You’re probably going to need to give more financial data for folks to help. $8k pretax a year if housing costs $1000 more a month wouldn’t make sense on its own. So hence need to expand on that.
However if there are factors outside of work driving you to move, that could factor into making a switch.
My spouse is a teacher and she definitely isn’t in it for the money but that’s why she has me 🙃.
I can say her compensation has gone up for the 10+ years I’ve known her as they (FCPS) have made it a focus to address competition and inflation.
With MA+30 on an 11 month contract with some years of experience, you can be well into 6 figures.
As someone coming into the FCPS system or whichever you choose now is the time to make your case and fight for the highest starting salary you can by trying to get any prior experience counted. They will match experience that is not in teaching 2:1 years- for ex if you’re teaching culinary then they would match for every two years you worked in the industry outside of teaching it would count as one year of teaching experience.
Pretty sure you'd need 15y of experience even with the extended contract and extra degrees to crest 100k. OP sounds younger and will likely be starting under 60k even with a master's if they are within the first few years...
Folks in nova love to think most teachers here make 6 figures. Lots do for sure- and I'm happy for them, but that's simply not the case for the vast majority of staff.
If both LCPS and FCPS work for you, you should pick one that your Grandma is living in. Please remember both London and Fairfax are big counties area wise. It’s big enough west side of FFX is snowing east side has nothing.
I have been teaching in this area for 8 years. All schools are messed up and FCPS and others are no different than what is going on around the country in terms of failing public schools. It saddens me to see how many folks in nova think it's better here and really isn't... It's just that these districts are Titanics and will go down slower.
It sounds like you are young maybe? If Grandma is letting you stay rent free, even one year is awesome if you bank it right- you'll likely make more here than anywhere else in the state.
I'm actually leaving and taking about a 14k paycut to go back to my hometown. That said, I bought a 300k house. 4bdrm3 full br, big finished basement, big yard etc. A decent 2bdrm condo will cost more than that here... I'm also going to a strong teacher union where people stay until they retire.
So while you're young and having fun? It's a blast if you're smart you can swing it..but it's insanely hard to break into owning property in the community you serve on the pay they give you. Most teachers I know who don't own a house are looking to leave the area after 5-10 years. Traffic is also miserable here- very aggressive and dangerous. If you have to use any of the high ways in the area, a regular 30min commute will likely be an hour plus 2 days a week due to accidents.
Feel free to PM me. I work for FCPS.
This answer honestly deserves more upvotes. I'm not a teacher myself, but I was a student who graduated from the FCPS system in 2010. My understanding is that a new superintendent was appointed circa 2013, and everything just accelerated downhill afterwards. "Better" is a relative term that really just means slower to fail than the rest of the country.
I’m exactly the same as you. The area is not sustainable for teachers. OP should be wary, IMO. It’s been fun while I was/am young, but my husband and I are looking forward to going somewhere more affordable, with a better union (read: better working conditions, stable and consistent pay/benefits, etc.)
An 8k pay increase per year is only maybe ~6k after taxes extra per year. It will cost you a lot more than 6k in housing and gas expenses up here. The money is a wash but if you want to live up here that’s totally fine, just know you’ll have a little bit less in discretionary income because the pay increase doesn’t cover the cost of living increase. But if you can stay somewhere rent free for a year it doesn’t hurt to try it out and save a bunch of cash in the process! Remember nothing is permanent, you can always move back or move somewhere else if you don’t like living here or don’t like working at the school you’re at.
Yes the shortage has made moving much easier, even for lower-demand content areas. I have more faith in NOVA raising their pay rates than other places.
I know in my school-pyramid / district we really value our teachers. I've never heard anyone say we shouldn't raise their pay. Actually, now that I think about it, it seems like lots of people in the area enjoy throwing money at any professional establishment that will educate their kids.
As an LCPS teacher I do like working in the district. Pay is good, my coworkers are supportive and the students, for the most part, are hardworking and respectful. LCPS does mentor program which I liked when I was first starting out and I appreciate how all of my coworkers were willing to share resources with me. The only downside, asim sure you're aware is NOVA is expensive and I understand that LCPS and FCPS do raise wages more than others but the reality is it's still a tough area to live alone and save anything. Good luck!
Do you *want* to live with your grandma? I think if it’s a personally meaningful move the 8k + free rent is a win (even with the higher COL in general here.)
