Underpaid careers

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

Oh please. Who here doesn't put in more than 40 hours a week? Teachers aren't the only ones.

A lot of people think teachers aren't putting in that many hours, when the opposite is true. Not sure about your job, but most jobs compensate you for putting in more hours. Either through overtime, additional pay or banked time. A teacher is expected to get all their marking or planning done in their hour a day of "free time". But most of this free time is either taken up by meetings, supervising or other mandatory things. All their additional time is off the books.

[TimSJ]

Personally i think that teachers are Fairly compensated. My wife is a teacher and she makes a decent wage and gets great benifits. but hey i would take more if she could get it.

Personally i don't get paid an hourly wage at all and i work at least 60 hours a week. If i don't produce i don't get paid.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Burninator

A lot of people think teachers aren't putting in that many hours, when the opposite is true. Not sure about your job, but most jobs compensate you for putting in more hours. Either through overtime, additional pay or banked time. A teacher is expected to get all their marking or planning done in their hour a day of "free time". But most of this free time is either taken up by meetings, supervising or other mandatory things. All their additional time is off the books.

Bull****. Any career paid on the salary roll (see: most jobs) doesn't see a dime of overtime.

I'm a research assistant on salary who works part-time up to 40 hours a week and on weekends, I don't see a dime of extra cash.

Also for underpaid, let's say anyone in politics besides bureaucrats.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Burninator

A lot of people think teachers aren't putting in that many hours, when the opposite is true. Not sure about your job, but most jobs compensate you for putting in more hours. Either through overtime, additional pay or banked time. A teacher is expected to get all their marking or planning done in their hour a day of "free time". But most of this free time is either taken up by meetings, supervising or other mandatory things. All their additional time is off the books.

I am compensated by being allowed to come to work the next day because I met the required deadline. Thats my compensation. Plus I have to work in July and August.

[Nabber]

I agree with Troutman, social workers are seriously underpaid, my girlfriend works with adults with disabilities and has a very difficult job and gets paid a very low salary. I work in real estate and I guess in some ways could be considered as being overpaid, even though some months I don't earn a paycheck.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by redforever

This is not the point. Yes, that is what teachers are paid for, they are paid for the days that they have worked and of course that is the fair way to compensate people for working. BUT too many are under the impression that just because they get paid over the summer months, they are getting paid for time they do not work. This of course is not the case. They only get paid over the summer months if they have asked for their remuneration to be divided over 12 months instead of 10 months.

Because of the averaging of pay, many in the public think they are actually being paid in the summer months for not working. They get paid for when they work, just like anyone else does.

I understand that completely, I'm just saying that having 2 months "paid" vacation based on 12 months of pay or 2 months of unpaid vacation based on 10 months of pay is a pretty sweet deal.

I'm not going to pretend to know alot of teachers that said they make x amount and y amount but I can comment on what I can see from the outside. I know one guy that appears to be doing fairly well for himself and has 2 months off every summer and he loves it! He's young now so he uses that time to go hiking, camping, biking etc. but I'm sure that time off will be just as rewarding when you're able to share it with your kids who also have 2 months off in the summer. Another retired at 55 by living modest while supporting a family and buying a house. He spent all of his summers in the mountains and he now spends what seems like every day doing what he loves. Hardly a bad life...

Maybe it's just me but when I compare jobs I look at what I'm getting paid for how much I'm putting into it. I would easily take the job that pays $53,800 a year ($1,200 a week) to work 10 months over the job that pays $62,400 a year ($1,200 a week) to work all 12 months with your standard 2 weeks vacation. To me both jobs pay the same but one offers you a hell of a lot more time off.

Are teacher's underpaid on an hourly basis? Maybe, maybe not... but to say they're underpaid because they don't earn money in the summer when they have time off isn't right. Nothing is stopping them from getting a second job or better yet spending that time doing something they truly love.

[Go4Gold]

Why is it that they get to vote on their salaries, and no wonder it usually passes with a 59-1 vote, let the citizens vote on that. If they do a good job, then great give them a raise, if not, too bad.

Also a friend of mine works for the City of Calgary as a "Senior Town Planner" and I can't even immagine making what they do, yet that is still not enough. And the edumacation difference between them and mine is slim, just different fields.

By the way, I'm in IT and looking for a change.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

I am compensated by being allowed to come to work the next day because I met the required deadline. Thats my compensation. Plus I have to work in July and August.

Yup right now I have a 50 hour work week on average and that's the lowest its been when I've been full-time in the work force. Frankly it cheeses me off when I hear teachers talk all the time about how much they work, like the rest of the working world isn't doing the same.

I haven't been paid an hour of overtime since I was 20.

[TimSJ]

"Paid Overtime"

Those must be union words. I have never heard of it.

[MacDougalbry]

In an environment where Chicken on The Run is paying its workers $15 an hour (equal to $30K a year) and guys working in Construction are pulling in over $100K with overtime, the starting salary of many of these public sector jobs might not seem all that great, but if the price of oil ever goes back in the crapper, there will be huge waiting lists again to get into these occupations. In the '90s, it was actually difficult to get into many of these occupations (nursing, teaching, police services, etc..)

[Staypuft]

I have a feeling I'm not going to get a lot of sympathy here, but Broadcasters/Journalists are underpaid as well.
If not underpaid...then at the very least it's a profession where people are paid a lot less than the general public THINKS they are...with some clear exceptions (Gerry Forbes).
You can expect to make minimum wage + $1 to $2 for your first job...and be expected to work above any beyond 40 hours a week.
Even when you "make it" you're definitely not going to be buying a ton of toys I'll tell you that.

