Next week I begin Semester 4 for my M.Ed in Administration and although I love the program and I am excited to get my admin. license, I am nervous that the program isn';t really worth it. For me, this is my second masters degree (Bachelor's in Mathematics, M.A. in Math Education). The draws to the program for me was the MA + 30 scale increase and the prospect of applying for A.P. jobs in the next 3 - 5 years. My only fear are the student loans. Everyone tells me the loans will pay themselves off (especially with how well AP's and Principals, get paid around here), but I can't help but worry... Sorry for the random post, I just needed a place to let out my stress as I take a break from reading for my courses.
I once did the math on how many years it was going to take for the pay increase for a masters to equal the cost of getting a masters. It was quite depressing LOL. But, that aside I congratulate you on setting a goal and putting in the hard work to achieve it. Hang in there! Jodi
It will be worth it! I don't know about your area but if it's anything like my hometown, the principals there make 6 figure salaries!
I'm starting year three as an AP and will be making slightly under 96k. Principals make much more, though!
I make 103K for September thru June....Admin doesn't make much more than that when broken down on a monthly basis.
6 figure salaries around here too, which was an incentive to the program. I make just over 58k right now. Starting AP salaries around here are in the 80k range and can get into the 100k's with years/experience. I am doing the program very slowly for financial reasons and I will finish my last semester Spring of 2017. I plan on hitting the job market not long after. I don't know how long it will take me to find a position, if ever...that is one of my fears. I have tuition reimbursement, but even so...school is expensive! the amount i get for tuition covers books for two - three classes!
Neither have I, and I work in one of the highest paid districts in CA. Teachers can top out at around 90k, but that's with several decades of experience + a MA degree.
It's common in my hometown. I grew up in New York in Westchester County. Teachers with 15 - 20 years experience make around 115k with Masters degrees.
Yes. General Ed, elementary teacher. 15 years in district, MS Ed with 60 additional credits. I'm in one of the top paying and top performing NJ districts.
I'm in the same boat, almost done with my administrative credential and 2nd MA. APs in my district make $96k, although we are a special ed district. This will give me a $30k increase. My MA will pay itself off within two years if I get hired immediately. I'm not sure I can be hired right away because position vacancies are few and far in between. One was posted recently and there were 40 applicants. I can apply to other districts, but I really want to stay within my own district. If I don't get hired right away, those loan payments will be more than I can afford. Ugh!
THIS. is the reason why I no longer live in Westchester county. I grew up my entire life Bronx/Westchester area and when I student taught in a westchester school, when I was in the final weeks of May the Department chair asked if I was interested in a job. I said YES and I was ready to get the paperwork done for hire but they found out I would not have my NY License until August because I had 1 more class to finish up that June/July. The AP and Department chair wanted to hire me but the Superintendent wanted the position filled before summer started and they had an applicant that was of equal level. That is my what if.... 7 years later and I am teaching in Virginia and hopefully will be an AP someday...
Linguist will attest to this, too, since we live nearby: The cost of living in our area of CA is incredibly L-O-W! For example, my home was built in 2005 and has upgraded everything! My mortgage payment is only $980/month (3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms and 1700 sq feet). Even as a classroom teacher--although I only made about 70k/year, I was able to afford my home, drive a new Benz, and pay all my bills (meanwhile, living comfortably). If I lived in San Francisco or Los Angeles, though, I'd never be able to afford a home. One bedroom apartments run well over $1500/month.
Sounds good on paper but the COL is the downside. I hate the heat of the South but I like McMansion living and as a teacher I won't be making the $$$ to get the same kind of house on either coasts. Unless someone can find me something without a horrible commute.
Yes but there is a catch I live in one of those top performing high paying districts. All of the parents are 110% involved in the school, are well educated, and very demanding. There is always a tradeoff. If you make 6 figures in teaching, you are very lucky. I have friends who retired from NYC when the pensions were good, and make almost 6 figures with their pension. They are lucky, things have changed. Teaching is no longer a haven. There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you are in one of those districts it is almost impossible to get in now(unless you know someone). Maybe 15-20 years ago it was fine, but not now. In the last few years, GPA requirements as well as Praxis requirements have skyrocketed GPA is now 3.0, and Praxis is much harder). 15-20 years ago, you took the NTE and got a license. I have multiple certs, 2 masters degrees, job experience and I am having trouble finding a spot. IT is almost as if districts want the less qualified people. I hope not. When I went back to school I was told that I needed connections, but I didnt believe it. Now I do. I am sorry I went into this profession, and I am thinking of getting out and going back to the business world.
Getting a job in this area is so crazy! I have a physics degree and a masters in teaching physics and five years of private school experience (well qualified and super cheap!) Finding a job? Nearly impossible.
Wow! These salaries you guys talk about... Starting teachers in the Houston and Dallas areas (which are nowhere physically near each other) make around $50,000. A teacher with 20 years experience and a masters (with no stipends) only makes about $62,000. Starting salaries for admin are around $70,000 with the potential to get in to the $90s. However, our cost of living is really low. A 1 bedroom apartment in a safe area is about $800. Doable, if you're a new teacher with no kids. A nice, newer, 2000 sq ft home in a good suburban area in Houston costs about $200,000. Not impossible for a married teacher with a spouse who makes as good or slightly more.
Our salaries top out at 85K for about 31 years of teaching AND we live in one of the most expensive places in the country.
NJ is unique in that... It is smaller than NYC, yet there are 650+ school districts, each with a BOE with a building and staff, superintendent, etc. So a district with one school can have all of the above. To me, it is an incredible waste of money but apparently everyone else is happy with the status quo. There is a lot of corruption, and also the districts are like night and day, with rich districts outperfoming poorer districts in spite of equal funding. Having said that, a teacher in one district can make more than a principal in another. The local school boards vote on that stuff, and surprise, surprise, they can be corrupted as well. A district near me has state monitors at their board meetings due to "misappropriation of funds". Anyone who is on the gravy train does not want to get off, and they keep it going. There are many poor districts that receive loads of money, yet their students cannot pass the HS proficiency exam.
