This is a simple article with a simple purpose: to raise the level of discussion about the amount private / prep school teachers are paid for their service. I fully acknowledge that there are salary issues with almost every other type of teacher out there but this article is intended to focus the discussion on private schools. If you’d like to weigh in, participate in the comment discussions or mention @edudemic on Twitter or comment on this Facebook page.
$21,000. It’s barely a living wage and would be a terrific salary for someone looking for a job that requires little to no labor or thought. But that’s not the job that my wife was offered. She was offered a position to teach French at one of the best private schools in the country and in return for her dedication and hard work they were willing to pay her $21,000 plus put her up in a horrid apartment that was more like a haunted attic crawl-space than an acceptable living situation. All in exchange for spending 60-70 hours a week teaching, coaching, monitoring, and helping students.
The school’s name is not important. What is important is the fact that schools like this one do regular fundraising efforts that bring in tens of millions of dollars while claiming that most of the money is being spent on faculty salaries and benefits. At $21,000, it’s hard to imagine that this is actually the truth.
The Money Trail
So where does the donated money go? How can this school get away with annually hiking tuition by 5-8% to make it just as, if not more, expensive than most 4-year colleges?
The answer is simple: because new teachers looking to work in a private school are usually willing to take just about any salary as long as they get the job.
This needs to change.
How on Earth is a new teacher supposed to live, work and save enough with a $21,000/year salary to make it a viable career? It essentially traps the teacher into having to always work at a private school because they may not be able to afford to move to a place with a higher cost of living in order to take a job at a higher pay grade. If you’re not able to save, the cost of simply hiring movers alone may seem astronomical and force you into a sort of inertia that means you’ll never be able to leave your first-ever job. In this day and age, that seems ludicrous.
Author’s note: I went to a prep school. I know the background of most students and teachers. While some students come from meager means, many are from wealthy families that simply don’t understand the concept of living paycheck-to-paycheck. It makes me sad to think that teachers are basically in the poor house while some students get dropped off at school in Bentleys. It happened (a lot) at my school and in hindsight it makes me feel terrible for the teachers. However, since not all students are the same, this article focuses instead on the relationship between the teacher and his or her school rather than the discrepancy between incomes of teachers and students.
How Change Can Happen
It will start with one of the top schools slowly starting to offer teachers a more reasonable salary. Teachers should be paid and rewarded for their devotion and effort rather than taken for granted. If some of the top private schools in the country started offering salaries on par with dot-com startups or decent financial organizations, you’d see an influx of talented people looking to mold young minds instead of slugging it out on Wall Street or Silicon Valley.
Could you imagine if private schools offered starting salaries of $75,000/year? What would happen? The quality of candidates would presumably skyrocket and it would quickly become one of the most sought-after jobs in the country. While I don’t foresee $75k happening anytime soon, the idea is not without merit.
Weigh In
I look forward to the day where private school teachers (and other teachers of course) are paid a more reasonable salary. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort to raise the minimum salary bar at these institutions but everyone from teachers to parents to students should be on board with this idea as it will simply raise the quality of the educational experience.
What do you think? Should salaries be raised at private schools? What do you think would happen if the minimum offered salary jumped from $21k/year to $75k/year? The above statements were purely my opinion and I’d love to have yours.
Please share this with anyone you think would benefit from knowing the truth about teacher salaries and might want to do something about it. Thanks in advance. -Jeff
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I agree with your comments. I worked at an independent school for 5 years, making 20% less than what I would make at a public school in the same area. I stayed because it was a wonderful school with great administration and resources. I would be considered one of those "quality candidates" having done my undergrad and masters on full academic scholarship, finishing up at Vanderbilt University, the top school in Spec. Ed. at the time. I taught a few more months at a charter school (which happens to be another word for schools that pay teachers a pittance) and then left teaching so that I could make a living wage.
“What do you think? Should salaries be raised at private schools? What do you think would happen if the minimum offered salary jumped from $21k/year to $75k/year?”This statement (and most of this discussion) is only a misunderstanding of the Laws of Economics especially in regards to the understanding of a ‘price’. A price acts much like that of a thermometer. Why do we not hear the question, “What if we only raised the temperature in Antarctica from -25 to 50 degrees?” This question is very obviously ridiculous. A thermometer is only a signal level to another existing force temperature. Such is the same with the price of labor regarding the wage of teachers. A price is only a signal of the relative scarcity of a certain good and its subjective value by individuals. In this case, the good is labor of a teacher. All prices are past prices. What this means, is that no price is set until the transaction has already occurred. No one is forcing any teacher to accept this wage. If there were no willing participants to accept this wage, then the wage would reach a higher market price. It is a fallacy to assume that a school/employer SETS the price of a teacher. A 21k salary is only a price when it is accepted by a willing participant as an appropriate wage for their labor produced.
Here is where the REAL problem lies. The market process is very efficient at finding the correct market price for all resources…including labor. One of the biggest factors that can upset a market price is intervention and central planning-i.e. Government. The biggest reason that the price of labor for teachers seems so wrong, is because the market process is greatly hampered by govt. intervention in education. They artificially set a price for labor. If the market were allowed to find the price for itself, it would act just as efficiently as it does in any other industry that does not need their intervention. If the market process ran the education system, we would see a much more diverse field of education. Teachers price of labor would be decided upon by their correlative benefit to consumers. The smartest, best, brightest, most effective, and hard working teachers would be more highly sought after and lower in number. This would affect their price, causing it to be higher. Teachers with less skill, teaching more common subjects in lower fields of study would be higher in number and receive a correspondingly lower price for their labor. That is the problem with any government intervention into market prices. If the central planners cannot guess the market price exactly, then a price above or below will always cause false signals and create surpluses and shortages. You might argue, “But Marcus, we were not discussing public schools but only private ones, which operate under free market principles.” You are correct in your observation. However, the existence of the public schools are the exact intervention into the market process that hinders the market price. Private and Public schools are in competition for teachers, one is an artificially set price, this will always affect the market price generated from the one existing outside the bounds of the intervention. Teachers Unions are also another intervention. Without collective bargaining rights from governments, Unions would only operate if their were no other willing participants to accept at that given wage. (in school you were taught they are called “scabs” people willing to do the same work at the set price replacing another worker) Thus, Unions, through Govt. Laws, also upset the market price of labor.
My intentions have not been to say that teachers are illegitimate and I hope that the tone of my argument has not afforded you. My main hope is that you would be introduced to these free market principles and laws of economics, so much so that you would want to read and discover these truths for yourself. I am grateful to Ludwig von Mises, F.A. Hayek, Murry Rothbard, the Mises Institute, and a host of others who have changed my life and the way I view the study of Human Action in regards to economy.
Visit http://www.mises.org where you can find a host of resources on the topic of Economics, especially those inclined to a more ‘Austrian’ rather than mainstream perspective. My life and paradigm has been changed because of this introduction to these fundamental laws of economics that is misunderstood by the great majority of people and is relatively untaught in all school systems.
Marcus..you are dead on.
@MarcusBoehler
Your argument about the free market’s tendency to drive wages down is all the reason to make private schools illegal. The education of our children is far to important to be left up to the whims of the free market.
His argument about the free market was not that it drives wages down. Most people will take from a point what they believe most supports theirs and it appears you have done just that.
I would contend that Marcus has shown how to increase teacher wages not drive them down. You increase the value of a good by limiting its availability. There are so very many teachers that are simply adequate and willing to accept low salaries that excellent teachers salaries are driven down as well.
I understand you will most likely disagree; however, I encourage you to look beyond your current beliefs to study and understand Marcus’ comments. I believe that if you truly understand the free market your feelings toward it would change.
I got so angry, I forgot my main point! At the independent school where I worked, there was no transparency. Parents and donors had no idea how much teachers were paid and our salaries were confidential. Parents would get angry at us when there were tuition raises, but we did not see any of the money. I attended the opening of a brand new sports complex and wondered if any of the people that had donated thousands and hundreds of thousands would give money toward raises if they knew how much teachers made. My first three yearas at the school, I received cost of living raises, my last two year there was a pay freeze. My pay stayed right at the cost of one year's tuition for a student.
Thanks JMB, I completely understand where you're coming from. It's pretty wild that students and parents really have no clue how little teachers are paid to look after students. You make a great point that, if there were more transparency, it wouldn't be surprising to see parents actually donate directly to teachers rather than the school!
My private school, by contrast, is very transparent, and our salaries are very competitive with the local public schools. We make just slightly more than they do, using the same salary scale. So not all private schools are bad, but I did work at one in London (cough, cough Southbank) which paid teachers practically nothing and expected them to work like crazy. It was a nice place to work otherwise though, I just couldn't live in London with a family on what they were paying.
I work in Indonesia where teachers are usually categorized as either local teachers (like me) or expatriates (citizens of other countries). The Gap of salaries between the two categories are tremendous where i make $5400/year and an expatriate makes $15000 – $21000/year plus living benefits. Sometimes the local teachers like me wonders what happened to all the money. We have about 180 students and rising each term yet our salaries only gets a bump every year. I often do more work than the expatriates because being an expatriate means they are not used to the language and the culture. I have no problems with the expatriates personally but i am concern with the system that undermines the work of local teachers. Not all local teachers may perform as well as an expatriate but some like me can do what they do and more because i am able to communicate the local language and i understand the local culture.
It boggles me every time i think about this while i go back to my studio that cost about 1/3 of my monthly salary while some of the expatriates are going back to their homes rented by the school. I love teaching really, better yet I'm passionate about teaching and my students love me for that. But when my budget is on a deficit every month, I might have to give up this profession and go look for an office job.
Great comment, hopefully you won't have to give up the teaching career :-/
I agree with your ideas especially on the salary gap between expatriates and local full time teacher are tremendously huge.
If you work as a tutor for international school students, you will get a good payment but your status is not officially admitted as a teacher since you are working on a part time basis job.
Previously, I was working as a mathematics tutor for international school students and enjoyed my income so much but now, when I am working as a full time teacher for local school, I only get a quarter from what I usually achieved.
I understand that the salary between expatriates and locals can never be equalized but at least, the gap can be decreased.
All the best for the teachers around the world
I too have worked in the private school system for 14 years. When I started I remember getting paid below the grid, and that I had little or no job security. I worked extremely hard to make myself a valued employee. When you take out the union fees that didn’t have to pay, it was the third year that I was paid a comparable salary.
Did the low pay and lack of job security, force me to be a better teacher? Maybe. What I do know is there is a definite long-timers club, who end up with greater benefits and promotions that I haven’t broken into yet. Not sure if I want to.
Thanks for the post.
Agreed. Consider to become a private tutor or giving out private tuition is perhaps the another way to increase the earning for full time teacher.
Things I usually think about my teaching job and why I arrived to this web page.
-Everything starts because it is taboo to talk about salaries even among colleagues!
-The day I reach to 50K/year I will be kind of happy, after teaching for 9 years, I am on 45K.
-I work more than any of my friends and I know I make much much less than everybody else.
-I feel that the administration do not appreciate all the work I do.
-There is no way my family could live on my salary only.
-Sucks that I love teaching because I do not want to leave my job.
In our free time doing a private tutor job is good idea to maintain our pocket money.
<a href= “http://www.sampleforms.org/category/expense-forms”>Expense forms</a>
Sd
quick look at the variations between the requirements of Teacher operating in the ‘burbs and instructors operating in the inner city can probably describe the high dropout rates that has our country’s instructional management so considerably worried.
<a href= “http://www.sampleforms.org/category/expense-forms”>Expense forms</a>
Sd
I started my career at a Catholic high school in Las Vegas, NV (that pretty much narrows it down to one…). They were up front about the fact that they paid 20% less than the public school district and that the health care was designed for single priests, not people who were married with kids.
They were/are able to retain some fantastic teachers there who don’t have state-issued teaching licenses or who don’t want to deal with the issues of poverty that beset most of the school in Las Vegas, and the teachers who stayed there long-term as well as the administration were pretty honest about those factors.
They brought me on when I was in the process of finishing my credentials and licensure and treated me very well (for which I’ll always be grateful). However, when I became licensed, I moved into public education.
I don’t see how anyone can complain about this in the United States (I’m not sure how it works in Indonesia–best of luck to you, ikrsq). If $21k or $45k isn’t enough money, go get a job in the public system. I know that that isn’t easy, especially if you’re in a foreign language, Social Studies, P.E., or elementary school, but if you substitute for a while and build up your contacts and you’re willing/able to commute or move to a bigger/better job market you’ll land a job.
I am from India, where the Sixth Pay Commission was implemented since 2008. With the increase in the pay package, the quality of faculty has certainly gone high moreover, the institution’s reputation also increases for hiring well qualified faculties. USA is in dire need of similar Sixth Pay commission. This is strange to understand that you Americans don’t want to pay your teachers however, your corrupt politicians get to earn lifelong once they are elected senators and congressman. Are you guys all wanting to become politicians? if so focus there. All will have salary even past their retirement age. However, if you are serious and really want to impact your education aspect take teaching as a serious business or suffer the consequences of being a left-out nation!
