<p>I am a junior in college and I am really thinking about being a middle or high school ESL teacher (in the States for now; plan on working overseas professionally years down the road). However, reading stories about budget cuts, teachers being laid off, and just the future prospect of finding employment as a teacher seems rather depressing. </p>
<p>Should I just stop while I am ahead and find another career choice? I talked to teachers and some of them even told me to find a different career choice. Not the type of talk I want to hear at this point, but should I be realistic and find a job that would allow more security?</p>
<p>What sort of thing are you considering that would offer more security? Is it something you want to pursue in studies and career? I know a lot of engineering majors who started out in the field mainly because of the job availability, pay scale and job security. The job security isn’t that hot anymore in that field and many just couldn’t stomach the courses needed to become an engineer. It’s not a field one blithely picks just because of the job security. </p>
<p>I suggest researching what sorts of jobs are that secure and what it takes to get them. The list is pretty danged short and the jobs that are left often have onerous requirements.</p>
<p>If you want to teach because you love imparting knowledge, you might want to stick with it, but you need to be creative. . My daughter got her BA in '06 and her credential and masters in '08. She is employed as a HS English teacher in a public continuation high school. I think the hook is that she did her student teaching at a continuation high school; once she had her credential, she had schools calling her. She never even applied at the District where she was hired. They contacted her. She absolutely loves her job and is so glad she did this. She has a friend who is just finishing his credential in special education, and he is already getting job offers. I think that with the current atmosphere, it might be necessary to research what jobs are available and then steer your credential that way. In our area, math and science middle and hs teachers are in demand, but anything else is tough. My daughter has several friends who have still not found permanent positions and are getting by on substituting. Her close friend took a position with a private school, but the pay and benefits are not great. </p>
<p>You need to think about what concessions you are willing to make and what can give you a unique edge. You may find it would be necessary to move to areas that are not on your radar. You will definitely not get rich, but if you enjoy your job it would be worth it. Just make sure you do a lot of research before you decide.</p>
<p>ESL will likely continue to be a useful certification, although you’ll be competing with all of those laid off teachers with more experience. You might try adding math/science cert. just to increase your desirability to districts.</p>
<p>I really question whether the majority of people trying to go into teaching could get certiifed in math. Some, yes, but I wonder. As to science, bio/chem/physics also doubt. NYS has certification in Earth Science, which basically allows kids to combine 30 credits in Intro courses ins geology/oceanography/astronomy. While that is possible, I suspect that will get crowded. </p>
<p>For kids who want to get in the more in demand districts, advice afriend of my DDs got was in addition to math/science was work where your parents live – especially if taxpayers vote on budgets there and be able to coach a sport.</p>
<p>Being certified in math may not help much. My kid graduated in 09 and cannot find a secondary math position. She’s living and subbing in Wisconsin. Hopefully the $3K pay cut that WE teachers will be getting now thanks to Gov. Walker will inspire a few teachers to retire. Kiddo says that teachers in their late 50’s will now only be making a little over $100 a week more than they would be receiving from their pension.</p>
<p>Teachers are being laid off and retired teachers are not being replaced all over the country, but I’m thinking that parents will get so fed up with large class sizes that that may change in a couple of years. If it’s your dream, go for it, but have a back-up plan. Get certified to work in a med. lab drawing blood or something that wouldn’t cost a lot to train for but help in the job market.</p>
<p>Doesn’t that explain it all? Is the problem the salary or the current benefit structure? Stories of fully-loaded early retirement or double-dipping by public employees are getting close to the obscene. </p>
<p>Having to pay about 6% for the taxpayer’s portion of social security or pension is not a pay cut. It is simply a return to normalcy. Asking to contribute 12 percent of the cost of a health plan is not a pay cut. It’s something that the overwhelming majority of workers in the country would dream about. </p>
<p>In addition to the information available at <a href=“http://dpi.wi.gov/lbstat/newasr.html[/url]”>http://dpi.wi.gov/lbstat/newasr.html</a>, there is a widely available presentation about the salaries in Milwaukee. The average salary of just under $57,000 will also surpass $100,000 when including the benefits in 2011. Ten years ago, the average salary was $42,736 and the total benefits amounted to $14,943. This is simply untenable for any district or state in the country, especially when considering 180 to 195 days of actual work per year. And, if taxpayers would support the notion that deserving teachers also deserve a higher pay scale (I do) I do not think anyone can justify a painter costing a school district close to $100,000 per year. </p>
<p>We are witnessing major changes in the access to the teaching profession, and they are not coming a day too soon. Performance pay will go to the competitive teachers who are earning credentials in the sought-after subjects. Stability will come from performance. With higher pay, schools might start hiring competitively, and universities will no longer target the lowest qualified in all undergraduates to fill their education colleges, and such programs will actually become totally redundant and a relic of the past.</p>
<p>I have been working in elementary, middle and high schools for about 20 years and when I read the title of your thread, my first thought was “no”. My S is just like you and wants to teach. I tell him that it is rewarding and wonderful to be with students and be effective in helping them learn HOWEVER the job of teaching in our public schools is rapidly becoming a physically impossible task. The demands are not possible for a person to meet, regardless of their competence, training, gifts, and enthusiasm. The spectrum of students you are asked to teach, the spectrum of needs you are expected to address, and the level of growth/achievement expected of your students regardless of other factors they (and you) cannot control - is amazing. In a large comprehensive HS, the counselors are dealing with students who deal drugs (not just use at school), gang violence, students who have criminal records and therefore special accommodations at school (i.e. a student who is a registered sex offender must have a specialized plan for when and where to use the restroom), weapons and other contraband on campus, and a host of other issues that the average person just doesn’t think of as part of “school life”.
