3 Ways Teachers Can Get a Pay Raise Today
by Guy E. White on 13 October, 2014
How do teachers with the same experience be paid so differently?Early in my career, I found myself scrambling to make ends meet. How could it be that I was finally in my career yet financially worse off than when I was managing a burger joint? One conversation changed everything.
As a teacher, I have one of the coolest careers I could desire. Every day, I am stooped in the sandbox of “changing lives and impacting futures” (to quote my mentor Richard Parkhouse). However, one of the most challenging aspects of my job is that my impact upon lives does not typically match the impact my job has on my wallet. Restaurant managers are making more than I am! I know this because I used to work in that industry.
When I was a new teacher, I attended numerous conferences and professional development seminars throughout the country. It was at one of these events that I had a conversation that had a huge impact upon the way that I see teacher pay, and how to go about making the most impact upon students’ lives while still making the most impact upon my family’s financial universe.
After speaking to some fellow seminar-goers, I discovered that though our years of experience in teaching were the same, our pay was drastically different. Through this single conversation, I discovered three ways I could almost immediately increase my teacher pay.
Here are three ways to increase your pay as a teacher:
1. Register for Continuing Education Units
Every teacher attends conferences and seminars at the request of their employer at some time in their career. Most of these conferences offer continuing education (CE) units that you can pay for. You pay about $250-$350 out of pocket once, turn in a corresponding assignment to the affiliated university, and then receive a transcript with the units promised. Most teachers can get a pay increase by accumulating a specific number of units after their bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral work. So, register for these if your district offers pay increase by education level! They add up quickly!
2. Become a National Board Certified Teacher®
Many (not all) districts offer incentives for teachers that affirm the highest level of professional certification for teachers offered in the United States: the National Board Teacher Certification®. You pay a few thousand dollars up front to begin the process, complete a series of challenges, and get certified. This can take a couple of years. However, some districts offer stipends to HELP you become certified. First, check to see if your school district incentivizes this certification. Overall, consider how you could use this at your current district or as another way to distinguish yourself as you look for work at a higher-paying district.
3. Stop Giving Your Life Away
A final way to immediately increase your pay is to do your job better within the time allotted by your contract. For me, teaching is my calling – but so is being a great financial and fatherly/husbandly steward for my family. By doing BETTER within the time you are paid for, you not only serve your students better, but properly align what is (1) being required of you, with (2) what you are being paid for. Administrators, district personnel, and, frankly, your peers, may need to re-evaluate what is being requested of teachers and if that matches a wise use of time and money. It is the tax-payer’s money after all.
Remember, always check your school district’s policies about pay-increases before you take action.
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