Anyone on one Teaching income?

[darthsmozers]

Is anyone out there a teacher?

Are you the sole breadwinner in your family?

If so, might you be able to reply here and tell me what area of the country you live in and how you make it work for you and your family?

I am in a position right now where we can decide, before children come along, if I should pursue my dream job of teaching, and thus taking a pay cut, and know that some day we’ll be on one income as we would like for our future children to have their mom at home, OR to put that dream job idea aside until later in life and just buck up and continue what I’m doing now.

I think it would be helpful if anyone in the single teacher income scenario might be able to share their experience to help us discover some good and honest insight.

[SIGN]Thank you!![/SIGN]

 

[Feedmysheep]

Woosh. I used to be a teacher, lived in the Detroit area, and with a small 900 sq foot house, two cars, and student loans to get my Master’s, there’s no way I could have been the sole breadwinner.

AND I taught in a very affluent, high-paying district.

However, had we been trying to make it off of one salary, we could have made different financial decisions (one car, eating out much less, getting rid of cable, etc.)

I didn’t have a single colleague who was the sole breadwinner, either.

 

[1ke]

I think it depends on where you live. Teadcher salaries around here are very low, like starting salaries in the mid-$20K.

But, many of the districts in Texas pay very well. For example, Katy ISD is in suburban Houston metro and has the following salary chart and others in the area are comparable:

katyisd.org/files/services/human_resources/Pay_Scale_Teacher.pdf

A starting salary of $43K isn’t a bad starting salary. And, the cost of living in TX is very low compared to other states, plus no state income tax.

So, really, there isn’t going to be one answer for you. It depends on a LOT of factors including where you live, what lifestyle you want to have, etc.

 

[MomaMary8]

I know of a family with five kids and the father is a HS math teacher. He is also the football coach wich adds to his pay. During the summer he or his wife (special ed teacher) will teach summer school. They are wise with their money, but by no means are they destitute

 

[Corki]

I think it depends on where you live. Teadcher salaries around here are very low, like starting salaries in the mid-$20K.

But, many of the districts in Texas pay very well. For example, Katy ISD is in suburban Houston metro and has the following salary chart and others in the area are comparable:

katyisd.org/files/services/human_resources/Pay_Scale_Teacher.pdf

A starting salary of $43K isn’t a bad starting salary. And, the cost of living in TX is very low compared to other states, plus no state income tax.

So, really, there isn’t going to be one answer for you. It depends on a LOT of factors including where you live, what lifestyle you want to have, etc.

LOL, I knew someone who was a teacher in that school district. He was the sole breadwinner and had 3 or 4 kids. Now he had many years of experience and a MA so his pay was well above that $43K starting rate but it can be done.

 

[darthsmozers]

This is in northern Virginia, where salaries are higher (starting teacher in mid 40s), but the cost of living is also high… (2 bedroom condo for 250-300k, small townhome for the same range, etc.)

 

[journey137]

In the school where I have been a sub and will be doing my student teaching this fall, there is a guy that has four young kids. He is the sole breadwinner and they make it ok. We live in the middle of Missouri.

 

[MrsBee]

My husband is a high school teacher in Texas and he’s the sole provider for our family. We have one baby (3 months old), but along with our precious blessing came a lot of medical bills. We definitely manage on just one income. We don’t eat out too much (but much more than we should, unfortunately!), only drive one car, don’t have cable. We also live in an apartment, but we’ll be moving to a house in just a few months hopefully.

In our area, one teacher’s income is definitely possible. We have lots of medical bills and student loans, but we just set up payment plans and realize that slow and steady wins the race. We are not destitute by any means. We just cut back where we know we can or should and use that money in other areas! We’re still working out our budget, but even with our poor budgeting skills, we manage each month.

We’re very blessed that I am able to stay home with our baby girl. It’s not the easiest financially, but again, we’re not destitute or even what we would consider poor! We really put our faith in God to get us by and He never fails!

I hope it works out for you! God bless!

 

[darthsmozers]

These last two posts were encouraging. Thank you so much.

Its very tough because its the choice between an uncertain single teaching income in one of the most expensive areas of the country, or an “ok” job in a cute, little, less stressful town where we could afford an entire home and have room for an eventual family.

