Nurses salary vrs teacher's salary

ERNurse752, RN · Nov 30, 2007

Eh, teachers' hours aren't really all they're cracked up to be.

They take home work every night during the week. Grade papers and tests all weekend. Prep for the next week over the weekend. Often have required extracurricular things on weeends. Meetings during breaks. Parent meetings. Parents emailing them and calling them all the time, wanting STAT responses. Have to buy their own supplies for the room. Buying food to keep in the room for the parents who don't feed their kids. And get paid no extra for any of it.

And, like nurses, are expected to perform miracles with no resources.

At least we get to clock out and leave work at work, most of the time. And get paid extra for staying over.

KatieM123 · Nov 30, 2007

I'd assume like nursing it all depends where you are. In upstate NY most teachers start 35-40K my mom just had her 30 year anniversary and now makes 70K -- which includes a few administrative responsibilities she took on writing some projects for her district. My mom loves being a teacher and having the holidays, though she has always had to work all summer to pay the bills, but school districts aren't much easier to deal with than any other work place. Recently she got a new principle and after 30 years she dreads work every day. Plus you can't switch districts so easily in NY -- your seniority has to stay with you and unlike nursing that isn't a plus because they'd have to hire my mom at 70K and a new teacher would only make 35 -- guess who they'd hire? So she couldn't leave her district if she wanted to and expect to get a job. The retirement in NY is fantastic for older teachers , newer not as much. You also have to have a masters degree in NY -- and you must get it with in 5 years of your BA. So everything looks nice from the outside, just like all the nurses on the forum my mom doesn't really recommend teaching nor did she encourage me to teach....it's a calling I think

onlyhope · Nov 30, 2007

in the cincinnati area my mom who has a masters degree in education and has worked at the same catholic elementary school for 16 years only makes $32,000. pretty crappy

KatieM123 · Nov 30, 2007

In NY my cousin works for a catholic school with a BA and a masters in teaching and makes $19,000. She knows she should get out and go to a public school but she enjoys the smaller situation she has and since she can afford it with her modest life she's stayed there

vamedic4, EMT-P · Nov 30, 2007

There was an article in our local paper about a teacher who just lost his job for "fratanizing" with a senior student. The paper states that his base salary was $67,000 a year. My reaction was:idea: I started to do some math. Based on 185 day/year school year that is $362.16/day. OR 45.27/hour. No weekends, no holidays and summers off. Hmmm, maybe I am the stupid one.

After what I've seen in my father, an elementary school teacher for 30+ years, they earn every dime of their pay...and I promise you that in many if not most places - it's nowhere near the above amount. And teachers don't get yearly raises the way some health care workers do...and many teacher's salaries are tied to city/county/state budgets...yet another way to keep them from earning all they could.

vamedic4

And dad always had to have a summer job to help support the family...so NO, they don't get summers "off". Not by any stretch of the imagination.

allnurses Guide · Nov 30, 2007

my sister in law, when she started out in Columbus OH, only made about 23,500 a year. That was about twelve years ago though. I think she's making quite a good bit more now, but she busts her a*s and doesn't have a lot of left-over income.

Trophywife81 · Nov 30, 2007

I am a former high school English teacher. I worked in that capacity for three years, and the highest I ever grossed was just over $40k. Yes, I had 2 months off every summer, and 1-2 week breaks for holidays, but I routinely worked 60-hour weeks (for which I did not receive overtime). The job always follows a teacher home, because there are lessons to be prepared for the next day, papers to grade, etc. And no matter how long you stay at school, there is never enough time to get it all "done." Additionally, the atmosphere at most high schools is simply appalling, with teachers being at the low end of the totem pole in terms of respect, autonomy, and support. Not that nursing always scores an A+ on those points either, but at least I will get paid for each hour that I have to endure those conditions, and when I leave work, I'm not bringing a stack of grading home with me.

Incidentally, after I finish with LVN school in May, I will earn approximately the same amount of $$ with a one-year vocational certificate that I ever did with my four-year English lit degree. Go figure.

llg, PhD, RN · Nov 30, 2007

It really depends on the school and the teacher's career path. For example, my sister taught 2nd grade for years in the same public school system. After the first 2 or 3 years, she had all of her materials organized so that she brought very little work home with her. All her lesson plans and materials were well-organized and all she had to do each year was update them and make a few modifications -- which she did at her convenience over the summer. She was then able to use her "free periods and planning time" to grade papers, write reports, etc.

As for money ... she always earned less cash than I did/do as a nurse ... but she always had significantly better benefits. For example, she never had money taken out of her check for health insurance: the school system paid 100% for her Master's Degree and she got raises as she earned additional adademic credits and certifications that were all paid by the school district.

She was able to semi-retire at age 52, with her public employee's pension guaranteeing her 60% of her salary for the rest of her life, adjusted annually for inflation. She works part time as a substitute now to earn an addition 10-20% of her old salary. She also teaches a course or two each year at a local college. So, working part time, she has a full time income. She and her retired school teacher/administrator husband play golf at the country club 3 or 4 times a week and they spend a couple of months each winter renting a house at a golf community in Florida.

Yes, I always earned more cash than she did -- but she got the overall better compensation. Assuming she lives a normal lifespan, she will be paid almost 2 years salary (considering her pension) for every year she worked.

When she semi-retired at age 52, her salary for the school year was in the mid-50's. This is in a small town public school in Pennsylvania.

S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN · Nov 30, 2007

Well my starting salary is almost $20,000 more than the starting salary for a teacher around here. Plus, I can pick up overtime if I want/need the extra money. Teachers can't exactly do that. Well, maybe tutoring on the side, but you can't get too many hours doing that (and still have time to prep for lessons). Also, I can leave my job at the end of the day and be done with it. Sure emotions may hang on some days, and as a new grad I spend a fair bit of time looking stuff up, but thats it. Teachers have daily lesson prep, marking, report cards, etc. Sure, their vacation time is 100% better, but I like the idea that should I choose to, I can take 3-4-6 months off to travel, and know I'll be able to find a job somewhere when I get back without much trouble. I think our top pay is about equal, but they have way better pensions.

Katnip, RN · Nov 30, 2007

Plus, teachers need to have at the very minimum, a bachelor's degree. Many, many states are starting to require a Master's, and I have yet to find a teacher getting tuition aid from work to get that degree.

llg, PhD, RN · Dec 1, 2007

Plus, teachers need to have at the very minimum, a bachelor's degree. Many, many states are starting to require a Master's, and I have yet to find a teacher getting tuition aid from work to get that degree.

I think the oppoiste it true -- at least for public schools and/or schools that have collective bargaining. My sister got her Master's totally paid for plus a few extra courses. My 2 brothers-in-law both got Master's degrees and doctoral degrees paid for by their school districts. The taxpayers have deep pockets.