Preschool Teacher Salary

If you love kids, have amazing patience, and want to live your life to make a difference in others, becoming a teacher might just be your thing. Teaching preschool age children is one of the more rewarding of jobs because young children are so trusting, eager to love, and more than willing to learn. As you weigh out your options and look into becoming a preschool teacher, the projected salary you would be making is a huge concern.

Salary of a Preschool Teacher

The salary of a preschool teacher varies greatly depending on what school you are teaching in, whether it is a public or private school, how many hours you work a week and the type of preschool you will be working in. Teaching in a public school generally gives a higher income that teaching in a private school. Private schools often offer incentives such as free housing or free tuition for your children to supplement the lower salary they pay.

Also, the different teaching positions that are available for preschools will have a large bearing on your salary. Preschool directors make the most money because they are in charge of the different teachers and are also responsible for making sure the school runs smoothly. Preschool lead teachers are the next highest paid on the list. They are the teacher that is in charge of the classroom, making sure the right amount of curriculum is covered, and that communication is open between themselves and the students’ parents. Preschool assistant teachers usually make the lowest salary partly because they often only work part time. Assistants are placed in the classroom to help with control, answer questions, and work with the children on a more individual basis.

Average Preschool Teacher Salary

Some people don’t take into account when they look at the projected salary a job offers them that the current economic situation will have very much to do with the amount you will be earning. Public schools are funded by the tax payer and, in a simple sense, if people are making less money there will be less tax money to fund the many public schools, meaning that public school teachers will be making less. And because private school tuition can easily cost $1,000 a month for each student, when things get hard and people need to make budget cuts, parents may decide to enroll their children in public school instead.

The average preschool teacher salary varies depending on where you live, how many hours you work a week and what type of teaching position you hold. The following figures are the 2010-11 U.S. national averages for the different preschool teaching positions: preschool lead teachers made $22,000; preschool assistant teachers made $19,000; preschool directors made $36,000.