I am a private school teacher. I’m in my 18th year. My first job… $17,000 in North Jersey. In two years that hiked up to $19,000, and I felt like I was floating on air. I left that job and went to another private school in Northern Kentucky. I took a $2000 pay cut, back to $17,000. Things have come a long way since the mid- to late-90s, and I’m now much closer to 40K than I ever thought possible….
However, it’s hard to make ends meet. My wife is a stay-at-home mom, making it harder. Yes, that’s our choice as parents, but it is what it is.
The flip side… Private schools struggle to stay in business without students, and raising tuition brings in less students. It’s not an easy thing to swallow.
What I find is that a lower salary means that you get some dedicated teachers. I don’t do what I do for the money. I do it because I am passionate about student learning. Don’t get me wrong. $75K sounds great to me. Sign me up for that school!
It is very sad. Here in Egypt the situation is exactly as you described. I’m an English & Social Studies Middle School teacher. I work at one of the best Private International Schools in the country. There are 3 tiers. Foreign, foreign local and local. The latter being the lowest paid. I was in the country when I took the job so I fell into the foreign local category and got paid less than a foreign teacher (even though I am a British citizen). The pay is the worst I have had in my career, but I am staying because I love it (so far). It’s only my first year and next year I have managed to get my 3 kids into the school, with a 70% discount on fees. Still takes up half my monthly salary mind you, but if I add the saving onto my wage it’s competitive. As a foreign teacher it would have been 100% discount.
I’m a good teacher. My kids learn to love my subject and to take pride in doing well. I coach them in how to study to get the best out of it. I listen to them and show concern (which they tell me is something rare). They come to ME to tell me about grades in other subjects because they know that I am as enthusiastic about them doing well as they are EVEN when it’s not my subject. I don’t blame them when they don’t understand something, I go away and think of another way to explain it. Does my school recognise this? Yes. Do they reward it? No. Many good teachers leave because the pay is too low. My AQC says, “no teacher is irreplaceable”. But some are. Not everyone is a good teacher. But Private Schools are a business and that saying of my AQC is a threat they use to say, “if you don’t like it, leave, we can find someone else.” And they can, but at a cost to the students. It’s very sad.
teachers are vastly overpayed and should by law be offering their services for free!!! Whilst working for free they should be living in poverty, living on pasta and rice with a sprinkling of veg that they found in a skip whilst hudled around a fire in a parking lot chating freely with other free thinking teachers
I like the discussion of market efficiency, but wonder at how relevant it is to teacher salaries. My parents both taught at boarding schools as second careers. If they had not both had lucrative first careers, the paltry teacher salaries would have deterred them. My husband teaches physics at a day school in Maryland. Most of the older faculty at his school have spouses that are in higher paying fields, effectively subsidizing the costs of being a teacher. I have seen print-outs of payscales for faculty at his school, as well as a couple of day schools in DC and conclude that a single teacher, unsupported by independent means or a spouse cannot afford to live anywhere near their job.
The secrecy surrounding salaries only seems to benefit the school administrators. If salaries were published, I believe both parents, students, and faculty would benefit. What parent would begrudge a faculty member with a PhD a higher salary than their illiterate nanny? Keeping the parents in the dark about faculty salaries doesn’t allow them to make an informed decision about purchasing an education for their children. At its most basic, a school consists of a teacher and a student. Everything else is support. But in our system, we have elevated the support, the administrators, who have become very adept salespeople. They keep the consumer in the dark(parents), the product as cheap as possible(faculty), and skim off high salaries for themselves. Quality demands transparency.
How did this terrible misconception happen to our people in the United States?
When you were 5 years old, at some point you asked your parents for some impossible gift like a rocket ship or a pizza the size of your house. Then, your parents had to explain to you that those things cost labor, technology and materials. We measure these materials with a currency, the price changes according to supply and demand.
Of course you being 5, you thought “I KNOW!” “Why don’t we just print off a million dollars for everyone and then nobody would ever be poor, the end.”
This logic was cute when you were 5. We’re adults now, when are we going to grow up and actually do the math? If raising a wage from 20k to 75k is such a brilliant idea, then why not raise it to something more brilliant like 900k? Anyone? Why don’t we raise the minimum wage to $8,000 per/hr for all MacDonald employees? The answer is obvious, that’s why.
Economics people. You can’t pull wages out of thin air, they have to be determined by the free market process.