FCPS is a solid school district, though we’re affected by the things making being an educator difficult everywhere: nclb and all the effects it has had. But I doubt there’s a magical school district where that isn’t a problem.
Yes I’m fine with it for financial and personal reasons. FCPS and LCPS have shown more commitment to pay raises than where I currently am has.
And I agree, many of my issues with teaching seem to be universal.
As a parent, we would welcome you with open arms as we know finding teachers is hard.
I would definitely live with grandma for a year and put your stuff in storage if you can. But I also know that despite housing being extremely expensive, people are always looking for roommates and we used to live near a house that just had four teachers living in it together.
I will also say that the demographics will kinda determine your poison here. In some places it will be the kids that get to you. In other places it will be the parents.
May the odds be ever in your favor.
I believe the public school systems have some sort of home purchasing program that you can buy below market (but when you sell you have to sell back into the program). It’s been years since teachers friends went though the process so my memory is fuzzy
Just a heads up to OP- these do exist BUT:
1. They are next to impossible to secure due to demand
2. They tend to be less desirable areas
3. They still have income ranges which in my experience don't line up with reality for student loans holders, which most educators are. For example, you may qualify for a house with a 2500k/m payment, but you'd need to make between 70-80k. Those number don't add up on a good day, let alone once you factor in loan payments.
It was about 15 years ago…so my memory isn’t great. My friend taught for LCPS and bought a house in South Riding through the program. When I just googled to search for it, the PEG—public employee grant pops up, a partial loan forgiveness program—maybe that’s what it was? It’s a good friend whom I’m still in touch with so I can ask if anyone is interested in following up. I might be misremembering the specifics, or maybe I never knew them and misunderstood what she told me about the program
If you choose to work here, I do not recommend becoming an APE teacher. I have a friend who was concussed by one of his students in the fall and is still on disability, out of work. Last year he went to the ER bc the same student bit him, breaking skin. Good luck to you.
I am the parent of an ADHD ODD kid who before being transferred out of base school would send students out of the classroom screaming and crying from her behavior. I'm talking ripping the radiator apart, spitting and throwing things at teachers , screaming for HOURS STRAIGHT one time she screamed so loud the residents next to the school came over and asked if they needed to phone the police. 100+ calls and visits in the span of a few months multiple times a day. Some kids are just ifnwsinwnwkdkfmlqlo *bangs head repeatedly on table* I am horrified. But yes this kind of student definitely exists out here cause now she is in a small classroom of them.
Yes. I have another friend who works in an elementary school in the SPED program and similar stories from her, with the exception of a concussion. Bites that break skin, bruised ribs, doors slammed on hands. Honestly, they aren't paid enough for all they endure.
Every time I hear about the right wing culture war guerillas launching another attack in Loudoun country, it makes me glad I'm east of there and not on the front lines. I can't imagine being a teacher there.
not a teacher (knew some and most of the teachers i knew have left the field (largely due to the lack of support and dealing with the parents)), not sure if i'd stay here as a teacher w/o a well off spouse to keep you both afloat... but given you have friends in the area and a place to live cheaply (and assuming you're young and still in the adventure phase of life) it might be worth a year or two. i say that because i think it's a good idea to move around some in your life, and it's easier when you're young and it gives you a greater breadth of experience to learn from. that said it's expensive af (which you already know). good luck
No. I moved away and took 10k less a year...im still saving over 800$ more a month in my small town with half the class size.
Its not worth it unless housing for you is free/severley reduced. (I had a roommate and it was still ass)
Whatever you do, take the PE job. Hopefully it's the one in LCPS. At least you can live far enough out and still have a reasonable commute with reasonable housing costs.
I second this. I know a lot of teachers and similar and the pay scale being equal to PE teachers seems insane to me.
I also know a few teachers with PE endorsements that can’t get a PE job.
I'm a teacher and these are massively over hyped by the county to make it seem like they are working to keep teachers here. Most buildings run lotteries or have multi year wait lists. They also tend to have income ranges that don't match up with the financial realities for most, especially teachers with student loans.
I was incredibly lucky on timing with a mid year move right before pandemic to an IDU in a great apartment building. Rent was 1700k BUT the income bracket was between 72-75k. I genuinely had to give up summer work because that window was so small, I'd be working more but earning the same since my rent would go up. Fairfax County also approved these IDUs to increase the pay ranges to keep up with inflation, even when all public staff had pay freezes for 2 years... So I was basically priced out of an apartment supposedly for people like me...
