If you’re thinking about majoring in Education (to teach K-12), here’s what you need to know:
- You may be used to hearing much worse numbers, but about 17% of teachers are no longer teaching after five years. About 10% quit after the first year.
- Teaching is a more than full time profession, and many, if not most, teachers don’t really have the summer off. The typical work day is around 12-16 hours for many teachers, although that varies within semesters. Don’t go into teaching if you want easy work. You don’t get overtime pay.
- The highest paying states in 2016-17 were New York ($81,902), California ($79,128), and Massachusetts ($78,100), with Mississippi ($42,925), Oklahoma ($45,292) and West Virginia ($45,555) paying the least. You might note how these numbers will inflate average teacher salaries nationally, as two of the highest paying states are also the most populated states. Follow the link above to get information about your state.
- Teachers across the country generally feel disrespected. If you’re thinking about teaching, you’re in it for your students, and those who manage to keep teaching do so because they keep their eye on that prize. Speaking as someone who chaired a Master’s degree program with a lot of teachers, I can vouch for this myself.
- K-6 teaching is more manageable in terms of disciplinary action than middle school or high school, depending upon area, so keep that in mind.
- If you’re thinking about High School teaching, in many schools that’s almost a double major, as you need both education and subject matter training. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics for more information about high school teaching as a profession.
My advice for people thinking about teaching?
- First, get a sense of being in a classroom as a teacher through internships no later than your junior year if at all possible. That’s when you’ll want to change majors if you change your mind. Some students do.
- Next, no matter where you teach, income will be relatively low compared to cost of living. That means avoid getting your education degrees at expensive, private colleges. Attend much lower tuition public colleges and avoid debt as much as possible.
- Finally, if you’re really called to teach, nothing else will quite satisfy. Don’t let the information above discourage you. But go into it with your eyes open, and research the best districts in your state wherever you may work. Definitely attend college in the state in which you want to work.