In other words, my “dream job with an uncertain income” vs “an ok job with a secure income and room to grow as a family”. its a tough choice for both of us, in all honesty.

My fiance made a good point though - the dream job could be something later in life, and in the meantime we can pick whats best for us now. Ahh good points. Just tough to pick.

Perhaps its time for some Adoration

 

[pentecostbaby]

Hey, it’s hard to move, but I’ll tell you - you can totally live on one teaching salary if you live in one of the areas of the country where the cost of living is low.
We own our own house and live like kings - WAY too well . When I tell my cousins up North that we have a three bedroom house with a nice backyard and hardwood floors, their jaws hit the ground. We’re poor grad students!
And we live right outside the capital city - like, downtown in five minutes close. You can completely make it on one teaching salary down here. We’re going to do it soon . We won’t be eating out, but we’ll still have basic cable.

 

[darthsmozers]

Hmm, where do you live?

Here in my county and the adjacent one, teaching salaries begin in the mid 40s. A 2 bedroom condo will go for mid 200s, and a small townhome can be had for mid to high 200s. I can’t see how mid 40s could pay for that. But I wish it could…

 

[graceandglory]

Is anyone out there a teacher?

Are you the sole breadwinner in your family?

If so, might you be able to reply here and tell me what area of the country you live in and **how you make it work for you and your family? **

It’s doable. But I wouldn’t recommend it. Sometimes the times we live in and being a responsible provider have to take precedence over your “dreams.”

I live in a very expensive part of the country. Teachers barely make a living wage. Our family suffered many losses so my kids’ dad could stay in his job. His job “necessitated” using artificial birth control, (because it really was all about what he wanted)

If you are the husband, are your dreams of being a teacher more important than your wife’s dreams of having children and being a stay-at-home mom and home schooling her kids?

What about further education? Where I live teachers are required to keep going to college. Can you do it without debt? Can you live and survive without using credit card debt?

She might think she’s going to go back to work to support you in your career, but once the babies come it will be heart wrenching to go back to work.

Will you be able to afford a house payment? Or will you need to rent forever?

Once housing and bills are covered and it looks doable, realize how time consuming it is to be a teacher, and how basically you are raising other people’s kids instead of your own, as teaching is not just an 8 hour work day.

If you both want to make the sacrifice, then the cost of living is doable. Drive a paid off 10 yr old car. (You can’t have everything, something’s gotta give)

Save and use coupons. I became the Coupon Queen. Shop second hand stores. Use the same furniture until the kids are grown. Don’t go on any vacations, camping is cheap.
Be a mooch with your friends and relatives.
Don’t give gifts. Let everyone else pay for you at restaurants.
You can see romantic notion wears off over time.

(And don’t think that I am a materialistic person, I’m not. I am probably the most frugal person you will ever meet. Except for your wife, if you are a teacher, and she stays home with her kids.

You can always MOVE to a less expensive place.

 

[graceandglory]

In the school where I have been a sub and will be doing my student teaching this fall, there is a guy that has four young kids. He is the sole breadwinner and they make it ok. We live in the middle of Missouri.

There ya go! You can move to Missouri!

 

[graceandglory]

“We simply must reclaim sexuality as God’s turf.”
-When Two Become One

“A contract says this is yours and this is mine. A covenant says I am yours and you are mine.”
-Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers

Hello darthsmozers:

Your signature quotes tell me two things:

1. You will be devoted to Catholic teaching on sex and marriage,
2. You live near me.

I’m trying to think if I know any male head of household teachers in our community through church or work, and I just can’t. :nope: The only one I knew who had kids at home, had to quit to make more money at Home Depot.

 

[darthsmozers]

Hello darthsmozers:

Your signature quotes tell me two things:

1. You will be devoted to Catholic teaching on sex and marriage,
2. You live near me.

I’m trying to think if I know any male head of household teachers in our community through church or work, and I just can’t. :nope: The only one I knew who had kids at home, had to quit to make more money at Home Depot.

Ah, well regarding location, Deacon’s quote is from when I heard him speak on the Catholic Answers Live radio show. But regarding your first point, I intend to!

 

[darthsmozers]

It’s doable. But I wouldn’t recommend it. Sometimes the times we live in and being a responsible provider have to take precedence over your “dreams.”

