Since most people know a teacher, it's no surprise that an episode of Living Not So Fabulously about teacher salaries will address the invariable underpayment of educators. "Teachers don't make very much money," education director and advocate Cam Lieberson told hosts David & John Auten-Schneider, frankly. Though 2024 has seen the largest year-over-year teacher pay increase in over a decade, when adjusted for inflation, teachers actually make 5% less than they did 10 years ago on average, according to the National Education Association.

But after switching to public from private school teaching — because people recommended the better benefits and pay — Lieberson "felt that there was a major trade-off," in mental and physical health. "I was a theater teacher and so I would see multiple classes a day. I saw almost 800 students."

Lieberson further explained that salaries in public schools will be dictated by unions, while in private schools, they will be determined based on what's in the budget and what's negotiated. Meanwhile, the benefits of private schools are that they will have smaller classrooms and strict hours, whereas public schools have pensions and bigger class sizes.

However, Lieberson pointed out that, on average, private school teachers will make less than public school teachers, surprising Living Not So Fabulously hosts. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, private school teachers earn an average of $15,000 less than their public school counterparts.

So as future educators weigh the pros and cons of different institutions, Lieberson has some advise: "For someone entering education, I would say they probably should check out public schools; teaching somewhere where there's a union and there's protection of what your salary is.... I think know what you're worth."

Hosts and husbands of Living Not So Fabulously, David & John Auten-Schneider, dive into real money stories with activists, allies, artists, tech-gurus, and trailblazers in the LGBTQ+ community to give you tangible takeaways to tackle your wallet woes.

Find this episode's transcripts and more episodes of Living Not So Fabulously at http://finance.yahoo.com/videos/series/living-fabulously/.

Have a money story of your own? Questions? Fan mail? Email us at [email protected].

00:00-Cam Lieberson joins Living Not So Fabulously

01:30-Why teachers struggle to make ends meet

06:20-How being underpaid drains teachers

13:00-Focus on benefits and savings

18:15-Advice for new teachers

Yahoo Finance's Living Not So Fabulously is hosted by David & John Auten-Schneider, and created and produced by Rachael Lewis-Krisky.

Cam Lieberson is an education director and advocate focusing on early childhood education and arts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices