Over the past 30 years, as part of Littleford & Associates work with schools on salary system design, benefits and evaluation protocols, John Littleford has interviewed literally thousands of teachers worldwide in individual confidential interviews. In these interviews, teachers frequently comment on what they most like and most dislike about their working circumstances, culture and compensation, benefits and evaluation systems.

I. Collegial Tone and Autonomy

In independent and international schools, teachers seem to love most their colleagues, whom they regard in many cases with great affection and warmth. They regard those collegial relationships as offsetting some stress issues and often lower pay. Teachers also appreciate and enjoy the demeanor and their students and their eagerness to learn and grow in most cases, although some teachers feel the pandemic has caused more ADHD and disciplinary issues to surface.

Teachers always appreciate their autonomy in the independent school classroom, and it is the reason that many who have taught previously in public schools left that system.  All teachers recognize that autonomy should be balanced with regular and consistent feedback and evaluation (See below). 

II. Compensation 

Generally, if local public schools are paying 10% more than area independent schools for the same years of experience and credentials, that differential may not be enough to hire away an independent schoolteacher who thrives in a smaller environment. However, when it rises above 10%, to 15% or 20%, then all bets are off.

Some schools help teachers earn advanced degrees by paying 50% or even up to 100% of the cost, and then pay the teacher more once they have earned the degree, i.e., for an MA as much as 10,000 to 15,000 USD a year. Most schools do not require the teacher to remain at the school for a certain amount of time after paying for the degree. 

Some schools provide obvious tools by which a teacher can influence their own future earning power, and some of these are not mission aligned with the school at all and may even undermine the school’s mission. They have grown up over time as teachers try to maneuver around a salary scale or negotiate for more money when no formal salary system exists. These can include: quasi administrative titles, stipends and reduced workloads, tutoring in and/or outside of school, and graduate credits, not necessarily leading to another degree, which can add substantially to a teacher’s pay; faculty awards, summer curriculum grants, club supervisors, coaching, mentoring fellow teachers. The list of ways to earn extra pay goes on and on. 

Extra pay schemes tend to occur and flourish most often in schools that have a lock step longevity-based salary scale which provides predictability of future earning power but is so rigid that both teacher and administration must negotiate around it informally or formally to find ways for teachers to earn more money. 

Often in independent schools, the salaries of two teachers with the same years of experience and the same degree may differ by $5,000 to $20,000 with no documentation to indicate the reasons for these disparities.

Why? The head had to hire from an increasingly competitive marketplace and/or a few teachers negotiated successfully with the head or other key administrator. However, the most frequent way that independent school leaders use to keep good teachers is to award them stipends, titles, new jobs, additional assignments, etc., as noted above.  Almost never are any of these decisions tied formally to the quality of teaching in the classroom, pastoral care for children, mentoring fellow teachers, going the extra mile; or being open to innovation and change and to constructive criticism for growth. 

III. Benefits

Tuition remission, family medical coverage, free lunches, generous professional development funds, summer grants, all contribute to a high quality of life for teachers who may accept a lower salary to receive these benefits.

Some schools, mainly religiously affiliated, provide family medical coverage ranging from 50% to 100% at great expense to the school. While single teachers and those without children obviously do not receive the tax-free money that this benefit represents (often along with tuition remission as well) most do not seem to resent this form of discrimination, at least not publicly.

Increasingly, teaches want the school to offer day care, not just extended day before and after school, but day care for infants and toddlers. Finding affordable and appropriate daycare is a major stress point for teachers with young children now. Many schools now offer this in a cost-effective way by providing free space and utilities and teachers hire the day care staff and pay for their services. 

Teachers also highly rank among what they value the ability to leave campus to do minor family errands when they have a class break, if that time away does not require that they use a personal day which most schools limit to 3 days a year. A few schools have no limits on sick leave and no limits on personal days and in these schools the trust and honor system work very well with few abusing these privileges. 

Teachers are also increasingly concerned about housing options in highly expensive areas, and if they are young and starting a family affordable housing can be even more of a challenge. Some schools, admittedly very few, are building or renting housing “stock” nearby, housing units that the school will in turn rent to the teaching families at a below market rate. 

IV. Evaluation

When asked about the effectiveness of the teacher evaluation/professional growth process in practice at their schools, most teachers give it a very low grade, an average of 4.5 out of 10. When asked if the current system, whether focused on substantive evaluation or professional growth and affirmation or a combination of both, they indicate that the feedback mechanisms are inconsistent and do not offer helpful suggestions or assist the teacher’s professional growth.

Many young and mid-career teachers want: more frequent observations by administrators, more unannounced and longer visits, more post observation feedback, and more timely follow up and sharing of summary written documentation whether in the file or on “folio” or any other digital tool.  While teachers appreciate praise and affirmation, for that affirmation to have meaning and ring true, teachers want the feedback to be grounded in fact. They also want constructive criticism, not just praise for a lesson that they have prepared in advance and shared in a pre-observation conference.  Often senior teachers are rarely evaluated due to the need for administrators to focus on the development and retention of the newer teachers. Thus, they tend to be more wary of evaluation in part because many have not actually been observed or evaluated formally in years. However, even some senior teachers do prefer more regular class visits and feedback from senior management.

V. Choice and Voice

Rarely mentioned but highly valued are choice and voice; voice in the management of their own affairs at school and choice in schedule, subjects taught, retirement and medical plan options.  Choice and voice are relatively easy to provide and do not damage the administration’s ability to lead and manage but offering them to teachers reaps huge benefits in terms of faculty morale and retention and school culture.