I live in a very expensive part of the country. Teachers barely make a living wage. Our family suffered many losses so my kids’ dad could stay in his job. His job “necessitated” using artificial birth control, (because it really was all about what he wanted)

If you are the husband, are your dreams of being a teacher more important than your wife’s dreams of having children and being a stay-at-home mom and home schooling her kids?

What about further education? Where I live teachers are required to keep going to college. Can you do it without debt? Can you live and survive without using credit card debt?

She might think she’s going to go back to work to support you in your career, but once the babies come it will be heart wrenching to go back to work.

Will you be able to afford a house payment? Or will you need to rent forever?

Once housing and bills are covered and it looks doable, realize how time consuming it is to be a teacher, and how basically you are raising other people’s kids instead of your own, as teaching is not just an 8 hour work day.

If you both want to make the sacrifice, then the cost of living is doable. Drive a paid off 10 yr old car. (You can’t have everything, something’s gotta give)

Save and use coupons. I became the Coupon Queen. Shop second hand stores. Use the same furniture until the kids are grown. Don’t go on any vacations, camping is cheap.
Be a mooch with your friends and relatives.
Don’t give gifts. Let everyone else pay for you at restaurants.
You can see romantic notion wears off over time.

(And don’t think that I am a materialistic person, I’m not. I am probably the most frugal person you will ever meet. Except for your wife, if you are a teacher, and she stays home with her kids.

You can always MOVE to a less expensive place.

You offer some very great advice. I really appreciate the feedback!

We try to follow many of them. I have a 9 year old car that is long paid off. Aside from the fading headlight and bumper, the ceiling fabric falling in, and other cosmetic issues, it runs OK and will hopefully last us some time! I put about $150 aside each month for the “save the car” fund in case emergency repairs are ever necessary.

My fiance is a coupon feind, and now I am getting that way too. We have lived at our parents’ homes since we both graduated college, and thus have saved a sizeable amount. Enough to either pay off 1/3 of a home in the less expensive, possible move location and still have a decent savings, or enough for a small downpayment here in Northern VA.

We don’t intend to have cable TV due to the trash that’s on it. (I wish one could order cable station by station, and only have the news, Discovery Channel, Weather, and one or two others… alas…) So while we won’t have cable, we do intend to have a sizeable DVD collection of TV shows and movies. I’d love for our kids to grow up on the likes of Saved by the Bell, Ghostbusters, Mr. Rogers, and the like, like we did. With no commercials. (Has anyone seen ABC Family lately? They sure push the envelope…)

She would ideally like a small town, space for a garden, a home to call ours for a long time, room to grow, and reliant on one income so she can stay home like her mother and grandmother did. If we move to this spot and I take the “OK job”, we could pay off 1/3 of the house up front, have a home with 3 bed with the option of finishing the basement or attic space, be in a walkable, quaint town, have a small yard, be able to walk to Mass, and be OK with one income, everything she dreams of… The sacrifice would be not pursuing my “dream job” which is teaching Earth Science because of my love for nature, geography, and how God creation, the universe, works. But I do feel that perhaps while it would be possible here, she would have to sacrifice the image of how to live in favor of a stressfull area she doesn’t like too much, a small apartment, no yard, driving to and fro with nowhere within walking distance, in other words, extremely densified suburbia. One will sacrifice regardless of which way we choose. And because we will strive to follow Church teaching regarding marriage, children, NFP, responsibility, etc, we do expect a family and we would prefer her caring for any child who may come along rather than paying for daycare, if we could help it… So perhaps my sacrifice is the one that should be made, for the better of the family… Ah, its so hard to decide… because both of our dreams are important, and its a matter of analyzing which way to go. She wants me to be happy with my job as i’ll be bringing in the income, but I want her to have the atmosphere she wants as she will be the one home with children eventually.

Ah, its tough, and the calendar is ticking. My resume is out to a possible lead to the new location. But the opportunity may pass if we don’t act on it, so we’ll be waiting to see if that goes through while apartment hunting locally just in case. At some point, we’ll have to make a choice. I’ve spent too much time analyzing this, and I need to learn to make a decision. Ahh, to be a melancholic…

I pray I don’t come off as selfish. Only trying to make the best decision for us and our future family.

