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Friday, March 29th, 2024

How to Ask For a Raise as a Teacher

There are 3.7 million teachers in the U.S., 3.2 million of those are public school teachers, with half working in elementary schools and half working in secondary schools.

I’m pretty sure most of you think about this from time to time and in fact when you see a headline that points to HOW TO ASK FOR A SALARY INCREASE, your palms are probably sweating and you’re getting nervous. Are you aware that as a teacher you are worth more? Is your work worth more than what you earn? It’s time to do something! You’re probably wondering what, but don’t worry, here are some tips that will help you.

How to ask for a raise as a teacher:

  1. Prepare in advance
  2. Emphasize that you see yourself with the school or district for the long run
  3. Show your value through specific examples
  4. Calculate if you are underpaid
  5. Never stop improving yourself and your skills

The teacher should have the answers to all the questions

First of all, you should plan and practice a conversation. It would be good if you could write down what and how you could say that you want your salary to be increased. The conversation needs to be practiced so that you can think quickly so that you have the answers to all the questions and finally so that you have arguments that will support your request for a raise. This will show that you are always ready and that you know everything that is expected of you, and that is what is most important for a teacher, isn’t it?

If you work as a public school teacher, you’ll be very familiar with the stipulations of working for the government. Fortunately, Raise Guide has an article written specifically covering how to ask for a raise when working for the government.

Emphasize: I’m not going anywhere

Also, let your superiors know that you are here in the long run, that you are not going anywhere. This means that you are satisfied with your job, that you enjoy the role of a teacher. When they see that in addition to being a good worker, you do the job out of love, the chances of a raise are higher.

Become aware of how much you are worth, and so will others

The next thing you need to know is that you must not be modest, but emphasize your values. You have to have self-confidence, to know that you are the best teacher ever. When you are sure of that, start behaving like that! You deserve a raise and you will have to get it.

Give your maximum! When you think you’ve done your best, know that you can always do more than that. Someone will surely notice and appreciate that. Your efforts will not go unnoticed.

Probably all this sounds unrealistic to you and it is not clear to you how self – confidence and self – awareness will help you. It’s very simple! So, you know you’re the best teacher ever? Okay. The next step is to make your students aware of that, and then your colleagues. It will surely be heard for how much you are worth and how interestingly you transfer knowledge.

After this step, the chances of a raise are high because there is a high probability that your superiors will be afraid that you will move to another school or similar. After all, the demand for a good teacher is high. And no one wants to lose a teacher as good as you, right?

Time for a research

Then, it’s time for a little research. This research involves your inquiry about how much teachers are paid in your city or around your city. And if you conclude that the average salary of your colleagues in the same profession is higher by any shade or much higher than yours, then your argument is valid when asking for a raise.

This isn’t difficult to do. See Raise Guide’s article on how much of an increase should I ask for?

You will then ask yourself why another teacher is better than you and what keeps you in the position you are in when you can go to another place (school) that is much more profitable. And do you know what your superior will wonder? Why haven’t you left yet? The answer is that you are loyal to your job and love your job, so here is one more reason for a raise. How not to reward such a loyal and hard worker?

Creativity is the key to success

Be creative! Design a project with your students. Prove that you are original when transferring knowledge and that you stand out from other teachers with your originality. After such an achievement, asking for a raise is the right moment. The original teacher deserves a raise because the raise is a reward for hard work and commitment in the workplace. And this move certainly fulfills the above. In that case, your employer may increase your salary on its initiative. You never know. So don’ stop being full of surprises.

Don’t stop working on yourself

Are you dedicated and responsible for your job? Are you professional and hard working? In addition to the listed qualities, to leave an impression on your superiors, it is also necessary to have good communication with the team and with the students. Also, you should know that as a teacher, your development should be a priority for you. Self – improvement is the key to success. Once you achieve all of the above, you are an ideal candidate for a raise, no doubt.

Be confident

After taking the above steps, and gathering all the evidence for which you deserve a higher salary, you should prepare to talk to your boss/ principal of the school. You need to choose an adequate moment to talk, to be confident, make a plan of reasons for getting a raise, as well as to act professionally.

Make a list of specific reasons why you deserve a raise, which you will state during the negotiations. Before you go to the interview, go through the list, and try to prepare a confident and convincing performance. Along with the reasons for the increase, you can state that you have had more responsibilities at work lately, additional tasks, successful projects with your students, as well as plans you have in the future to improve your teaching skills.

Patience pays off

In case your request for a raise is denied, do not despair, because you have done everything you can. Be patient, improve yourself, and invest in yourself, because knowledge and expertise pay off sooner or later. You should start on time! And these tips will bring you success faster than you think.

Most importantly – ask! I see too many teachers who are content with anything and say let go, can be worse. Don’t let that be an argument in life! Everything can be worse, but that is not an argument. Let it be better if you deserve it. When your work pays off, you will be satisfied and thus elicit a smile not only on the face of your students but also on your own.

When you ask, you can get it! So why not give it a try? Who deserves if not the people who share their knowledge with others?

What to do next?

This is just one step in getting paid what you're worth. Master this topic and everything you need to get the raise you deserve. Get our full Ask Guide to know how, when and how much to ask for.


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