What does a teacher make? "Not nearly enough" is the almost universal answer. Scan a site like Salary.com and check out competing jobs. You will see that the problem with teaching is that we demand highly qualified, well-credentialed individuals with experience to take jobs for which we literally pay them less than a dog catcher.

The cynics will say that teachers are well-compensated for what they do. After all, they get all those holidays. And they only work for ten months anyway. The reality is that teachers invest inordinate amounts of time preparing lesson plans, learning new techniques, keeping certifications current and so on. 

Private school teachers are more fortunate than most public school teachers. Why? Because they get to teach their subject to small classes. Real learning takes place in most private school class rooms as a result of low student to teacher ratios. Discipline is rarely a problem. What does this have to do with teacher compensation? Combine job satisfaction with a reasonable compensation package and you will have a happy teacher.

Private school teachers enjoy many perks which are not generally found in the public sector. These include free or reduced tuition for faculty children, meals and housing (at boarding schools).

Available Data

Data on private school salaries is hard to come by. If you are not a member of NAIS, the easiest way to figure out what teachers are paid is to review a survey like the American Federation of Teachers'  2005 Survey & Analysis of Teacher Salary Trends. (Yes, 2005 is the most recent  data available.)

Findings from the Pilot Teacher Compensation Survey: School Year 2005-06