how much do teachers make and how hard is it to get a job?
479247
There is a shortage of high school teachers esp for science, math and special ed. Look at the websites for the schools in your area to see the salaries
311239
Our teachers are underpaid and whiny i would suggest you look elsewhere... if your heart is set on it california needs teachers badly,  but with a masters degree i would imagine u start off at 35k/ year heres some websites.\nhttp://www.teachforamerica.org/flash_movie.html\nhttp://www.risenetwork.org/teachers.html\nhttp://www.teacherssupportnetwork.com/Home.do
52426
Generally speaking the further north and/or you go the better the salaries are. Some norhern states had signing bonuses almost double their annual salaries a few years back. It might be worth checking into. Also, a lot of northern states don't want to hire inexperience teachers (so I've heard), so if you have experience you might have a leg up.
1154128
Sadly, we don't value our teachers enough in the US, as reflected in the salaries offered. Most US college graduates have student loans to repay. And if you add to it another year or two years to get the graduate work needed for state certification, that adds more to the debt. As a result, many American teachers start off already at a huge disadvantage, and its not like they're looking at the possibility of huge raises over time, either.\n\nOnce they do get started teaching, shrinking school budgets force them to work more with less resources (more students per class, sometimes not enough books or even seats or classrooms!) The burnout factor is really high.\n \nHowever, qualified bilingual teachers can be recruited from other countries because the starting salary here for teachers (grade school and high school) is already much more than what they would be making in their own countries. Conditions for teaching are probably considered an improvement over what they're used to, especially if they come from overcrowded or impoverished areas themselves. Plus, they would be getting the chance to build lives in the US and perhaps even get a green card and sponsor other relatives to come over.\n\nIts actually a very creative solution to make sure that our kids are getting an education while longer-term strategies to recruit and retain locally are developed.
852972
I teach in a small rural school in IN.  Our system starts a new teacher @ $30,000 per year with more for taking on extra duties.\n\nA teacher in the well-to-do burbs of Indy starts out around $40,000.
542130
My experience is different from the previous description.  My first year of teaching was in 1969, when my total annual income was less than $10,000.  Depends on location, of course, but 1960 salary would be less than that.
197564
Teachers are underpaid and underrespected and overworked, its no wonder that there are going to be problems finding GOOD teachers in the coming years.
450268
As a teacher, I think our salary is meager.  Are we underpaid, probably.  This however, is not exactly the financial concern that most teachers have.  \n\nSomeone has already responded, "They still have the guts to ask for more funds" and then in the same response this person has pointed out that the classrooms, textbooks, and the physical environment of the school is deplorable.  I, and most other teachers, would agree wholeheartedly.  The financial increments that most teacher would most like to see is not in their own paychecks, but in the education system as a whole.  If more money were allocated to education, schools would be more aesthetically appealing, textbooks would be current and not falling apart, class sizes would decrease, and classes would be able to take more educational field trips.  More money devoted to education would make a teacher's job easier to do as well as creating an environment more conducive to learning.  As it is, teachers are underpaid because we have very few resources to work with.  Most teachers spend hundreds of their own dollars annually to teach their students.  If however, the education system as a whole were given more financial and physical resources to work with, I believe the salary would be less of an issue.  These are changes that most teachers would prefer rather than an increase in salary.
705917
No, all teachers are paid on a step scale. But perhaps you heard that physics teachers earn more because they are in demand. For example, let's say we just hired an English teacher and we also just hired a science teacher. It is possible to hire the science teacher at a higher step on the scale (more money) while the English teacher might start on step 1. That would be an enticement to get the science teacher since other schools might also need him/her.
821767
WA state teacher's pay is in the top quartile of the national average. As for it being a living wage, it depends on where you live: the Seattle area is very expenisive compared to other parts of the state. I live in Vancouver, WA and consider the area to be very affordable. Oh, and there is NO state INCOME TAX! AS for ESL, I don't know about that but I do know there are large numbers of non-native speakers of English in SW WA.