It’s hard and it’s getting harder.
And my district is cutting 600+ jobs next school year, and closing several schools.
We NEED good teachers and you sound like one - but you have to view it as missionary work or public service - it is not just a job. I love my students. We feed them breakfast and lunch, I sign up their families for health care, I arrange dr and vision care and dental visits, I supply them with school clothes and supplies, I work with them to be sure that when they are homeless they don’t have to change schools. We provide FAFSA help in four different languages to help parents understand that college is possible. And in all of that - we also learn math, reading, and next week we are having the opera come and do an assembly at the school. It’s wonderful! It’s the best job in the world! But it’s hard. And in my district, many of us are on the chopping block. I love my work, but the state of public education makes me want to cry.</p>
<p>Let me add that in my district there is no magical pension - it is a 401k type deal just like everyone else. I have no health insurance through my employer because it is too expensive for me to take part. Not very many places are as Xiggi describes (not saying his info is not accurate about WI)</p>
<p>While I agree that some teachers have over-the-top health and retirement benefits, please be aware that this does not apply to all of us.</p>
<p>As a public school teacher in California, we all contribute 8.5% of our salary to our retirement. Health benefits are negotiated district by district, but my share of health benefit premiums is 67% — my district only pays 1/3 of my heath care premiums.</p>
<p>It IS true, however, that police and firefighters have very, very generous retirement and health benefits all throughout California. It is also true that certain cities (such as San Francisco) have very generous retirement and health benefits for all of their workers.</p>
<p>The 2011 information for Milwaukee is not hard to find via google.</p>
<p>PS Thank you, Camathmom, for the comparison with California. I only used the WI references because the developments in WI have been all over the news.</p>
<p>Agree with xiggi: it’s not the pay that teachers bring home, it’s their benefits that are outrageous. What erks me to see is how one thoughtful/involved/helpful/nurturing teacher is paid the same as the one who reads her style magazine while the kids sit through a movie during class.</p>
<p>Salary-wise, you can’t beat it. Benefits. Summers off. Yet it’s still about $75K+</p>
<p>xiggi–you said it very well. I have had many teachers, in many districts, as my clients over the last 25 years and your post was spot-on for those teachers in those districts. I did the tax return last week of someone, retired at age 55, drawing $35,000/yr retirement. She paid $200 of that in. Don’t the rest of us wish…</p>
<p>In my school district, of the 185 days/year contracted, teachers are also allowed 20 personal/sick days per year. Don’t we wish…</p>
<p>Single premium health ins. paid. Tenure for life at 3 years…they are also very well paid for my rural midwestern county.</p>
<p>Although these things are finally coming under scrutiny, I believe teachers (and other gov’t workers) will continue to enjoy more benefits than those of us in the private sector. If your child would love to teach, I would encourage it.</p>
<p>One thing about teaching. There is currently very little respect for the profession of teaching. </p>
<p>I find it very interesting that all of the news about Wisconsin focuses on the outrageous health and pension benefits enjoyed by teachers. There is total silence on the health and pension benefits of police and firefighters (who are, by the way, completely exempted from the law authored by the Gov of WI).</p>
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<p>Oh, and by the way, I have yet to make $59,000. This is in California in one of the areas with the highest costs of living. </p>
<p>There is a lot of misinformation out there.</p>
<p>Although I love my students, I would not recommend this profession for a young person who has other options.</p>
<p>Again, Camathmom, you are absolutely correct. As usual, we are witnessing a political game that shows the hypocrisy of the system. The police and firefighters made a deal with the new majority out of pure self-protection. The unions that opposed the election of Gov. Walker are now paying the price, so to speak. However, the unions are also paying the price for their never ending affinity for belligerence and extortionary tactics. And again, as usual, the unions leaders will come out of this mostly unscathed; the teachers a lot less, especially in the respect department!</p>
<p>I have a friend who is an English teacher in a Chicago suburb. She’ll be the first to tell you that the pay isn’t great and that the other benefits kind of suck. But, she LOVES her job and she’s really good at it. She loves using alternative methods to teach the students appreciation for English (like using graphic novels or using rap to teach poetry), and she spends her summer planning new and exciting lessons.</p>
<p>If teaching is what gets you up in the morning…that might be worth the pay. And bilingual/ESL education is always in high demand - I live in New York and they are offering bonuses to bilingual/ESL teachers and the starting salary is pretty high here ($45,000 - not amazing, but enough to live comfortably in New York, and I know because I live on a lot less).</p>
<p>If you want to be a teacher…be a teacher. There is a need for qualified ELL teachers in many school districts. As others have mentioned, teachers in math, science, and special education are also shortage areas. If this is the career path you really wish to pursue, go for it. Teaching is a fine profession. It is very rewarding to work with students and their families.</p>