This comes up time and time again. It seems to me that when one factors in vacation days, summers off and union-inspired benefit packages teachers don't do so poorly at all. Every summer, I often catch myself wishing I'd become a teacher.
Well, here's something to ponder:
In Ohio, you now have to have a Masters degree to be able to renew your certificate and keep your job. However, because of this, districts have cut salaries offered to teachers holding masters degrees.
The amount of time off is nice - but it is overblown. My family members who teach routinely put in 10.5 months of work, with the only other time off being for christmas (a week and a half, normally) and spring break (1 week). They also routinely arrive at work by 7:30, and do not leave until after 4:30, with 15-20 minutes for lunch and no other breaks. Then there is routinely work that is still brought home.
So yes, there is more time off. The amount is typically overblown, though.
But here's the thing - the pay is lousy for the amount of education required. The pay raise given for a masters degree over just a bachelors is not enough to even service the loans for a cut-rate extension campus program.
And the benefits? The medical coverage isn't bad - slightly better than private industry. The dental is fantastic. Retirement? Not bad, but then how many of the rest of us would consider a mandatory contribution of 10% of your base salary a free benefit?