a teacher because you want to make a difference in someone's life. Just my opinion.

I don't agree with that. If I did, I'd still be a pre-k teacher making 8 an hour.

Saying that is like saying "Don't consider at all if a potential partner is attractive". It's unreasonable... everyone should of course choose a mate who is trustworthy, kind, strong character, etc., but does it hurt that they are easy on the eyes?

Do we tell doctors not to pursue higher paying paths for the money (i.e. surgeons)? Nope.

Teacher pay is decent but not excessive. I doubt we have a ton of people flocking to it to get rich. Teachers should not have to worry about how to feed their family or have a basic decent lifestyle though (which is why I am not a pre-k teacher)...

[annie_annie]

First year teachers with 0 years experience are making a little over $45,000/yr with a bachelor's degree. $46,000/yr with a masters. (NISD link here) That's not bad pay considering you have every holiday off and summers off.

I know people with master's and PhD degrees that make less than that and work 12 months a year and make several thousand dollars less than that a year. Teachers' salary is no longer the low man on the totem pole.

[jkmjuarez]

You have to remember too that if you are bi-lingual, coach, or any other type of teaching in a "special needs" field - you will get a stipend also. It can really put your salary up there!

[buffy888]

Are you planning on staying in the San Antonio area to teach? If so - and if you are planning to teach in public school rather than private or charter - the range for a first year teacher is $40K to $45K (NISD is one of the highest paying districts and would be around $45K as mentioned above; Southside pays $40K; other districts fall somewhere around these figures). If you want to teach at a Catholic school in the area, you will be closer to $26K. Charter schools in the area pay all along the spectrum - I know of one which is paying just about state minimum ($27K) and one (KIPP) that pays higher than the highest district due to the extended hours and Saturdays you teach.

If you are staying in the area, the teacher salaries are quite decent and you can make a reasonable living. You will spend some of your salary on supplies, books for your classroom library, etc. (and despite what I read in another post in this forum, it is not overly common for districts to give you any money to spend on these types of things - you're on your own), but you will soon find ways to hopefully not bust your budget with this. You can claim $250 on your taxes for what you spend for classroom supplies, but all of the teachers I know spend much more than that. I guess it depends on your district, what you have starting out, parent involvement, etc... And you do have MOST holidays off (although I know I was driving to work on Memorial Day when most other folks were at home - your calendar can also vary with your district) and most of June, all of July, and a small bit of August off (again, varies with district - some do have professional development in the summer - plus as a new hire, you will probably go in a few days before everyone else for extra training/orientation).

I am one of those people who used to work 12 months a year in a corporate position, but I made much more than I make now. I know several other people for whom teaching is also a second career - most also made a larger salary in their prior career. The reduction in salary is a tradeoff for the joy you can experience as a teacher and the fact that you truly can make a difference. There are tradeoffs in all careers and obviously there are other careers which can also make a difference in the lives of others, but if you feel drawn to teaching, then it probably means you are meant to do it.

If you are planning on living outside of S.A. but still in Texas, the salaries can vary. The state minimum for a teacher with no experience is $27,320, and smaller districts throughout the state do pay in that general range. Other major cities have relatively similar salaries to those in San Antonio (I believe Austin is slightly lower).

If you are planning on living out of state, definitely research the salaries. Some are quite a bit lower than they are here. Others are about what they are here, but cost of living is much higher.

Good luck with your decision.