How can one live off a teacher's salary?

Hey. I'm 19 years old and I'm in my first year of college. I've realized that the one thing I could 100% see myself doing - if I really wanted to, and am pretty sure I do - is being a teacher. Now, the only thing that is on my mind is the pay. How can one live off of the salary of a teacher? How can I make ends meet? Will I be living paycheck to paycheck? Are there any teachers who have gone down the road I seem to be seeing myself go down too?How can one live off a teacher's salary?
Brutal honesty: the first few years are going to be tough, though it will depend on the economy. Right now, $30,000 a year doesn't look all that bad, though it did a couple years ago.



The best part of that smaller salary is usually the benefits package that comes with it. You may not be that worried about insurance or retirement that much when you are 22, but trust me...when that first baby comes along or you have a car accident, the insurance is a good thing to have (and becoming rarer and rarer in any other profession).



Advice: shortly after getting your job, begin working towards your Master's degree. Most teachers' unions operate with a salary schedule, and you will find it a slow, slow wait to get old and actually get that salary up to a range when you don't need a roommate (or can afford a family). Moving over horizontally with additional graduate credits or a Master's really rushes that process along, and you will make that amount or more the rest of your career.
Check out these websites listed under "Sources", for the year 2008 the average salary for a teacher in the United States was $51,009. Although teacher salaries are not going up fast as they could as they are only a little below the annual increase in the CoLA (annual Cost of Living Allowance) the money is definitely enough to live on for one and in some cases two.



For every degree you get past your Bachelor's degree you are paid more money, not a lot, but a little more. The same is true if you teach in one of the shortage fields (Special Education, Mathematics, Science).



Good Luck ...How can one live off a teacher's salary?
I can tell you that I always had more than one job while teaching from telemarketing to retail. I stumbled into tutoring though and that really helped as I could make $50 and hour to supplement my income (in fact, I could make more tutoring during exam week than I made during a month teaching). There were also opportunities at school where I could earn a little extra cash. I enjoyed the tutoring and although I have now left the classroom to do consulting, I still work with my tutoring students.



The salary varies by city and state - and I am not sure who is making 40 to 50 as a first year teacher - here in Texas they start about 31,000 or so.



No matter, teachers don't go into the profession for the money, and if you go into knowing that, you can make it all work.
I'm not sure why everyone things that teachers make so little. Their yearly pay isn't awful. The point that most make is that they aren't compensated for time put in. Good teachers often find themselves working until 7pm, preparing for the next day or grading papers etc... so for the actual time put in, they aren't compensated. However, average starting salary is around 40-50 thousand, and if you get your masters it's more. You could easily live off of that unless your parents are rockstars and you're used to a fabulous life of swimming in champaigne...How can one live off a teacher's salary?
Trust me, it's not as hard as you might think! I'm a first-year teacher, teaching special ed. I make 33,300 a year. I live in a two-bedroom apartment with my best friend, so my half of rent is only 350 a month, plus utilities/cable/internet, all that. Plus I have to pay cell phone, car insurance, and all of that. And I'm doing just fine. I still have spending money left over, even after gas and groceries and all of that. Then again, I don't have a family to support.



You'll never be rich, but you'll be able to live comfortably. You won't be paycheck to paycheck, trust me.
i think so...aim for high school teachers..preferably math and science those are the ones that have a less chance of getting laid off
You will still be able to save some of your money as a teacher if you share expenses with someone or live in a modest apartment.

In Virginia, the starting salary is approx $39,000 per year.

You could also work over the summer for extra money.

Read this:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos069.htm



The traditional route to becoming a public school teacher involves completing a bachelor鈥檚 degree from a teacher education program and then obtaining a license. However, most States now offer alternative routes to licensure for those who have a college degree in other fields. Private school teachers do not have to be licensed but still need a bachelor鈥檚 degree. A bachelor鈥檚 degree may not be needed by preschool teachers and vocational education teachers, who need experience in their field rather than a specific degree.



Contact your State Department of Education:

http://www.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/i鈥?/a>



Pros:

You'll never be bored.

You get to see children improve at something.

You can make your job better by how much you put into it.

You have creative control over how you teach.

You get summers off.

You get 2 weeks off at Christmas.

You get 1 week off in the Spring.

You'll get insurance and salary enough to live on your own.

You will learn how to be an adult.

You will learn how to set boundaries and take care of yourself.



Cons:

It's VERY demanding emotionally, and mentally.

Depending on the age you teach, kids will eat you alive if you don't know how to handle yourself.

You'll need to spend some of your own money for supplies.

You won't earn enough to buy a home unless you marry someone who also has a full-time, good-paying job.

Unlike many of your friends who work in offices, you barely have enough time to pee, or make a phone call.



Good luck!



Yam King