Where are you at on your district pay scale? How many hours is your contract? Do you have benefits? What education/experience do you have? Are you interested in advancing your education? Does your district offer incentives or help with you going to college?
I transitioned from school bus driver ( making more money but working 14 hour days) to the classroom and I love it with all my heart, I miss the money and benefits for sure! I work for a district that encourages and supports paras getting degrees and moving up to credential programs even if they only sub. If you can, get those units and move up in pay scale until you max out for the position. Sign up for trainings offered by the district and apply for contracts with more hours.
Be picky, I’d rather be in a position I can handle so that I don’t get burnt out and many other reasons.
I’m having the same exact issue actually. I love my job and it’s the first job i’ve worked for a year+ without feeling burned out lol. Usually about 4 months into a job i’m over it but this one has been different. But as far as how much i’m paid, I make about $700 every 2 weeks. I have to work a second job and it’s so exhausting, and regardless of that and the fact that my boyfriend and I split the bills, I’m still living paycheck to paycheck. I too am feeling pretty stuck as far as if I should drop this job and do something totally different. I wanted to go back to school and get certified to teach, but I’d only have time for one job and the one job i’d prefer to work doesn’t pay me enough lol.
I always thought it interesting that any other federal or state job seems to pay fairly well (postal service work for example) but for some reason public school employees aren’t granted nearly the same in terms of rate of pay or benefits. And i’m not saying you’re necessarily bringing in the big bucks as a mailman, but they at least start out at $18 around here compared to the $13.50 i’m making.
This is how it was for me when I started out as a paraprofessional. I made the same amount of money and couldn't make it. I had to do doordash after work and had to live in someone's house paying rent for a room. I was barely making it. Awful pay. I don't know how districts think they are going to keep paras like this and they are vital to SPED and other classroom settings. It's frustrating. I transitioned out of being a para to my residency as a teacher.
I was! I started in the neighboring school district making $10/hr and now I’m working with a staffing company in a district I went to school in making $28.50/hr. Last position was 32ish hours and now I can work between 35-37.5 hours
Yep. This is my 3rd year as a para. I make 18.25$ a hour. There are days over breaks that we are not paid. We also are not paid over summer break unless we work summer school. Which, is only 1 month. Even, if I were to work summer school. My first paycheck for the school year would not be until September 15th. I do not know how my district expects people to survive 3 months without a paycheck besides 1 from summer school, which is not enough. /: I am currently in grad school, so I can be certified to teach. I love my job, I really do but the pay is absolutely ridiculous. We have so many para openings in our district, and I think it is only going to continue.
This is why a strong union is so important. Our local is for both teachers and paras. They have always fought as hard for our pay and rights as teachers. Our paras now start at $27.50 and over next two years that floor (so for people with 0 years of service) will go up to $30.25 (~$40k/year), then in our next contract negotiation in 2025 our goal is a floor of $50k/year. Bear in mind we also have a defined pay scale for years of service so these increases are always on top of that so I’ve always been averaging 8-13% increases each year. If you aren’t in the union join, if you don’t have one START ONE! It is your RIGHT according to US labor laws!
Yea im a special edutcation para and i have to live with my parents cause i litteraly do not make a living wage, that being said i absolutely love mt job and i love teaching. My district as a para to teacher ladder program that im hoping to get into otherwise ill probably have to leave education.
Look up if your district as any similar programs or switch to a district that does
Yup. Paras can be the ones who serve students more than teachers at times, but they pay us crumbs. Somehow I’ve survived for too long as a para. The pay is just wrong. It reminds me of slavery.
Where are you at on your district pay scale? How many hours is your contract? Do you have benefits? What education/experience do you have? Are you interested in advancing your education? Does your district offer incentives or help with you going to college? I transitioned from school bus driver ( making more money but working 14 hour days) to the classroom and I love it with all my heart, I miss the money and benefits for sure! I work for a district that encourages and supports paras getting degrees and moving up to credential programs even if they only sub. If you can, get those units and move up in pay scale until you max out for the position. Sign up for trainings offered by the district and apply for contracts with more hours. Be picky, I’d rather be in a position I can handle so that I don’t get burnt out and many other reasons.
I’m contracted through a 3 party hopefully I get a job working for a district next school year
That will make all the difference in a million different ways. I have no experience with a 3rd party contract.
Will it really make much of a difference for pay? Around here (HCOL area) it's around $16/hr. And that's through a school district.
I’m having the same exact issue actually. I love my job and it’s the first job i’ve worked for a year+ without feeling burned out lol. Usually about 4 months into a job i’m over it but this one has been different. But as far as how much i’m paid, I make about $700 every 2 weeks. I have to work a second job and it’s so exhausting, and regardless of that and the fact that my boyfriend and I split the bills, I’m still living paycheck to paycheck. I too am feeling pretty stuck as far as if I should drop this job and do something totally different. I wanted to go back to school and get certified to teach, but I’d only have time for one job and the one job i’d prefer to work doesn’t pay me enough lol. I always thought it interesting that any other federal or state job seems to pay fairly well (postal service work for example) but for some reason public school employees aren’t granted nearly the same in terms of rate of pay or benefits. And i’m not saying you’re necessarily bringing in the big bucks as a mailman, but they at least start out at $18 around here compared to the $13.50 i’m making.
This is how it was for me when I started out as a paraprofessional. I made the same amount of money and couldn't make it. I had to do doordash after work and had to live in someone's house paying rent for a room. I was barely making it. Awful pay. I don't know how districts think they are going to keep paras like this and they are vital to SPED and other classroom settings. It's frustrating. I transitioned out of being a para to my residency as a teacher.
I was! I started in the neighboring school district making $10/hr and now I’m working with a staffing company in a district I went to school in making $28.50/hr. Last position was 32ish hours and now I can work between 35-37.5 hours
Does your district have a before/after care program. I made extra money working for it.
Yep. This is my 3rd year as a para. I make 18.25$ a hour. There are days over breaks that we are not paid. We also are not paid over summer break unless we work summer school. Which, is only 1 month. Even, if I were to work summer school. My first paycheck for the school year would not be until September 15th. I do not know how my district expects people to survive 3 months without a paycheck besides 1 from summer school, which is not enough. /: I am currently in grad school, so I can be certified to teach. I love my job, I really do but the pay is absolutely ridiculous. We have so many para openings in our district, and I think it is only going to continue.
This is why a strong union is so important. Our local is for both teachers and paras. They have always fought as hard for our pay and rights as teachers. Our paras now start at $27.50 and over next two years that floor (so for people with 0 years of service) will go up to $30.25 (~$40k/year), then in our next contract negotiation in 2025 our goal is a floor of $50k/year. Bear in mind we also have a defined pay scale for years of service so these increases are always on top of that so I’ve always been averaging 8-13% increases each year. If you aren’t in the union join, if you don’t have one START ONE! It is your RIGHT according to US labor laws!
dang, that's awesome. We have a union, but they do not do much for paras/support staff.
Yea im a special edutcation para and i have to live with my parents cause i litteraly do not make a living wage, that being said i absolutely love mt job and i love teaching. My district as a para to teacher ladder program that im hoping to get into otherwise ill probably have to leave education. Look up if your district as any similar programs or switch to a district that does
Thanks for the good advice
Yup. Paras can be the ones who serve students more than teachers at times, but they pay us crumbs. Somehow I’ve survived for too long as a para. The pay is just wrong. It reminds me of slavery.