Need a job that makes more $$&

amother

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 10:52 am

Dh and I are both working in chinuch, quite altruistically. Both of us went to sem and yeshiva thinking it would be a gap year and then off to university etc... Both of us got inspired moved more to the right, got involved in education while we were still really young and kind of just stayed here.
Dh is unbelievably talented at what he does, truth be told he's a perfectionist and incredibly hard worker. So many people have told me, it's such a shame he's in chinuch, otherwise he would be a billionaire.

I'm pretty good at what I do as well, but work part time as I have a house full of little ones at home BH BH!!
So life is amazing but the bottom line is we are poor, maybe not poor but every month is tight. There is no money for any extras. Not at all. It was amazing for a while because I really felt like I was contributing to our Jewish future. But now I am burnt out.
I don't have a degree or anything, but teach at very rw school where they don't care. Totally randomly, I got a substitution job at very mo school where the pay is way better. I'm a pretty good teacher and they really loved me, and gave me another long term subbing job, long story but they offered me a full time job- decent pay and benefits etc.. However I told them I have no qualifications and they offered to pay for me to get a degree as long as I commit to teaching there for a set amount of time. At first it seemed like a great idea.
But then I was thinking: As a family we need more money, and our expenses will only keep growing. I don't want to be poor, I would love to have more money- but some normal furniture, take my family to Israel nothing crazy. But some extras in our life.
Unless dh leaves chinuch he's not really gonna be making much more money. I believe he could make a lot of money doing something else. But I think he's doing amazing work where he is.
So it's up to me to bring in some $$$
And if I am anyways going back to school. Why should I get a degree in education. I'm a great teacher. But pay isn't great in education. So maybe I should look into other fields that have higher earning potential.
Any good suggestions for career options?

causemommysaid

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 11:08 am

honestly it sounds like a great opportunity.

they will pay for your degree while employing you and you get a salary and benefits.

Go for it.

If you don't, then you will have to stay at the RW school where you make less and you will also have to pay for your degree in a different field.

A teacher with a degree and experience will not rake in the big bucks but it can be a decent career.

whether your husband goes into something else, doesn't really affect this decision, does it?

morah

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 1:17 pm

If you love teaching, you can get a degree, stay, and make a decent salary. No, you won't make the big bucks, but the schools that insist on degrees pay decently and usually offer very good benefits (my husband makes a lot more money than me, but my teaching job offers a better health plan than his corporate job, so I carry the health plan). Also, if you're that good of an educator, you can take on other roles in the school- advising, student activities, Israel guidance, and they will adjust your salary accordingly. As you gain experience, you can go into administration, which does pay pretty nicely. Btw, your husband can also one day be in administration if he's as talented as you say. Being in chinuch does not have to condemn you to the poorhouse if you invest wisely in your career. It is unlikely to make you Bill Gates, but you have options and can do well if you think strategically.

nyer1

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 1:20 pm

education can still open a lot of doors, if it really is your passion. you could eventually go on to become a principal or other administrator.
but aside from that, if you really love education, why not work in public school? u can get AMAZING benefits, and even though the salary is not crazy high, the benefits are definitely worth it (I get off in the summer, great retirement package, and my health insurance is very inexpensive). u can also get money taken out pre-tax for childcare and for other medical expenses and travel. u can also move up the pay scale pretty quickly with more and more experience and if u take 30 credits past your masters. someone with 10 years experience and a masters + 30 u can be making at least 75k I think (in NY). if you really wanted to do chinuch , u could always teach in public school during the year and work in a jewish camp or something in the summer, or do kiruv programs or something one night a week to get in your fill of working with jewish kids.

Fox

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 1:36 pm

The best advice I can give you is "research."

Rather than having all of us toss out random suggestions, you need to figure out what it is you enjoy about teaching and then examine a variety of fields in which you would use those skills.

Start by talking to people and asking them to refer you to other people. For example, if you're interested in education, speak with an advisor in the education department of a local college or university, and ask for the names of alumni/ae working in a variety of settings who would be willing to talk with you.

You will likely find people working not just in schools, but in technical training, sales, corporate training, writing and editing, instructional technology, and a whole host of roles that require teaching skills.

As you contact and interview people about their jobs, opportunities in their fields, salary ranges, what they like or dislike about their profession, etc., you'll get a much better feel for what kinds of goals you should be setting.

You'll also get a much better idea of what education you should be pursuing to achieve those goals. You might find you need a doctorate to do what you want, but you might discover you only need a short training course or no additional education at all -- the point is that you need to know rather than simply guessing.

Building a loose network of people in your desired field will keep you from making all kinds of mistakes that can cost time and money as well as giving you a starting point for your eventual job search.

Hatzlacha!

mille

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 1:39 pm

If you get a degree in education, they pay for it.

