Teacher Salary Information

THE MYTH THAT TEACHERS DON’T WORK FULL-TIME

Private Sector Employment

In 1993 the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) conducted a national study of employee benefits at medium and large private establishments. The following data are from the Employer Benefit Survey Bulletin #2456 which reports the results of the survey.

Hours Worked

Weekly work schedules of 40 hours predominate among full-time employees. While some flex-time is being introduced, 82% of employees work the standard 8 hours per day 5 days per week for a total of 2080 hours per year. Most (96%) do not receive a paid lunch, but two fifteen minute breaks are “often provided.”

Holidays

Nearly all full-time employees are provided paid holidays. The average is 10 days per year including “personal holidays” (e.g., birthdays) sometimes offered by employers.

Paid Vacation

Almost all full-time employees receive paid vacation. Vacation averages 16.6 days for 10 years of service, and 20.4 days for 20 years of service. The BLS states that employees receive “15 or 20 days at 10 years, and 20 to 30 days at 20 years or more.”

Teacher Employment

In 1996 the Wisconsin Education Association Council conducted a statewide survey in Wisconsin which addressed teacher employment conditions. The survey was sent to a random sample of teachers statewide and was returned by 880 respondents. The following data are from this survey on the “Status of Wisconsin Teachers.”

Number of Days Worked

The average number of school days reported by teachers was 180.9. Additionally, teachers reported an average of 6.9 “other contract” days when they must report to school. Thus, the average teacher is contracted to work 187.8 days per year.

Number of Hours Worked

By contract, the average teacher worked 7.66 hours per day. However, teachers worked an average of 8.96 hours per week on non-compensated instruction-related activity, like class preparation and grading papers, after the school day was over including weekends. Teachers also reported working an average of 6.06 hours per week in non-instructional related activities. This category includes both compensated activities like coaching and non-compensated activities like bus duty or club advisor. When non-compensated instructional-related time spent after the workday and non- instructional duties are added to the regular workday, the average teacher is working from 9 to 10 hours per day.

A Comparison of Private Sector Employees to Teachers

The comparisons below use data from the BLS Employee Benefit Survey (1993) and the Status of the Wisconsin Teacher survey (1996). For teachers the mean, or average, score for each response was used in the left-hand column and the median score was used in the right-hand column. One-half hour was subtracted from the length of the contract day for lunch in order to calculate the total number of hours worked per year by teachers.

Private sector hours were based on an employee who has 20 years experience. This is an apt comparison since the average teacher has 17 years of experience. Private sector hours were calculated with and without paid breaks since many but not all employees receive paid breaks.

Annual Hours of Work

Teachers

Annual Hours of Work

Private Sector

* Vacation is for a 20-year employee. The average teacher in Wisconsin has 17 years of experience.

The most current data available show that Wisconsin teachers work from 1,765 to 1,908 hours per year, not unlike their private sector counterparts who work from 1,710 to 1,840 hours per year. The similarity in hours between teachers and private sector employees is due primarily to the extra time teachers spend working with students and preparing for class after the typical workday is over, in addition to the extra duties teachers are responsible for after the “regular” workday.

In 1993 the average worker worked 39.2 hours per week, less than the 47-50 hour work week for teachers.

In a related study on trends in hours of work, the Monthly Labor Review stated that the average work week for nonagricultural wage and salary workers was 39.2 hours, and that “average hours at work changed little over the period from 1976 to 1993, increasing by just 1.1 hours” (Rones, Llg, Gardner, April 1997). Within this relatively stable picture, however, two major trends were notable. First, the proportion of people working more than 49 hours per week is increasing. This group tended to work in higher paying or sales related jobs. Second, the number of women in the workforce is increasing as is the number of hours they are working.

The increasing number of women, who work fewer hours than men, and a decrease in the number of hours by workers under the age of 26 both helped offset the increase in the number of people working more than 49 hours per week so that, in aggregate, there was only a minor increase in the average number of hours worked between 1976 and 1993.

Women who teach work more than their private sector counterparts.

In 1993, the average man worked 1,905 hours per year, and the average woman 1,526. Female teachers, who comprise 70% of Wisconsin’s teaching corp, worked about 239 more hours per year than the average woman who worked in the private sector.

Related Facts and Talking Points

• Many teachers do not get paid during summer months and have to budget for three months of no income. There is no comparison in the private sector where gainfully employed individuals are not paid for three month periods of time during their employment.
• If teachers are paid during the summer, the monies paid are monies which were earned at an earlier time and are being doled out later with no interest.
• Many employees in the private sector who work more than 40 hours per week are entitled to overtime pay. However, teachers who spend extra time helping students or preparing for class do not receive overtime. The more time teachers spend helping students the less their hourly wage becomes.
• The average amount spent by teachers last year for classroom materials and/or to help meet the needs of students was $343. About 33% reported spending more than $200 and six percent reported spending more than $1,000 in the last academic year (Status of Wisconsin Teachers, 1996).
• To maintain a license for employment, teachers must complete six credits every five years. Studying, research, and class time are all non-compensated additional time commitments which are a requisite part of teaching employment.
• Over the last three years, from 29% - 40% of teachers took college courses in any single year. Of these, teachers spent on average $1,872 in tuition, books and fees; and 35% reported spending between $1,500 and $10,000 in the last three years on course work (Status of Wisconsin Teachers, 1996).
• On average, each teacher is responsible for 88 pupils per day. However, 48% of teachers are responsible for 100-200 students per day (Status of Wisconsin Teachers, 1996).
• The majority of teachers are contracted to work an eight hour day.
• The average teacher reported spending about 9 hours per week on activities related to instruction after the workday was over. Additionally, 42% of teachers reported spending more than 10 hours per week, and 10% spent more than 20 hours per week in post-workday instructional-related activities (Status of Wisconsin Teachers, 1996).