 

[Gertabelle]

It’s doable. But I wouldn’t recommend it. Sometimes the times we live in and being a responsible provider have to take precedence over your “dreams.”

My goodness, I just have to disagree with our dear graceandglory.

I am an elementary music teacher in my 12th year of teaching. Following my heart into my “dream job” has meant fulfilling on my God-given vocation. Have you considered the possibility that the joy that teaching gives you is the Holy Spirit working in your heart?

Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to follow God’s plan for us, and that may mean that your wife accepts that she will have to work (and you’ll both have to intentionally save) until children do come along, and that you all will live simply for the first few years of your teaching career. These are not big sacrifices in my book, but that’s something you and your wife (and possibly a priest or deacon) will need to discuss together. And have you considered how you would feel if you settled for something other than teaching and children were a long time coming, or never came at all?

SO, you asked about supporting a family on a teacher’s salary alone. I am a single mom of a four-year-old who will not be starting kindergarten until 2009. That means that on a teacher’s salary, I am paying for full-time childcare, health insurance, car payment, and a mortgage. I do have a master’s degree, and being a teacher means I have** a lot **more time with my little one than if I worked an office job.

A teaching job is by no means an “uncertain” career! Go to any school district’s website and you can find the pay scale (“salary schedule”, “negotiated agreement”). Teaching is considered by most mortgage lenders to be one of the most stable careers. And you will see by looking at a pay schedule that you are guaranteed a certain salary (and raise) for every year of experience, and the pay goes up with increased education. There is no comparable career I know of with regard to “certainty.” And the sooner you start, the farther down the payscale you’ll be when you and your wife joyfully welcome junior into the family.

OK, so I live in Colorado in the Denver metro area. Depending on where one lives here, the price of a three bedroom, two bath house is well-within the means of a teacher with a few years’ experience. And a new teacher could afford either a smaller house, a really nice condo, or live in a larger house in a different area.

I have two points: First, you and your wife need to really, really pray with open hearts for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Remember that’s God’s wisdom is folly to man, and human “wisdom” is often foolishness to God. If God is calling you to be a teacher (and believe me, it is a vocation!), He will provide everything you need to get there and take care of your family. But if you follow what “makes sense” to you just because you’ll make more money, or you’re afraid of not making enough money, you may end up struggling in your career and in your family life.

Second, Pray some more. If God has a different plan for you, prayer will lead you to that plan. God always speaks to our hearts and makes His will clear. We have to do our part by asking, and then listen, listen, listen!

I’ll be praying for your family. Whatever God is calling you to, I pray you have the peace and joy of Christ as you seek and do God’s Holy Will.

God bless you.
Gertie

 

[darthsmozers]

My goodness, I just have to disagree with our dear graceandglory.

I am an elementary music teacher in my 12th year of teaching. Following my heart into my “dream job” has meant fulfilling on my God-given vocation. Have you considered the possibility that the joy that teaching gives you is the Holy Spirit working in your heart?

Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to follow God’s plan for us, and that may mean that your wife accepts that she will have to work (and you’ll both have to intentionally save) until children do come along, and that you all will live simply for the first few years of your teaching career. These are not big sacrifices in my book, but that’s something you and your wife (and possibly a priest or deacon) will need to discuss together. And have you considered how you would feel if you settled for something other than teaching and children were a long time coming, or never came at all?

SO, you asked about supporting a family on a teacher’s salary alone. I am a single mom of a four-year-old who will not be starting kindergarten until 2009. That means that on a teacher’s salary, I am paying for full-time childcare, health insurance, car payment, and a mortgage. I do have a master’s degree, and being a teacher means I have** a lot **more time with my little one than if I worked an office job.

A teaching job is by no means an “uncertain” career! Go to any school district’s website and you can find the pay scale (“salary schedule”, “negotiated agreement”). Teaching is considered by most mortgage lenders to be one of the most stable careers. And you will see by looking at a pay schedule that you are guaranteed a certain salary (and raise) for every year of experience, and the pay goes up with increased education. There is no comparable career I know of with regard to “certainty.” And the sooner you start, the farther down the payscale you’ll be when you and your wife joyfully welcome junior into the family.

OK, so I live in Colorado in the Denver metro area. Depending on where one lives here, the price of a three bedroom, two bath house is well-within the means of a teacher with a few years’ experience. And a new teacher could afford either a smaller house, a really nice condo, or live in a larger house in a different area.

