There are moments in your teaching career when you feel as though you’re not being treated as fairly as can be. More often than not, these feelings revolve around your wage packet; you’ve worked at the same company for many years and believe you deserve a raise. Your job responsibilities have increased, and you also feel as though your wage hasn’t risen in line with general inflation.
You want a pay rise, but you’re unsure how to get one, so here are three ways to get what you deserve.
Ask!
It sounds so ridiculously simple, but a lot of school bosses are almost waiting for their employees to ask about pay rises instead of just handing them out. Is this fair? Probably not, but from their perspective, they won’t bother spending more money if it looks like their employees don’t have a problem with their wages.
Instead of just accepting things as they are, approach your bosses to ask for a pay rise – but make sure you ask correctly. Don’t be overly demanding; outline reasons you think you deserve a pay rise and highlight the amount of work you’re doing now in comparison to when you signed your initial contract. If you can call upon measurable outcomes, then use them to display the impact you’ve had on the school. Most employers will look at this and give in to your requests, as they don’t want to lose an impactful employee. If they don’t, then you still have a couple more options to consider.
Gain Better Qualifications
It might be possible to initiate a pay rise at your current place of work by obtaining more qualifications. People always ask, will a Master of Education allow me to gain a pay rise? And the answer is a resounding yes. There are roles within school systems that are only available to people with a Master’s degree, so getting one could now make you eligible for these jobs.
Become more qualified, and you can apply for better jobs within the school workplace, opening the door to promotions with higher wages. And if that still doesn’t work, then you’ve got one more solution left.
Quit & Find A New Job
That’s right, you should quit your job and look for a new school or educational institution that will treat you better. It is entirely possible to find the exact same job at a different school with much better wages. Sometimes, the threat of leaving for another school can be enough to convince the higher-ups to give you a raise or promote you.
But it’s not always that easy.
Red tape and budget constraints could mean that getting a pay rise at your current place of work is impossible. That’s the reality for many teachers, in which case quitting and finding new work may be the only answer. It still pays to gain better qualifications while you’re at it, as this can pave the way for better job opportunities with improved wages as you search.
Wanting a pay rise isn’t greedy; it’s essential when you consider the cost of living crisis and inflation. You need your wage to align with these things, or it becomes impossible to survive. Not to mention, you still need to plan for retirement, and getting a pay rise can enable you to put more money away to secure a stronger financial future.