How much money does a teacher earn?

Answer 1

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, "median annual wages of kindergarten, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers ranged from $47,100 to $51,180 in May 2008; the lowest 10 percent earned $30,970 to $34,280; the top 10 percent earned $75,190 to $80,970."

According to the American Federation of Teachers, beginning teachers with a bachelor's degree earned an average of $33,227 in the 2005-2006 school year.

Ultimately, a teacher's salary depends on a number of factors:

• where they are teaching (cities, states and countries)
• what level they are teaching (primary, middle, senior or tertiary)
• level of experience and how many years they have been teaching
• their area of specialty
• number and types of qualifications
• set wage rises within an industry, and within the country

Salaries vary by state, city and district. If that was not enough, within a state, a city and a district, every teacher earns a salary based on years of teaching experience and education level, or other incentives offered by the state, city or department for which that teacher works.

More input from Answers.com contributors:

• I have a masters degree and I am a first year teacher. I make $66,000 a year, before taxes. Some of my colleagues have been teaching for 15 years and make well over $100,000 a year. It definitely depends on where you live. These are figures for Long Island, New York.
• I have the equivalent of a doctoral degree, have been teaching for 15 years and only make $61,000 per year, before taxes.
• In Oklahoma some teachers at public schools are starting at 28,000 per year.

  As an Australian teacher who is in the category of "senior teacher" but who does not (by choice) hold any Head of Department positions, my salary is currently over $80,000 per annum and it increases every year.