I'm sure there's other jobs out there like this...where you're just happy to have a job, no matter what the pay is.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Yup right now I have a 50 hour work week on average and that's the lowest its been when I've been full-time in the work force. Frankly it cheeses me off when I hear teachers talk all the time about how much they work, like the rest of the working world isn't doing the same.

I haven't been paid an hour of overtime since I was 20.

THANK YOU! Finally!! I think teachers do a great service (the good ones) but I don't think they are underpaid. I get tired of their ellyaching, because, like you, I am "compensated" for my overtime by not getting fired.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Yup right now I have a 50 hour work week on average and that's the lowest its been when I've been full-time in the work force. Frankly it cheeses me off when I hear teachers talk all the time about how much they work, like the rest of the working world isn't doing the same.

I haven't been paid an hour of overtime since I was 20.

You've been ripped off! But seriously there are a lot of salaried people who get a raw deal in terms of what they're expected to do for the salary they're paid.

Back to Teachers:

As a teacher you're in class hours are about 5 hours per day for 5 days a week, for about 36 weeks a year. So that equates to 900 in class hours a year (pro-D days probably go for 8, but I'm trying to keep this simple). So if the average teacher was to put in an extra 20 hours per week during school year, and lets even give 2 weeks after school ends and 2 weeks before for preparation/final marking. So say 40 weeks of 20 hours per week would be an extra 800 hours. So 1700 hours to make a teachers salary of say $50k per year works out to 29.41 an hour + benefits. I think when a teacher is younger they have to put in more work as they're learning the job and more prep time is required. As a teacher gains experience and if they're steadily employed teaching the same subject the time requirements do likely decrease as you get better at it.

Like any job though, if you don't like it and you're underpaid. Find another one. Most people usually can't find that easier and better paying job. Or they feel too much attachment to what they invested to get the position they have. Personally I used to think government jobs looked great. Now I wouldn't want it under any circumstances. You're working for the taxpayer, and he's always mad, and the people you're working for are always on short term leashes and willing to throw you to the wolves.

[Burninator]

Well your guys jobs sound fun. I guess it depends on industry, but any extra time I do gets banked into vacation time.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Burninator

Well your guys jobs sound fun. I guess it depends on industry, but any extra time I do gets banked into vacation time.

Thats actually what I am pushing for right now at work. With a young family, I don't even care about the extra money, I just want the time back to enjoy with the boy! I think I'm actually going to get it too! Woot!!

[skins]

Engineers are underpaid

Business majors are overpaid (they coast on all the money the engineers make for them)

Particularly in the oil industry

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by skins

Engineers are underpaid

Yeah average starting wage of $50,000+.

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by Buff

Nurses are overpaid.

Physical Therapists are underpaid.

At least in the Chinook Health region. My wife had seven years of school to become a Physical Therapist and her max pay is $10,000 less per year than her sister, an LPN, who only had 2 years of schooling. RNs will make even more than an LPN and the LPNs are the nurses who do all the work. My sister-in-law agrees with me that she is overpaid but she needs all she gets so she won't complain about it.

move to the US. Physical Therapists start at about 20,000 more than RNs here..there is a shortage of ANYTHING in the health field.

[OilersBaby]

OVERPAID: LAWYERS in the USA (not the prosecutors working for the government, they don't even get paid what the lawyers who work for a corporation make)..those lawyers who work for a corportion easily pull in 300,000 per year. Also, almost anyone who works for Corporate America (esp in comparison to anyone who works for Corporate Canada).

UNDERPAID: social workers who dont work in the hospital setting, teachers, college professors

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Frank the Tank

Well, regardless of how fair we feel a teachers salary is, you have to admit that getting 7 weeks off every summer has factored into just about every teachers decision to go down that path. Their annual salaries are usually fair, and tend to go up a decent amount every year.

It is not the reason I chose to go into teaching. I chose to go into teaching because I was good at it, damned good at it!!! And I enjoyed it and I enjoy young people. Now, I chose to teach mainly at the Junior High level, some Senior High as well. Our teaching certificate enables us to teach any age child but I specialized and wanted to teach in that field and that is what I did. I also enjoy that age more so than the others, although the Grade 8 years, you know, the 14 going on 40, can be a challenge!!! I am good at listening and you need that skill if you wish to have any hope of getting through to any of the young people. And I treated my students with respect because that is the only way you earn respect from your students. As my students graduated on to High School, they continued to visit me and to this day, I still keep in touch with some of my former students.

Now, I have exactly the same number of years of university education as my spouse. However, my starting salary did not reflect that, nor did the salary I was earning reflect that when I quit teaching. They do not equate in the professional work force and they never will until the public decides to hold teachers in a higher regard. It would be the same as comparing trades people to professionals. Now, at one time, there was a huge discrepancy between trades and professionals. However, in today's hot market, it is the trades people who are being held in a higher regard. Their salary of course still does not fully reflect that but at least the gap has closed which it should have a long time ago.

Yes, teachers get an annual increase in their salary. However, it is the same throughout. Each teacher, no matter if good or bad, no matter if just starting out or if you have taught for 30 years, you all get the same annual increase. This has always been a bone of contention with me and until the teachers union is willing to allow some means to further determine the merits of teachers, that will not change. You belong to a union, you should expect wage increases like that. And that in turn is why the teaching profession will continue to stagnate and teachers will not be held in higher regard. Until the bad teachers get weeded out, those who went into the profession only for the hours, only for summers off and only for a guaranteed income and guaranteed increases, then the status quo for teachers will not change. There simply has to be a way to reward excellence no matter if in the public or private part of our society.