Elementary Teacher Salary

Becoming an elementary school teacher is the dream of some individuals. This is a very important job, as it involves teaching and molding children and helping them learn the topics they need in life. While salary is not the most important thing in why people choose to be an elementary teacher, it is human nature to want to know how much money they can make.

Becoming a teacher requires that the person have at least a bachelor’s degree and two to four years of experience. In addition, some states require that the potential teacher gets certified by taking a special exam. The probable average salary in the U.S. for most elementary school teachers is about $53,000 as reported at the end of 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This result is based on a report from the certified compensation professionals study from amongst thousands of districts all over the U.S.

The average starting salary for an elementary teacher is somewhat lower, however, and was about $34,000. As a teacher gets more years of experience, they will of course make more, and if they go on from having a bachelor’s degree to getting their master’s degree, their salary range will also increase. The high range of an elementary school teacher’s salary in the U.S. earns about $78,000. The difference in the amounts depends on the state in which the person is taking the teaching job.

Early Childhood Education Salary

On type of teacher is an early childhood education teacher. This job involves teaching small children who are preschool age and have not yet started kindergarten. The salary of an early childhood education teacher can range from aides who have no formal training and only make minimum wages clear up to around $75,000 a year if they possess a master’s degree in childhood education.

A beginning childhood educational teacher should at least possess an associate’s degree in order to be successful in their career. A teacher who fits this category will earn a salary ranging from $23,000 to about $26,000. However, if they upgrade their education and acquire a bachelor’s degree in an appropriate field, they will be able to garner a higher position, and of course a higher salary.

The national median salaries for early childhood educational instructors in this range are about $40,000 in a state school, but private schools may pay less.

Preschool Teacher Salary

By statistics discovered by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the preschool teacher averaged about $24,000 in 2008 and was one of the educational positions that paid the least in this field. However, the top 10 percent of teachers in this category can make about $41,000, while the bottom half makes less than $20,000.

While the salary range is sometimes low, many of these teachers are in it for the children and get their enjoyment from helping mold and teach young kids. In addition, the job of a preschool teacher allows instructors flexible hours and part-time positions if so desired, which can be very useful if they have kids of their own. Preschool teachers can expect to work in places like day care centers or Head Start programs.

Kindergarten Teacher Salary

Kindergarten teachers are the ones that take over from the preschool instructors in the education world. A salary for a kindergarten teacher varies by the experience of the instructor and the place they work, as well as the state and city where they work and their degree status.

For example, a kindergarten instructor with several years of experience and a doctorate degree was known to make about $43,000 in 2010 in the state of Oklahoma, and if they only had a four year degree, they made about $10,000 less per year. When we look at the national U.S. salary rates for a kindergarten teacher, the pay range per year was between $30,000 and $41,000 in 2010. The highest paid teachers were those who worked in areas like New York, Detroit and other big cities.

Elementary School Teacher Salary

After a child finishes kindergarten, they enter elementary school. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average salary for an elementary school teacher nationwide in 2009 was about $50,000, with the low end being around $33,000 and the high end being around $78,000 dependent upon where they were working. Teachers in Rhode Island and Alaska were paid the most in this study, and the lowest paid elementary teachers pay was to those teachers who worked in Montana and South Dakota.

Of course, you also have to figure in things such as benefit packages for health insurance, vacation pay, sick pay and professional development days when figuring out a teacher’s salary, as these things can increase it dramatically.

Special Education Teacher Salary

A special education teacher is a specialized instructor who helps students who have physical or mental challenges. These type of teachers usually must have specialized training, so they may begin at a higher salary than some other teachers.

For example, special education teachers in the levels of preschool through elementary level education, the Labor Bureau estimated a range of between $32,000 and $50,000 per year in 2010. The lowest paid area was in Florida and the highest paid area was in California.

As the special educational teachers go on to teach in higher grades, such as middle and high school levels, they will earn higher salaries. These may range from around $51,000 to $80,000 as estimated in 2009. For middle level schools, the lowest paid teachers lived in West Virginia and Texas, and the highest paid teachers once again were in California.

All in all, teachers are a valuable commodity that helps to educate and mold our children into the young people who will go on to take jobs and become working members of our society. If you are someone who wants to take on this awesome responsibility, then becoming a teacher is the job for you.