Teacher salary statistics are not exactly dismal, but neither are they particularly motivating. If your sole objective in life is to make money, becoming a teacher is probably not the way to go. Just the same, students need good teachers, America needs successful students, and the salaries are respectable. In areas like the one in which I live, teachers make more money than does the average person. The average person in this area, however, would make more money if he/she had a more thorough education, and that brings us back to the point of our discussion.

While teacher salary rates have always been comparatively low, there are ways to improve a teacher’s compensation. One consideration rings a tone similar to what they used to say about real estate: location, location, location. On average, teachers earn about $43,000 per year. That’s a national average, however, which means that teachers in 35 out of 50 states are paid less. Look before you leap, especially when tempted by offers from exotic locations.

In many places, the trend in teacher salary rates is downward, despite the fact that teachers may be receiving higher wages. This is because of the inflation factor that exists even in these depressed times. Scheduled teacher salary increases are not keeping pace with increased living costs, so it is possible to be earning more money and still be able to purchase less with it. This may be okay if your house is paid for and the only things you have to worry about are the price of groceries and gasoline. For teachers with mortgages who are raising families, though, cost of living increases are of more concern.

One way to beat the cycle is – surprise – by getting a better education. More than half of all teachers in this country hold a bachelor’s degree only, and thus are paid less than teachers holding advanced degrees. Experience counts as well. So if you love it (and many teachers do) then do it, get paid the most you can and invest any spare change. If you don’t love it, then it’s never too late to study accounting.

In the following video, Diana Gutierrez from San Jose discusses the starting teacher salary for her area as well as various qualifications which can have a direct impact on the teacher salary.

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