Public School In USA

To work abroad as an OFW (overseas Filipino worker) is the dream of many Filipinos. Although there are already close to 12 million Filipinos working overseas, about a million more leave the Philippines every year to work in some 200 countries around the world. In fact, according to some reports, at any one time, more than 10% of the Philippines’ total population are hard at work – abroad.

Why? Well, the primary reason is money. Given the sluggish state of the Philippine economy, there are not just enough jobs at home. And the few that are available do not pay enough to enable the poor worker to support a family of four, let alone the extended families that most of us Filipinos have. A public school teacher with more than five years’ experience, for instance, is paid an average of Php15,000 a month or Php180,000 (US$4,000) a year. In comparison, a school in Maryland, USA was reported just a few years back as offering Filipino teachers a starting annual salary of $43,500. This is equivalent to over P2.0 million a year – more than 10 times bigger than what a teacher can get at home!

Unfortunately, such high-paying overseas jobs are also becoming fewer. Even in the Middle East, where the hiring of Filipino labor really began in earnest in the 1970s, salaries have plummeted sharply. The global recession is one big reason for the decline; growing competition is another. Workers from other Third World countries may not be as skilled as their Filipino counterparts, but their willingness to work abroad for much lower wages has driven salary scales downward quite sharply.

However, the lower wages nothwithstanding, Filipinos continue to look for work abroad. Working as an OFW still remains a cherished Pinoy dream. We just have to be a little more careful and discriminating when it comes to offers for work abroad – especially after hearing the many horror stories about OFWs getting their pay withheld and their travel documents confiscated or hidden. Right?

Right, but then again, perhaps, it’s time for us Filipinos to consider what could be an even wiser – and definitely safer – option. Take the case of Abe Olandres who, as a professional blogger, is earning $5,000 a month. Or J. Angelo Racoma, an economist by training but who now writes technical blogs for a living and who says other Filipinos can do the same to earn anywhere from $300 to $6,000 monthly. They are just two of the growing number of Pinoys who, by using the Internet, are now earning OFW-style salaries without having to work abroad! And blogging is but one option you can go into. There are other work at home jobs like freelance outsourcing and affiliate marketing (which has turned many work at home practitioners into multimillionaires around the world) that us Pinoys should definitely get into!

By Paolo Gutierrez

Once you’ve earned your Education Degree, it’s time to start working in your preferred field. What salary level can you expect? Here’s a brief overview of the salary expectations you can have as the proud holder of a degree in Education.

o Teacher in Public Schools

Although teacher pay varies by state and by school district, virtually all public schools in the U.S. employ a rigid salary grid to determine the teacher salaries paid in a specific district. This single, unified salary schedule recognizes only years of service and amount of education as inputs in determining the pay of individual teachers. It treats all degrees as equivalent, regardless of where they were earned or in what subject.

A new teacher with a bachelor’s degree would start at the salary of $32,722 for the nine-month school year. Salaries usually increase at a rate of 2-3% a year. However, for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree, this salaries usually cap at year 12 at or around $44,916 per school year.

With a master’s degree instead of a bachelor’s degree, a teacher would be paid $51,192 rather than $44,916. The other benefit of having the master’s degree is that salary step increases are no longer capped in year 12, but continue to increase to $69,859.

If the teacher subsequently earns another 30 education credits beyond the master’s degree, this again shifts the teacher to even higher pay. The added credential boosts the teacher’s pay $53,238. After 25 years of service, the teacher’s pay could increase to $79,318.

o Educational Administrators

Most education administrators begin in related occupations, often as teachers. But most earn master’s degrees in Education Administration or Educational Leadership, and some pursue a doctorate degree as well. Here is a breakdown of professions and salaries in administration (information provided by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics):

Administrators K-12

Principals

Senior High School $82,225

Jr. High/Middle School $78,160

Elementary school $74,062

Assistant Principals

Senior High School $68,945

Jr. High/Middle School $66,319

Elementary school $63,398

Administrators in Higher Education

Chief academic officer $127,066

Academic deans

Business $120,460

Arts and Sciences $110,412

Graduate programs $109,309

Education $107,660

Nursing $100,314

Health-related professions $100,185

Continuing Education $91,800

Occupational or Vocational Education $79,845

Other administrators

Chief Development Officer $114,400

Dean of Students $75,245

Director, student financial aid $63,130

Registrar $61,953

Director, student activities $45,636

By Cecily Kellogg