If you want to get a degree in something else, YOU pay for it. Maybe you will qualify for financial aid, but also maybe not. Maybe you'll end up with student loans, paying significantly more than the cost of tuition when all is said and done.

I don't think you're factoring in the cost of a degree into your equation. I went to a community college and then a state school, I paid for my undergrad degree out of my own pocket. It cost me $36,000 for the entire bachelors. Some fields don't require a graduate degree (although in some of those, you start with a low income and work your way up), but many do, which is additional money unless you get a job that wants to pay for your masters. Some jobs that pay well you won't have an aptitude for (this isn't an insult, we all have strengths and weaknesses. I'm getting a PhD, but I would absolutely fail if I were to go into accounting or law). Some jobs that pay well, maybe you will be decent at enough to get a good job, but you will HATE.

You are currently doing something you love, and being offered a full time position at a better salary to continue doing something you love. They want to pay you to get a degree, which will maybe turn into better opportunities for you later on (after you put in your time at this MO school). Seriously, what is the downside you are seeing? Yes, money is important, but so is your happiness.

self-actualization

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 2:58 pm

And don't forget the massive impact this has on the amount of tuition you pay - presumably one or both of the schools let you have 1-2 free tuitions, or you can get your salary to go toward tuition in a different yeshiva (before taxes are taken out). My friend was the art director in a yeshiva and she made $36k, but when you factor in the free tuitions and tax free payments of other tuitions it seemed more like $100k.

morah

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 3:22 pm

self-actualization wrote:

The days of free tuition are over. The staff discount at most schools is in the 20% range- very nice, but nowhere near free. And anyway, it sounds like op would be teaching in a school she wouldn't be sending her kids to.

amother

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 4:31 pm

I also turned down a scholarship to an Ivy League to be more rw. I am making pennies and while I would go back to school, studying what I have a passion for would be too costly and lengthy at this point so after much research and thought, I decided to pursue a career in global business finance and economics. It's not what I love, but I know I'll find a way to combine it with things I love which is why I pursued it. It sounds like you love teaching, is there any way to incorporate that into another job? It's a hard decision, but one that you ultimately have to make for yourself. Hugs.

JollyMommy

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 9:35 pm

be smart about this- they are paying for the education degree. Get one that is more broad, but that will also make them happy:

public administration with a minor in education
human services with a minor in education language arts
communication studies with a teaching credential
interdisciplinary studies

along those lines so you are not stuck in teaching... if you PM me I can tell you more. I was in a similar situation with 2 degrees, taught for 7 years and have been working in a field outside of teaching that I LOVE for 5 years. You can get a broader degree that can work for a few things, then later get a master's that is more specifically geared to your next career.

but by all means, if they are offering to pay do not turn them down! stay with them as long as you promised and then see what else is out there for you.

amother

Wed, Dec 17 2014, 11:59 pm

I am planning on moving to public school once my youngest starts school. I'm afraid of the switch but it's something I need to do

I currently teach in my children's school. I do get a discount but if I add that to my current salary that would be the higher pay I would be getting in public school so I would be making more money but paying more also.

However I would be able to cover the family for healthcare. In addition I would be getting a pension. At 55 or 62 when I retire I will still be young enough that I'll want to have a job to keep me busy and I can then go back and teach in a community school and make my impact then when I know financial I am taken care of.

Going to the modern school can be a stepping stone for your career. Try and make a 3,5,10,20,30 year plan and see if it make sense. It doesn't mean it will pan out that way but you can see if it's worth the effort.

amother

Thu, Dec 18 2014, 8:17 am

OP, Good for you and DH, you both sound like awesome educators.
There seems to be many people I know who are supplementing
teachers salary via tutoring.

It's hard to plan what field would be in vogue 10 or 20 yrs from now,
hopefully you'll learn to adapt and your career would shift naturally.

Sure you can get a relevant degree which I hope will be helpful in pursuing
wider career options, but degrees alone will never replace experience,
passion and natural aptitude. Saying this as someone who went to
an Ivy League school with half scholarship, but now probably 1/3 to
nearly half of my classmates are working in different areas than
what we got degrees.

amother

Thu, Dec 18 2014, 8:31 am

Op here, thanks for all the advice.

It seems like a really good idea to take the offer from this school. I do need to meet with the HR department and finalize everything as well as figure out what school/ degree I want to go into.

Right now my department head and principal love me, and are willing to bend rules for me (officially all teachers need to qualified and registered) but I am worried if midway through studying a new hod or principal might not be so forgiving. I just have to be careful to get it all legally in the contract.

Truthfully if I would have gone straight To university from high school, it would have been a very liberal one with some kind of fine arts or literary degree which probably wouldn't have gotten me anywhere career wise either.