Annual Average Salary Information
Annual Average Salary: $66,400
What does an Education earn?
On average, educators earn around $66,400 per year in the U.S.. Educators work with students of all ages, from young children to university undergraduates, providing guidance on learning and skill development. An educator can choose to specialise in a particular area such as teaching, curriculum design, or educational technology.
How to earn more as an Education
To become an Educator, you will need a degree in education or a related subject. Alternatively, you can go through a degree apprenticeship. To increase your earnings as an Educator, you can choose to specialize in a particular area, such as secondary education, or become a manager within a school. You could also become self-employed and set up your own educational business.
Education responsibilities
The average education salary greatly depends on the responsibilities of the job title and employer type, which could be secondary schools, public schools, the National Education Association, or universities. The job title could be for an entry-level position, such as Teaching Assistant, a mid-level position, such as Elementary School Teacher, or a senior or management job, such as Career Education Teacher or Principal.
Most careers working in education will pay a healthy average teacher salary. You may be responsible for duties where you design and deliver lesson plans, create student progress reports, lead experiments, test and grade students, and monitor safety and student behavior.
School leaders earn higher salaries than the average teacher salaries, focusing on teacher management, fundraising, liaising with partners, and overseeing compliance.
Skills and education level
Your qualifications and training will also affect your teacher pay. Most schools and universities will expect you to have a high school diploma and relevant subject and teaching certifications. You should be paid higher salaries than the national average salary if you have a bachelor's degree, master’s, or doctorate.
The top skills for Teachers, Librarians, Tutors, Archivists, and Curators include communication, creativity, motivation, confidence, conflict resolution, patience, and enthusiasm.
If you do not have a U.S. high school diploma, you can verify your knowledge through the General Education Development Test (GED). You can take the GED test within the U.S. or from 90 countries around the world.
What to expect from Education careers
You can start your career as a trainee or junior High School Teacher, Museum Technician, or Substitute Teacher, initially earning below the Bureau of Labor Statistics average Public School Teacher salary until you gain work experience. Advanced graduate-level jobs are also available, with the average salary reflecting the education attained.
You will most likely be expected to work in a classroom or lecture hall, and your workload and variety of tasks may be dictated by the school size and subject. Smaller schools may require teachers who can provide education across several topics.
While hours may vary across schools and universities, Teachers would expect to work set hours. However, technology has ushered in a new era of teaching and learning, presenting opportunities to teach remotely on a full or part-time basis, in the evenings, or at weekends. To earn above-average salaries, you will need to make a commitment to continued learning and improving your qualifications, certifications, and accreditations.
Education job title
There are numerous job titles within the education industry. Examples of education-related job titles include Preschool Teacher and Kindergarten Teacher. Specialized teaching roles requiring expert knowledge and a more significant experience level command higher salaries and pay.
You can search for Teacher salaries and job openings in any district on Checkasalary.com for positions including Self-Enrichment Teacher, Teaching Assistant, Farm and Home Management Educator, English as a Second Language Instructor, and more.
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Highest-paying locations for Education jobs
The location of your education job in America and the United States can significantly affect your pay and compensation. You can use our Salary Calculator to check the annual salary and hourly average salary for jobs in any location in America. We have salary and pay data for locations such as California, Colorado, Virginia, South Dakota, Columbia, New York State, Alaska, Washington, Florida, Mississippi, Indiana, Connecticut, Montana, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Vermont, Arkansas, and more.
You could consider relocating to improve your compensation. However, if you do not wish to relocate, this does not mean you cannot improve your pay. A short commute and working for a business in an inner city location will often mean access to better salaries. If you are interested in a job in a rural location or city, you can use our annual salary data to check if employers are offering a below, above or average salary.
Education professional development
The salary for education professionals varies depending on the individual’s career level and experience in the field. Entry-level positions have the lowest pay, while fully qualified workers, senior staff, and management earn more. Graduates with relevant qualifications may command a higher starting salary. To increase your earning potential, consider taking training opportunities such as workshops or online courses. Our per-hour and annual salary data provide guidance on the wage range and earnings for junior, intermediate, and senior industry roles.
Education work experience
Obtaining prior education work experience in your chosen career path can significantly enhance your chances of getting hired and earning a competitive salary. Practical experiences such as internships, apprenticeships, shadowing, and vacation work can provide valuable skills and knowledge in the field. If it is not possible to find work experience directly for your prospective job, showcasing transferable skills gained from other experiences can also be beneficial to potential employers and demonstrate your experience level.
Education working hours
Working hours for your education job and career can have an impact on monthly pay and salaries. Companies of different sizes may offer higher overtime pay or additional compensation for working non-traditional hours, such as evenings, weekends, or holidays. The type of employment, such as part-time, full-time, permanent, temporary, or contract, can also affect the salary received and should be considered when evaluating compensation fairness.
Education salary negotiations
To be well-prepared for education salary negotiations with employers, it’s crucial to research and understand the typical salaries and other compensation factors, such as average bonus, for prospective positions. Use our salary comparison tool and perform searches for different job titles and locations to determine your worth.
Keep in mind that compensation is not only limited to financial benefits and performance-related commission, and consider other benefits such as the ability to work from home, additional paid vacation, gym membership, or private healthcare.
Annual salary, median salary, and taxes
When you review the education median salary or annual salary for a role, it is vital to remember that you will pay taxes on salaries paid. When you receive your pay, you may be liable for various employment taxes, either deducted by your employer or required by self-payment. U.S. government taxes can include Federal Income Tax, Federal and State Unemployment Tax, Social Security and Medicare Tax, and Additional Medicare Taxes.
Education job search
If you are seeking a better salary, start your education job search today. You can search for jobs by job title and set up job alerts to get notified as soon as an employer posts their vacancy.