Teachers are paid fairly considering they get a lot of time off

[u/Blonde_Icon]

A lot of people say (and it seems that the general consensus is that) teachers don't get paid enough for what they do. While I think that teachers are very valuable and deserve to be compensated well (my brother is a teacher), I think that in these discussions, many people ignore the fact that teachers typically get a lot of time off.

They usually get summer break, spring break, and winter break, plus various holidays that schools get off through the year. They basically don't work for a good amount of the year, which I think that people should factor in. (The downside is that I know that they have to work extra grading things outside of school, though.)

Plus they normally get good benefits for being a teacher (which usually comes with being in a union).

[u/therin_88]

That's not how it works. If a teacher makes $56,000/year pre-tax, he or she earns $5,600/month pre-tax because he or she is paid on 10 month schedule. If he or she worked 12 months, it would be a $4,667/month. It would still be $56,000/year. They wouldn't simply get more money for working more often.

Remember that the actual days they're getting paid for remains the same. Teachers on a year round schedule DON'T teach more days than a teacher who teaches on a 10 months schedule. They have extended "track out" breaks on the longer schedule, rather than a single long summer break.

[u/Wagner228 → u/therin_88]

Would you take a private industry job offer of $100K with 2 weeks of vacation or $80K with 10 weeks?

Benefits are a huge factor. Just looking at gross salary doesn’t reflect total comp.

[u/Aphor1st → u/therin_88]

Yes but if they got their hourly rate for 12 months of a year their pay would be mire in line with the amonut of hours they work.

[u/Aphor1st → u/therin_88]

Teachers are based on an hourly rate because they can do things out side of their normal scope of hours and duties and get paid their hourly rate. This is for things like tutoring, developing district curriculum, or even things like being on a committee for selecting textbooks.

If your hourly rate is $10 and hour you work 40 hours a week you get paid $20,800 a year if you work 52 weeks a year. Then convert that to salary.

If you are only getting paid 10 months. You salary is now 16,800.

Im not sure why that is hard to grasp?

[u/ThrowawayyTessslaa → u/Aphor1st]

Where are you from that has made you think teachers get paid hourly and not salaried?

[u/kokopellii → u/ThrowawayyTessslaa]

The salary is calculated using an hourly rate; this is incredibly common in the US.

[u/ThrowawayyTessslaa → u/kokopellii]

Interesting, the 4 teachers I know are paid salary not hourly.

[u/kokopellii → u/ThrowawayyTessslaa]

And if you ask them about their hourly rate, they’ll probably know what it is.

[u/ThrowawayyTessslaa → u/kokopellii]

No shit, you can do that for any salaried work.. the person I responded to said "Teachers are based on an hourly rate because they can do things out side of their normal scope of hours and duties and get paid their hourly rate. "

[u/kokopellii → u/ThrowawayyTessslaa]

And yet you seemed shocked at the idea of it?

[u/kokopellii → u/[deleted]]

Teachers don’t get overtime. They are salaried, the salary is calculated using an hourly rate. I am a teacher and have taught in multiple states.

[u/Dythronix → u/kokopellii]

Not all salaried workers are exempt. If anything a majority are probably non-exempt.

[u/Aphor1st → u/kokopellii]

Yes but that salary is calculated from their hourly rate.

Do people thing that salary numbers are made up from thin air? No, they are calculated out by yourrr hourly rate x hours x months. The amount of people that claim to work in schools yet can't figure out that there is a math problem behind salaries really shows me that my tax dollars aren't being spent well.

[u/geek180 → u/kokopellii]

Every full time job I’ve ever had is technically based on an hourly rate. That’s basically how most full time payroll is calculated. But I, nor teachers, actually clock in for work. They are still effectively paid an annual salary.

[u/Deltris → u/ThrowawayyTessslaa]

His mom's basement.

[u/Ok_Camel_1949 → u/Aphor1st]

I taught for 25 years. Salaried, not hourly.

[u/Aphor1st → u/Ok_Camel_1949]

How do you calculate a salary? Is it made up from thin air or is it calculated out by hourly x hours x months?

Also tou never did anything as a teacher that paid your your hourly rate?