Public Vs Private School?
When researching teaching positions between elementary, middle, and high school, you might realize that there is a choice to work at either a private school or a public school. Is there a difference between public and private school when it comes to teaching? For example, do you get paid more for working at a public school or private? Is the behavior of the kids different? What about city versus suburbs? I’m just wondering what it is like to work at each type of school. Thanks!
I work for the largest public school district in Ohio. In my state, charter/community schools are money makers. Its taken several years for things to calm down, there for a while, it seemed every vacant building was housing a new pop up charter school. The Ohio Department of Education funds those schools, in that money is paid for each student attending a charter.
A big plus to working for a public school system is that if you work within the inner city, you can get your student loan money forgiven (a good part of it), but check with your particular student loan lender. Also, I know for a fact that our public school teachers do earn more, have a great union and great benefits. As with job, you should check out things where you live and talk to anyone you can in that field in your city/town. Things are so different from state to state that any advice can only be based on where one resides. Like here in Columbus - private schools are different, and they tend to pay pretty well, but private schools rose from being a charter/community school. They basically stood the test of time and have a positive reputation now, then there are church schools - Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist, Baptist, etc.
There is a difference, the private schools here, you may find more parent involvement in a private vs. public, but I have seen that difference within my district from one building to another. I have also known teachers that have left public school teaching to move to a private school or a smaller public school district (usually to the suburbs).
Private schools will typically pay less as the only money funding the school comes from donors and parents. Public schools are better paying and benefits but way more students. My wife started teaching for UMKC charter schools and she loves it, says the pay is almost 10k more with them and she worked for NKC schools for a long time.
Hi Ally,
Are you thinking of becoming a teacher? It's a great way to influence kids and make a difference. I have several teachers in my family, and they are all inspirations!
The difference between public and private schools can be night and day, but it depends on a few things. Location is huge, as it changes how much funding the school gets. How active the administration is is also important, as pro-active ones usually are the ones going for grants and scholarships for their kids to help them succeed.
Pay is dependent on a variety of things - experience, location, and how much time you spend there. Additionally, how strong the teacher's union is can be the difference between a well-compensated teaching force and one that is not.
I'm not a teacher myself, so I can't really answer the behavior question, but I know that Ashley W. was a teacher once upon a time, so hopefully she can shed some light on that question!
Hope this helps!
Ally, there are many challenges of both fields. I was the operations supervisor for a private school. Although they were small (150 students k-12) they went through several transitions. You have raised some good questions and it seems like you are in the beginning of doing your research. Have you made a decision yet?
The kids are better behaved in private schools and come from better families.