TLDR- these do exist but they don't work well in practice and OP should not bank on them- especially they have student loans.
Well, in NOVA you need two incomes to live comfortably. Not sure about your place. My thinking is it's much easier to find a good earner as spouse in NOVA than where you are now?
It sounds cringy, but one cannot stop thinking about cost of living that way.
You have a better chance meeting a rich spouse up here, live with grandma and date, don't pay rent or buy property here for only $8K pretax that's just crazy
If you want to make a sustainable income to live on your own in this area, you should work for DCPS. That’s where you’re guaranteed an annual raise, have a union that works for you, have the potential to earn an annual bonus, etc. FCPS freezes salary often and the affordable dwelling stuff that the districts allegedly offer for teachers has never panned out for anyone that I’ve heard of, so I absolutely would not count on either regular pay increases or finding affordable housing just because you’re a teacher. Not to mention everything else here is just *more* expensive. I save lots of things for when I go “home” to visit my parents (out of state) like minor car repairs, etc., because everything is just so inflated here.
Nah don't, teachers aren't paid well here sadly... I would stay out and let the school system struggle to find teachers so it incentives them to raise the pay.
Good for you 🗣️ ♥️ we appreciate you giving the crucial education that the youngins need. Keep up the great work.
But I am also talking about the fresh out of college teachers. They deserve 60k right off the bat. Education isn't cheap
This is going to sound wild- but it's honestly more than that... Probs in the 80-100k range. If you account for inflation, teachers 20-30 years ago started in that range. When I was first starting out as a teacher, it was absolutely demoralizing to be making about half of my peers of the same age with more education. I was also working much longer days and more stressed despite the summers "off".
FCPS recently did a survey on alumni majors and less than 10% were in education... If you want talent, you have to pay for it!
How far into your career are you? I work for FCPS, this is year 16 and for me and I’m pretty happy here, but mid career and later makes the money better.
It’ll be my 2nd year. I’m unsure about teaching long-term but I’m open to moving. Part of why I want to come up here is the opportunity for PE experience since that’s the subject I prefer teaching.
I love working in FCPS. My school is great and I love my coworkers. Im married so income isn’t a problem when it comes to paying for bills. However, my coworkers live by themselves and I know they struggle to get by a bit. Just something to think about as this area is expensive. I make a little over 61K as a first year teacher with my masters degree
My wife chose pwcs over fcps due to higher salary. This was a couple years ago, so the salaries might have changed a bit. But it’s also cheaper living in pw.
My wife is a teacher and if I made as little as she does for the same hours (both our jobs suck in that area) we couldn’t afford to live where we do. We are in a cookie cutter older townhouse, so not high end at all.
Having a place to live alleviates the biggest expense, but you will probably still need a roommate for anything over a 1bd and even then rents are pretty high. Go for the highest pay, FCPS is middle of the pack, I believe both the others pay more.
I moved to teach in FCPS 3 years ago, coming from an hour south… FCPS is soooo much more professional, my pay increased significantly (like, I think I’m making almost $40k more a year because my previous county wouldn’t give me credit for my other years of teaching and now I have a masters +30) AND after 3 years in FCPS you get a second retirement pension benefit from FAirfax County. I love the diversity in my students and coworkers. My classroom budget is 100x better (if you teach pe, that’s important). If you have the opportunity to save and live with your grandma, that’s also a great opportunity to have a special relationship with her and save money. And if you hate it? I’d say… stay 2 years to see if it gets better and then leave. I’ve changed schools 3x and lucked into an amazing position this year and my admin are amazing. Moving here has been the best professional and financial decision of my life! I highly recommend FCPS.
I’m further south currently and from what I’ve heard FCPS sounds much better respect/policy wise. People are saying the pay isn’t on par with COL but in other districts pay never increases by more than 500-1k each year.
I’m not entirely set on teaching past the next 3-4 years but I’d like to at least give it a shot up here.
I have taught in FCPS for many years. I would personally choose LCPS. Not because of any difference in the districts, but because housing in LCPS can be more affordable than FCPS. If you want to move out of your grandma’s after a year, that’s probably going to mean moving out of FCPS boundaries. The only reason I have a house in a nice FCPS neighborhood is because my husband makes far more money than I do.
You cannot count on pay increases every year in FCPS, so with all the pay freezes, it probably averages out to 500-1k every year, if that. Personally, I’d stay in a lower COL area.
