Becoming a Teacher: The Hidden Costs

Maybe you don’t think too highly of teachers. Some say, “If you can’t DO, teach,” implying that teachers are those that cannot be successful in a particular professional field, such as medicine.

Maybe you have the utmost respect for teachers, realizing that they do a job that almost none of us want: dealing with kids all day long.

Maybe you are jealous of teachers or think they are overpaid because they only work 10 months and get too much time off: holidays, Christmas break, spring break, and 2 months of summer vacation.

Maybe you are thinking of becoming a teacher in order to reap the aforementioned benefits…or because you want to make a difference and you loooooooove children.

Let me inform you about some the hidden costs of becoming a teacher. (These may be different in your state.)

1. Graduating with your Bachelor’s in Education (or any other random degree!), you probably have student loan debt like the rest of the country. You are enticed by the loan forgiveness programs offering to get rid of $5000 of your student debt for teaching in a critical need subject area, or a high-poverty school. Please realize that you must commit to teaching for 5 years before you reap the benefit.*

*The average new teacher burnout is 3 years.

2. Okay, so number 1 doesn’t bother you and you decide that getting into teaching is the quickest and easiest job you can start off with in order to make some money (until you decide what you are going to do with that Biology degree). You apply for a teaching position and upfront you will incur the following fees:

a. Transcripts $2-$10
Hopefully you only went to one college, and that college gives transcripts for free. The school district must have all of them on file.

b. Fingerprinting $50-$80
Yes, you must undergo a State and Federal screening to ensure that you aren’t a pedophile!

c. Licensure $50-$80
Whichever subject area you are qualified to teach in requires that your degree history be evaluated by some governing body of education. You must pay that fee for each certification area.*

*If you get a temporary license, you will pay the fee. When that expires in a few years, you will pay the fee again to get a permanent license. When you get further training or knowledge and wish to add a subject area, you will pay the fee again.

**Oh yeah, and you have to mail them your transcripts, too.

3. Alright, so you paid all that money and you are excited about being hired and getting your classroom. Now you need to decorate and stock up on your supplies. Each school has budgets for the various departments. The departments use some of the money to buy supplies that the teachers can utilize. Chances are that you will be right at Walmart, Target, and the Dollar Store trying to accessorize. You know that you will get a small stipend eventually.*

*The beginning out-of-pocket supply cost is at least $100.

**You will continue to spend $100, and $100, and $100 throughout the year until you realize that you shouldn’t loan out pencils and paper.

4. You made it all the way to Christmas break and have 2 weeks off to celebrate. After New Year’s, you realize that your check wasn’t as large as the others.*

*No, teachers don’t really get paid for all the holidays and vacations. They actually get a temporary lay-off figured into the calculation; and then the other days are averaged. This reduces the pay and makes you think that every day equals money.

5. The end has arrived and you received your last check. If you are good, you didn’t use any sick or personal days and they are added as an end-of-the-year bonus. Wait a minute, YOUR LAST CHECK?*

*Teachers must enroll in 12 month pay plan if they expect to get paid over the summer.

**Maybe you skipped that option to make your pockets fatter during the school year. After all $32k isn’t a lot of money when you started off in debt.

6. The school year has culminated and you strategize by seeking career advancement through the pursuit of a Master’s Degree in Education. More education equals more pay.*

*The difference between B.Ed and M.Ed is $2/hr. The difference between B.Ed and PhD is $4/hr.

7. Don’t you dare try to quit or get fired over the summer!*

*Teachers aren’t eligible for unemployment compensation because they are “guaranteed employment” for a subsequent school year.

8. Maybe you should have substituted first, then you wouldn’t have been so caught up in the system and the bureaucracy.*

*Substitutes also, must send in their transcripts ($) pay fingerprinting fees ($), and on top of that, the training is not paid(-$).

Now, you are fully informed about the hidden costs of becoming a teacher. Teachers do NOT make good money if you factor in everything that they must pay for, and everything that they must deal with. It is the lowest paying professional career. Sure, it can be rewarding, but how long can you afford to be broke?

(Please click here to visit an excellent teacher pay break-down article.)