Previously, I had 5 years working at this center. I am a preschool teacher. The business has 5 centers. One is for children with disabilities/special needs. I worked within the children with special needs for a couple years. Then I had moved away and got an office job. It had been 10 years since I worked in a preschool. But much of my jobs since involved working with children.
I came back to this job for a few reasons. To have purpose, it's an amazing feeling to teach children or help them with delays. Home-cooked organic meals daily. The constant moving and walking to keep you in shape.
We all have the same duties: observe the children, create learning experiences, follow the lesson plans to offer science, math, music and art to each child. Monitor development and make referrals to specialists if there's a need for speech therapy, occupational therapy, or other screenings. We all have to clean, record their development, and update a database on their development.
I'm excited to be back for my 3rd year since coming back. It's been fun and I like my new team.
I often complained about how well paid the office Staff is. They are a collection of 6 staff members who have one hat jobs: behavioral referrals, development referrals, supply orders, payroll, bill payment, invoicing, and the main boss of it all.
Each center is made up of: teachers, teacher aids, teachers in training, cook, and center supervisor. Each center has 20-25 kids.
Okay, so if you read all of that. Awesome. Thank you.
For as long as I worked with this company. I thought it was absolutely distasteful that the office Staff went on company retreats and trainings. They get paid travel to go to resorts and have fun and go listen to an educator talk about education and being a teacher. Even though none of them are teachers. Then they return to the office and hold a Staff training in the office basement to tell all the teaching staff what they learned. Happens every year.
I recently found out that office Staff make double what I'm paid and some triple. Even though they don't have degrees. I've always compared office Staff and teaching staff.
Now back to why I posted this. There is no degree required to be a lead teacher in a preschool. The program does however require certifications for documentation. We all have this certification unless you're in training.
I was already bitter about the office Staff making double or triple the salary of me, a teacher's aid.
But I just found out that teachers are making $8-$13 more an hour than aids. With no additional training, certifications, or duties. There is no clear separation from aids and the teachers. I work with these staff daily and some of them don't do anything!! They don't clean or do paperwork or help when needed. Now I'm so infuriated about how they make so much more than me an hour and other teachers aids. Even though we do the same work!
Then I find out teacher's in training make less than me!! $1-$3 less!! And yet, they do all the same work except paperwork. But still!!
The business advertises the jobs as making $15/hour. For training teachers. And they're making $11/hour because of the contracts they signed. If it's advertised as $15; how can they contract them at $11?
The teaching positions cap off at $18/hour. But teachers are making $28/hour. Which I'm fine with that. But where is the consistency??
Office Staff shouldn't be making anywhere near as much as the lead teachers or building supervisors. But the teachers all essentially have the same duties and for there to be this gap of $11 to $28 is ridiculous. No wonder some of the Staff is so HAPPY. They're making top dollar. While some staff are stressed and struggling.
Sorry. Rant over. I just wish people were more about integrity and actually paying people with justification.