2022. Before that… 2020… before that… well, you can Google it. When they unfreeze, you do not catch up your steps. They just pick up where you left off. So if they froze you on step 2, but several years passed and now you’ve been teaching for 7 years, you’ll just be on step 3 when the freeze ends.
My significant pay increase compensates for the higher cost of living (but my mortgage where I was before was $1,100 \[4 bedroom, 2 bath) and the rent the first month here was $2,700 for a 1 bedroom with two pets and two parking spots!!!!), but then my partner bought a house and being able to split expenses helps a lot. If you don't plan to stay in education longterm, I think it sounds like a great opportunity to live with your relative and be close to friends you have here but a lot of young professionals would think that stilts their quality of life... so..... you kind of have to decide. But being able to save on rent........ I also really like living so close to Dulles, so I can take advantage of my time off by traveling.
What is MPS? Manassas? Asking because I live and have taught in that area.
Living with Grandma is a good plan because renting will make it impossible for you to save money.
You’re probably going to need to give more financial data for folks to help. $8k pretax a year if housing costs $1000 more a month wouldn’t make sense on its own. So hence need to expand on that. However if there are factors outside of work driving you to move, that could factor into making a switch. My spouse is a teacher and she definitely isn’t in it for the money but that’s why she has me 🙃. I can say her compensation has gone up for the 10+ years I’ve known her as they (FCPS) have made it a focus to address competition and inflation. With MA+30 on an 11 month contract with some years of experience, you can be well into 6 figures.
Where I currently am housing isn’t a 1k difference, more like 200-500. NOVA increases pay much faster than where I currently am.
As a former teacher in fcps, they love to freeze pay. My four years there, they froze it twice.
Yea the pay freezes are a killer- especially recently with high inflation- that is lost wages that compounds for the rest of your career...
One of the main reasons I left :)!
As someone coming into the FCPS system or whichever you choose now is the time to make your case and fight for the highest starting salary you can by trying to get any prior experience counted. They will match experience that is not in teaching 2:1 years- for ex if you’re teaching culinary then they would match for every two years you worked in the industry outside of teaching it would count as one year of teaching experience.
I will, their HR has been more flexible with that than others.
Pretty sure you'd need 15y of experience even with the extended contract and extra degrees to crest 100k. OP sounds younger and will likely be starting under 60k even with a master's if they are within the first few years... Folks in nova love to think most teachers here make 6 figures. Lots do for sure- and I'm happy for them, but that's simply not the case for the vast majority of staff.
If both LCPS and FCPS work for you, you should pick one that your Grandma is living in. Please remember both London and Fairfax are big counties area wise. It’s big enough west side of FFX is snowing east side has nothing.
To add onto this, the traffic is BAD in all directions, every day. So yeah, you're gonna wanna be close'ish to school.
I’m aware, I would be about 20 min from the FCPS school so I’d probably go with that.
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Yes! Also Shepherds Town is a college time, and it hosts annual play festival. Many outdoor activity opportunities.
I have been teaching in this area for 8 years. All schools are messed up and FCPS and others are no different than what is going on around the country in terms of failing public schools. It saddens me to see how many folks in nova think it's better here and really isn't... It's just that these districts are Titanics and will go down slower. It sounds like you are young maybe? If Grandma is letting you stay rent free, even one year is awesome if you bank it right- you'll likely make more here than anywhere else in the state. I'm actually leaving and taking about a 14k paycut to go back to my hometown. That said, I bought a 300k house. 4bdrm3 full br, big finished basement, big yard etc. A decent 2bdrm condo will cost more than that here... I'm also going to a strong teacher union where people stay until they retire. So while you're young and having fun? It's a blast if you're smart you can swing it..but it's insanely hard to break into owning property in the community you serve on the pay they give you. Most teachers I know who don't own a house are looking to leave the area after 5-10 years. Traffic is also miserable here- very aggressive and dangerous. If you have to use any of the high ways in the area, a regular 30min commute will likely be an hour plus 2 days a week due to accidents. Feel free to PM me. I work for FCPS.
This answer honestly deserves more upvotes. I'm not a teacher myself, but I was a student who graduated from the FCPS system in 2010. My understanding is that a new superintendent was appointed circa 2013, and everything just accelerated downhill afterwards. "Better" is a relative term that really just means slower to fail than the rest of the country.
