Posted by on Jan 8, 2013 in Career Salaries | 0 questions

If you love to work with kids and feel like a teacher at heart, you’ll want to find out how much teachers make so that you can properly plan out your career.

The pay range for teachers can be quite diverse depending on your future goals and the path you’d like to follow to get there.

The Schooling Required

Once you’ve finished high school you’ll need to enroll yourself in college and get a bachelor’s degree.

If you’re planning on teaching youngsters in an elementary school you’ll want to major in one subject and minor in another.

young male teacher

In order to teach high school, you’ll need to decide on the subject you want to teach and major in it while supplementing your degree with education courses.

How Much Do Teachers Make

You’re not going to make your life fortune by teaching but you will get a steady stable salary that can make your life comfortable when you embrace a teaching career.

Last year the median salary for a new graduate entering the workforce to teach at an elementary school was $35,800.

Pre-elementary teachers, however, were starting out with a salary of only $32,100 Physical education majors could expect to receive anywhere from $40,100 to $42,200 during their first year of work.

New graduates that majored in special education had a median start-up salary of $45,900.

The starting pay varies for teachers from state to state and you’ll also have to keep in mind that the cost of living in that state will determine the actual worth of your salary.

elementary school math student

For example, the average starting salary in 2011 in Connecticut was $39,259 while the lowest starting wage for a teacher could be found in North Dakota, which offered a pay on average of $24,872 to new graduates.

The salary for a teacher all depends on how many years the teacher has worked and the individual school board that you’re working for. As an educator you’ll have the chance to further your studies by taking additional courses to further your career and many of these lessons are offered during the summer and at night school.

Teachers may also be given the opportunity to take extra development courses at certain times of the year to earn extra credits.

You’re not going to make your million by becoming a teacher but you will be offered benefits along with a retirement fund as a full-time teacher and a lot of time off during the holidays.