So as the title suggests I am getting offered a relatively low pay for an intense job. I teach engineering, computer science, and mathematics. I'll be taking special certifications with me wherever I go, and yet because they can't pay OTHER people a living wage, they certainly can't afford to pay me one. I'm still negotiating, but I'm not happy, below is an extended explanation.
I am looking to leave my current teaching position because the workload is crap. I do all of the classes above, with little time for grading, lesson planning, or any other paperwork. So my classes are suffering because I'm stretched way too thin. Im applying elsewhere and get offered about $5000 more, but it's still not enough to cover my bills. And I know this, and I know my qualifications, so im pissed. The idea that I can only make more either by getting more college credits, or having more years, but through other certifications, is driving me over the edge. I'm tired of hearing “based on your experience” when I have triple the experience of nearly any other teacher simply by virtue of all I've had to learn and do. Finally, I've done this all within my first 4 years of teaching, so I already make piss because the payscales are geared for both yearly raises on top of college credit based raises.
While paying people for continuing education is great, limiting it to college credits alone is assinine. I couldn't get college credits because I've been trained in different subjects areas every year to meet the districts needs. And I cant get better pay because I haven't been here for X + years. So im stuck making less than I can afford to live on, and new job offers keep coming back with “hey, we pay everyone with your experience shit, so we can't pay you anything more than shit” even though I've been trained to teach 2 entirely new curriculums (my first year I was math only) and work my ass off more than the people making 35k/yr more than me just coasting through to retirement.
All in all, the educational business model sucks, and I am drowning, and all they can do is throw shit my way, instead of anything that can actually support me.