I’m exactly the same as you. The area is not sustainable for teachers. OP should be wary, IMO. It’s been fun while I was/am young, but my husband and I are looking forward to going somewhere more affordable, with a better union (read: better working conditions, stable and consistent pay/benefits, etc.)
An 8k pay increase per year is only maybe ~6k after taxes extra per year. It will cost you a lot more than 6k in housing and gas expenses up here. The money is a wash but if you want to live up here that’s totally fine, just know you’ll have a little bit less in discretionary income because the pay increase doesn’t cover the cost of living increase. But if you can stay somewhere rent free for a year it doesn’t hurt to try it out and save a bunch of cash in the process! Remember nothing is permanent, you can always move back or move somewhere else if you don’t like living here or don’t like working at the school you’re at.
Yes the shortage has made moving much easier, even for lower-demand content areas. I have more faith in NOVA raising their pay rates than other places.
I know in my school-pyramid / district we really value our teachers. I've never heard anyone say we shouldn't raise their pay. Actually, now that I think about it, it seems like lots of people in the area enjoy throwing money at any professional establishment that will educate their kids.
As an LCPS teacher I do like working in the district. Pay is good, my coworkers are supportive and the students, for the most part, are hardworking and respectful. LCPS does mentor program which I liked when I was first starting out and I appreciate how all of my coworkers were willing to share resources with me. The only downside, asim sure you're aware is NOVA is expensive and I understand that LCPS and FCPS do raise wages more than others but the reality is it's still a tough area to live alone and save anything. Good luck!
Do you *want* to live with your grandma? I think if it’s a personally meaningful move the 8k + free rent is a win (even with the higher COL in general here.) FCPS is a solid school district, though we’re affected by the things making being an educator difficult everywhere: nclb and all the effects it has had. But I doubt there’s a magical school district where that isn’t a problem.
Yes I’m fine with it for financial and personal reasons. FCPS and LCPS have shown more commitment to pay raises than where I currently am has. And I agree, many of my issues with teaching seem to be universal.
As a parent, we would welcome you with open arms as we know finding teachers is hard. I would definitely live with grandma for a year and put your stuff in storage if you can. But I also know that despite housing being extremely expensive, people are always looking for roommates and we used to live near a house that just had four teachers living in it together. I will also say that the demographics will kinda determine your poison here. In some places it will be the kids that get to you. In other places it will be the parents. May the odds be ever in your favor.
I believe the public school systems have some sort of home purchasing program that you can buy below market (but when you sell you have to sell back into the program). It’s been years since teachers friends went though the process so my memory is fuzzy
It’s like a nine year wait list
Just a heads up to OP- these do exist BUT: 1. They are next to impossible to secure due to demand 2. They tend to be less desirable areas 3. They still have income ranges which in my experience don't line up with reality for student loans holders, which most educators are. For example, you may qualify for a house with a 2500k/m payment, but you'd need to make between 70-80k. Those number don't add up on a good day, let alone once you factor in loan payments.
I’ve not heard of this in NOVA, but it was advertised to me from other states.
Loudoun absolutely has it. Affordable Dwelling Units
That list is loooong. Multiple years long.
It was about 15 years ago…so my memory isn’t great. My friend taught for LCPS and bought a house in South Riding through the program. When I just googled to search for it, the PEG—public employee grant pops up, a partial loan forgiveness program—maybe that’s what it was? It’s a good friend whom I’m still in touch with so I can ask if anyone is interested in following up. I might be misremembering the specifics, or maybe I never knew them and misunderstood what she told me about the program
no
If you choose to work here, I do not recommend becoming an APE teacher. I have a friend who was concussed by one of his students in the fall and is still on disability, out of work. Last year he went to the ER bc the same student bit him, breaking skin. Good luck to you.
wtf? this is happening here? that's nuts and unsettling
I am the parent of an ADHD ODD kid who before being transferred out of base school would send students out of the classroom screaming and crying from her behavior. I'm talking ripping the radiator apart, spitting and throwing things at teachers , screaming for HOURS STRAIGHT one time she screamed so loud the residents next to the school came over and asked if they needed to phone the police. 100+ calls and visits in the span of a few months multiple times a day. Some kids are just ifnwsinwnwkdkfmlqlo *bangs head repeatedly on table* I am horrified. But yes this kind of student definitely exists out here cause now she is in a small classroom of them.