I have two points: First, you and your wife need to really, really pray with open hearts for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Remember that’s God’s wisdom is folly to man, and human “wisdom” is often foolishness to God. If God is calling you to be a teacher (and believe me, it is a vocation!), He will provide everything you need to get there and take care of your family. But if you follow what “makes sense” to you just because you’ll make more money, or you’re afraid of not making enough money, you may end up struggling in your career and in your family life.

Second, Pray some more. If God has a different plan for you, prayer will lead you to that plan. God always speaks to our hearts and makes His will clear. We have to do our part by asking, and then listen, listen, listen!

I’ll be praying for your family. Whatever God is calling you to, I pray you have the peace and joy of Christ as you seek and do God’s Holy Will.

God bless you.
Gertie

Well, thank you very very much. That’s all I can say!

 

[darthsmozers]

Thank you for your prayers.

It is true the desire for teaching may be the work of the Holy Spirit.

But we have other desires that could be equally or even more important. Our desire to have a stay-at-home parent, for example. Our desire to get by on one income.

What if the desire to teach can be satisfied in other ways?

Many questions that we have to bring to prayer, but its hard not to know.

By crunching the numbers, it seems I absolutely cannot be the only one with an income and teach and be able to provide. Although, considering I’d have to go to school for a class or two a semester for 3 years in order to meet the teaching requirements, staying at my current job in the meantime could mean more money saved in the bank…and she would work until we’re pregnant, which is more money saved…to possibly offset t he tight months in my first years of teaching? Teaching does offer the opportunity for a summer job…

ahhh now I am talking to myself. Forgive me

 

[AnotherChance]

She would ideally like a small town, space for a garden, a home to call ours for a long time, room to grow, and reliant on one income so she can stay home like her mother and grandmother did. If we move to this spot and I take the “OK job”, we could pay off 1/3 of the house up front, have a home with 3 bed with the option of finishing the basement or attic space, be in a walkable, quaint town, have a small yard, be able to walk to Mass, and be OK with one income, everything she dreams of… The sacrifice would be not pursuing my “dream job” which is teaching Earth Science because of my love for nature, geography, and how God creation, the universe, works.

I pray I don’t come off as selfish. Only trying to make the best decision for us and our future family.

You absolutely do NOT come off as selfish. I hope my daugther one day marries someone as committed to the faith and family as you are.

I have a little bit of (name removed by moderator)ut for you based on our experience. I used to be a teacher. You said "we do expect a family and we would prefer her caring for any child who may come along rather than paying for daycare, if we could help it… " If you feel this way now before a child is born, you will feel one hundred or one thousand times more that way once you hold your child in your arms. I was home for our first and third child, but our second child was in daycare for one school year. It was torture. Do whatever you need to do to keep your wife from having to basically abandon her child.

My husband works at a job that makes enough now for me to stay home. He basically gave up his dream (for now) of starting his own business in favor of staying with the more secure, higher salary. He did what he needed to do to get a raise and promotion, so that I could stay home after my maternity leave for our third child. I am eternally grateful to him for this, and our lives are vastly improved in every way! The entire family is exponentially happier than we were when I had to work to make ends meet.

Also, I would like to mention that as a dedicated Catholic it would be extraordinarily difficult to deal with the secular culture in public schools. I think men might have a better time with it. But if I ever go back to teaching, I would only teach in a Catholic school. It is really difficult to be an authority figure in a system where many of the adults act like children, God cannot be mentioned, and the rules that exist are enforced sporadically or not at all.

It is harder to think long term when you are first starting out. But consider this: You could work at the OK job with the better income for a number of years, continuing with the excellent habit of saving that you already have. You could do this with the goal in mind that when you have a stable foundation built and the kids you will have are a bit older, you will switch over to teaching. A number of people do this as a second career when they are in their forties or fifties. Perhaps you could do it sooner if you planned it right.

It’s not her dream or your dream. It’s “our dream”. When you have kids, what is best for them becomes the situation in which you feel God’s blessings the most. There may also be a third path God has planned for you, such as opening an Earth Science summer camp for kids–who knows?

Of course, as others have mentioned praying for guidance is always wise!