Some people feel called to help others, thus helping society in general. Some of those people feel the calling as a need to teach; some of those feel called to teach kindergarten. Being familiar with young children, we say huzzah to those people! 👍
Being any kind of teacher can be thankless, but particularly with little ones you sometimes have to just take your gratitude by implication rather than spoken words. And for most of these golden individuals that’s enough. But even the most rewarding job needs a Paycheck, so at the risk of getting too clinical about it, let’s talk about where you can make the most money being a kindergarten teacher.
Here are Five Fast Facts on the best states to be a kindergarten teacher:
- ✔️ Requirements - To be a kindergarten teacher, you have to complete a Bachelor’s degree and pass a background test. Different states do different things, but in most places you have to pass a test about your specialization, too. And if you don’t think kindergarten is a specialization, then you’ve clearly not been shut in a room with 25 rowdy rugrats for 7 hours before!
- ❤️ More Than Just Teaching - Sure, it’s about teaching the reading and the writing, but since kindergarten is the first full year of school for most students, it’s the key to establishing good habits in young students, including things like social interactions and emotional growth. You know, so they don’t grow up to become psychos (other than the middle school years; not sure anyone can prevent that).
- 😨 Shortage! - This isn’t exactly news, but there’s a massive teacher shortage across the country. Some estimates say we could use at least 55,000 new teachers! Buehler…?
- 💰 Highest Dollars - The state with the highest median annual salary is California, coming in around $85k in 2022. Salaries for the top 15 states range down to Maryland at $61k. It’s still iffy on whether this is enough to deal with the kindergarteners’ parents.
- 💸 Highest Relative Pay - One thing that’s important to remember is that it’s not just about how much you make…it’s also about how expensive it is to live there. Remember how kindergarten teachers in California make the highest salary? Well, that state also has the highest cost of living, so that reduces the relative salary to about $81k. That California sunshine better be worth it!
🔥Bottom line: It’s a critical job, and one that we need a lot more of! If this is something you’ve thought about – maybe even as a second career – then your job security should be pretty strong. And now you know where you can make the most bang for the buck, too.
Would you consider being a kindergarten teacher?
Let us know by connecting with us on Facebook and Instagram! Also, remember to share this newsletter with your friends & coworkers!
BTW, If you’ve read this far and haven’t yet signed up for the weekly Paycheckology newsletter, CLICK HERE!