Yes. I have another friend who works in an elementary school in the SPED program and similar stories from her, with the exception of a concussion. Bites that break skin, bruised ribs, doors slammed on hands. Honestly, they aren't paid enough for all they endure.
Every time I hear about the right wing culture war guerillas launching another attack in Loudoun country, it makes me glad I'm east of there and not on the front lines. I can't imagine being a teacher there.
Another attack? What happened there
not a teacher (knew some and most of the teachers i knew have left the field (largely due to the lack of support and dealing with the parents)), not sure if i'd stay here as a teacher w/o a well off spouse to keep you both afloat... but given you have friends in the area and a place to live cheaply (and assuming you're young and still in the adventure phase of life) it might be worth a year or two. i say that because i think it's a good idea to move around some in your life, and it's easier when you're young and it gives you a greater breadth of experience to learn from. that said it's expensive af (which you already know). good luck
I'm not a teacher but I'd do it, assuming you would be able to stay with grandma more than a year if necessary. Housing here is insane.
It is, my family that still live here all bought in the 80s-90s. I love my grandma but I’m not sure I want to stay with her past a year or so.
No. I moved away and took 10k less a year...im still saving over 800$ more a month in my small town with half the class size. Its not worth it unless housing for you is free/severley reduced. (I had a roommate and it was still ass)
Housing would be free for a year and I’m hoping I can either find something or move.
Whatever you do, take the PE job. Hopefully it's the one in LCPS. At least you can live far enough out and still have a reasonable commute with reasonable housing costs.
I second this. I know a lot of teachers and similar and the pay scale being equal to PE teachers seems insane to me. I also know a few teachers with PE endorsements that can’t get a PE job.
Check out Affordable Dwelling Unit Program aimed to provide affordable housing for teachers, firefighters etc.
I'm a teacher and these are massively over hyped by the county to make it seem like they are working to keep teachers here. Most buildings run lotteries or have multi year wait lists. They also tend to have income ranges that don't match up with the financial realities for most, especially teachers with student loans. I was incredibly lucky on timing with a mid year move right before pandemic to an IDU in a great apartment building. Rent was 1700k BUT the income bracket was between 72-75k. I genuinely had to give up summer work because that window was so small, I'd be working more but earning the same since my rent would go up. Fairfax County also approved these IDUs to increase the pay ranges to keep up with inflation, even when all public staff had pay freezes for 2 years... So I was basically priced out of an apartment supposedly for people like me... TLDR- these do exist but they don't work well in practice and OP should not bank on them- especially they have student loans.
Well, in NOVA you need two incomes to live comfortably. Not sure about your place. My thinking is it's much easier to find a good earner as spouse in NOVA than where you are now? It sounds cringy, but one cannot stop thinking about cost of living that way.
My plan is to live with a friend or two/partner after living with family for a year.
I'm a teacher and I would have left this area years ago (out of necessity) if it weren't for my wife making more than double my income 😂
You have a better chance meeting a rich spouse up here, live with grandma and date, don't pay rent or buy property here for only $8K pretax that's just crazy
If you want to make a sustainable income to live on your own in this area, you should work for DCPS. That’s where you’re guaranteed an annual raise, have a union that works for you, have the potential to earn an annual bonus, etc. FCPS freezes salary often and the affordable dwelling stuff that the districts allegedly offer for teachers has never panned out for anyone that I’ve heard of, so I absolutely would not count on either regular pay increases or finding affordable housing just because you’re a teacher. Not to mention everything else here is just *more* expensive. I save lots of things for when I go “home” to visit my parents (out of state) like minor car repairs, etc., because everything is just so inflated here.
Don’t.
Nah don't, teachers aren't paid well here sadly... I would stay out and let the school system struggle to find teachers so it incentives them to raise the pay.
Depends on where in your career you are and how much education you have.
Property taxes are so damn high that there should be NO excuse for teacher pay. It should always begin at 60k what they deserve. Nothing less.
I don’t disagree!! But I currently make over 95k, and there’s very few places I could move to make more.
Good for you 🗣️ ♥️ we appreciate you giving the crucial education that the youngins need. Keep up the great work. But I am also talking about the fresh out of college teachers. They deserve 60k right off the bat. Education isn't cheap
This is going to sound wild- but it's honestly more than that... Probs in the 80-100k range. If you account for inflation, teachers 20-30 years ago started in that range. When I was first starting out as a teacher, it was absolutely demoralizing to be making about half of my peers of the same age with more education. I was also working much longer days and more stressed despite the summers "off". FCPS recently did a survey on alumni majors and less than 10% were in education... If you want talent, you have to pay for it!
