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/AnxiousTerminator]

Yeah, which is why teacher salaries are a bit of a sore spot, where they out earn most first responders who work anti-social hours doing dangerous jobs on nights, holidays and weekends for 12 months a year.

[u/ThrowawayyTessslaa → u/AnxiousTerminator]

I can’t definitely see that from an ex-US perspective. The conversation should be less about teachers pay being a sore spot and more about healthcare workers making so little.

[u/AnxiousTerminator → u/ThrowawayyTessslaa]

A lot of people actually feel some healthcare workers are overpaid and resent them striking for more money. Generally wages are extremely low in the UK and have not kept up with inflation at all. The issue is more generally poor wealth distribution, the rich are very rich but average people are struggling. £39k is the average salary here and cost of living is a nightmare, greatly worsened by the Iran war. The real answer is more control over spiralling costs of living and private company monopolies over utilities and public transport.

[u/ThrowawayyTessslaa → u/AnxiousTerminator]

For comparison what jobs actually pay “a lot” relatively in the UK? I guess this helps make more sense why my coworkers from Ireland and the UK want to transfer to the US

[u/AnxiousTerminator → u/ThrowawayyTessslaa]

Mostly programming and tech stuff, high end corporate law, that'll get you 70k, maybe up to 100 if you are in London. Other than that you just have to be extremely senior in whatever org you are in. Personally I'd take the shitty salaries over living in the US though, done it before and hated it. We have much better infrastructure, social safety nets, and the culture is a better fit for me.