817211
It all depends on where you live in the country and even what school system you are in.\n\nhttp://www.payscale.com/research/US/All_K-12_Teachers/Salary
586527
Building might be $150/sq ft to build. Teachers...figure at least $50k a year in salary and another $15 or so in benefit cost...per teacher. Property costs? Well, that is really up for grabs.\nHeating and cooling?? figure $10k a month.\nInsurance? I have no idea.\n\nHow big a building will you build? And, why aren't taxpayers supporting it?
705170
Teachers have been getting paid too much on the "high end" of seniority for quite a while now. Starting Teachers are making anywhere from 27-34K plus full benefits, not cheap ones either, for working just over 1/2 of a year. Many Teachers also work second jobs, not so much for the need to earn more money than the want, and are mostly in Professional type jobs making top wages there also. There are actual College Professors, I am sure not too many though, that make less than School District Teachers. The Teachers, through their Union Representatives, have informed the School Districts that within a certain amount of years they want to be making almost double the salary that they are now and do not want to pay towards their health coverage. Teachers are already , in many areas, getting "extra pay" for Parent / Teacher meetings which had always been a part of their regular job description. Where else can a person work 1/2 of a year, get vacation and sick time, an excellent pension, repayment and then raises for taking required College courses to keep up to date or to advance in thier careers, full and complete healthcare benefits with zero copays and zero contributions, practically guaranteed raises every year...one way or another, and don't have to work that hard usually? I won't even mention what some of the Teachers do instead of Teaching their students many times. So, are Teachers underpaid? Not at all. You cannot compare State to State or even different areas of the same State because of so many differences in demographics and wage disparagy, and to anyone who turns in another Professional career to make less and work harder as a Teacher, I have no sorrow for them as it was their choice, they can choose to return to their old job if they want! Must be some reason why they don't! Taxpayers do not have a quarter of the benefits nor half of the pay as Teachers in most cases, and surely do not get 1/2 a year off either. Many places do not have sick days anymore and certainly do not offer many vacation days. Health insurance in the real world usually costs the employee $60.00 or more per week just for themselves and doesn't cover much, and to insure a family would cost one worker in the family their entire pay each week at least if not more, to have insurance that doesn't cover everything! Teachers make plenty, don't fall for their crying.
316121
Every state sets its own guidlines for teacher salaries in public high schools. Generally, you are not paid by the hour. The state of California says that beginning teachers should be paid no less than $38,000 per year, but that is a guideline, not a law.
942066
Teachers are one of the lowest paid professionals in our society.  If you are thinking of going into teaching to make a small fortune, then you should probably start with a large one!  Most teachers pay for many of their classroom supplies out of their own pockets.  Don't go into the teaching field in the hopes of making a lot of money; it probably won't happen.  Do it because you love it and feel it is your calling, otherwise, I'm afraid you'll soon move on to greener pastures!  Good luck in whatever you do!!
1176137
Teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District start at $43,054 if they have no college units past their bachelor's degree and no teaching experience.  The highest salary I found on their salary schedule is $75,541 with a doctoral degree and at least 30 years of teaching in the district.  It sounds like a lot considering the average teacher's salary in the US is somewhere in the $30,000 range.  But you have to remember that Los Angeles has a very high cost of living.  An average 3 bedroom house there costs at least $500,000.   I lived in the Greater LA area and made $57,000 a year as a fifth year teacher in a small Orange County school district.  I moved out of the area because I couldn't afford to buy a house.  Hope that helps.
26937
Jobs for teaching (in my opinion) are more competitive, low paying and not even about learning than ever. Now the goal is not for the kids to learn OR enjoy themselves. It is to pass the standardized test.\n\nBeing a teacher would be great though. I reccomend teaching at a private school, charter school or at your own school (where you could be a principal and a teacher).\n\nI know someone who started their own school. The kids come to her house everyday for three hours to learn. She and the kids both enjoy it, and she's made a ton of money.