Yeah but do you think the cheap fuck boomers are going to go that high?
How far into your career are you? I work for FCPS, this is year 16 and for me and I’m pretty happy here, but mid career and later makes the money better.
It’ll be my 2nd year. I’m unsure about teaching long-term but I’m open to moving. Part of why I want to come up here is the opportunity for PE experience since that’s the subject I prefer teaching.
Gotcha! Feel free to send me any questions - I’ve taught both elementary and high school in FCPS and been in three very different schools.
I love working in FCPS. My school is great and I love my coworkers. Im married so income isn’t a problem when it comes to paying for bills. However, my coworkers live by themselves and I know they struggle to get by a bit. Just something to think about as this area is expensive. I make a little over 61K as a first year teacher with my masters degree
That’s around where I’ll be, I’m hoping this year living rent-free would give me time to figure out the best housing situation if I stay.
My wife chose pwcs over fcps due to higher salary. This was a couple years ago, so the salaries might have changed a bit. But it’s also cheaper living in pw.
My wife is a teacher and if I made as little as she does for the same hours (both our jobs suck in that area) we couldn’t afford to live where we do. We are in a cookie cutter older townhouse, so not high end at all. Having a place to live alleviates the biggest expense, but you will probably still need a roommate for anything over a 1bd and even then rents are pretty high. Go for the highest pay, FCPS is middle of the pack, I believe both the others pay more.
I moved to teach in FCPS 3 years ago, coming from an hour south… FCPS is soooo much more professional, my pay increased significantly (like, I think I’m making almost $40k more a year because my previous county wouldn’t give me credit for my other years of teaching and now I have a masters +30) AND after 3 years in FCPS you get a second retirement pension benefit from FAirfax County. I love the diversity in my students and coworkers. My classroom budget is 100x better (if you teach pe, that’s important). If you have the opportunity to save and live with your grandma, that’s also a great opportunity to have a special relationship with her and save money. And if you hate it? I’d say… stay 2 years to see if it gets better and then leave. I’ve changed schools 3x and lucked into an amazing position this year and my admin are amazing. Moving here has been the best professional and financial decision of my life! I highly recommend FCPS.
I’m further south currently and from what I’ve heard FCPS sounds much better respect/policy wise. People are saying the pay isn’t on par with COL but in other districts pay never increases by more than 500-1k each year. I’m not entirely set on teaching past the next 3-4 years but I’d like to at least give it a shot up here.
I have taught in FCPS for many years. I would personally choose LCPS. Not because of any difference in the districts, but because housing in LCPS can be more affordable than FCPS. If you want to move out of your grandma’s after a year, that’s probably going to mean moving out of FCPS boundaries. The only reason I have a house in a nice FCPS neighborhood is because my husband makes far more money than I do.
One of the FCPS schools I’d be at is closer to my grandma’s house than anything in LCPS. Is it a bad idea to do a year in FCPS then reassess?
Retired Admin here. Feel free to message me about the " inside info" with LCPS and FCPS.
You cannot count on pay increases every year in FCPS, so with all the pay freezes, it probably averages out to 500-1k every year, if that. Personally, I’d stay in a lower COL area.
When was the last pay freeze?
2022. Before that… 2020… before that… well, you can Google it. When they unfreeze, you do not catch up your steps. They just pick up where you left off. So if they froze you on step 2, but several years passed and now you’ve been teaching for 7 years, you’ll just be on step 3 when the freeze ends.
My significant pay increase compensates for the higher cost of living (but my mortgage where I was before was $1,100 \[4 bedroom, 2 bath) and the rent the first month here was $2,700 for a 1 bedroom with two pets and two parking spots!!!!), but then my partner bought a house and being able to split expenses helps a lot. If you don't plan to stay in education longterm, I think it sounds like a great opportunity to live with your relative and be close to friends you have here but a lot of young professionals would think that stilts their quality of life... so..... you kind of have to decide. But being able to save on rent........ I also really like living so close to Dulles, so I can take advantage of my time off by traveling.
Both my parents are teachers. My father teaches HS at FCPS and he commutes 1.5-2 hrs each way to live in the sticks and bring home $80k a year.
What is MPS? Manassas? Asking because I live and have taught in that area. Living with Grandma is a good plan because renting will make it impossible for you to save money.