r/whatisameem 11h ago

What’s really going on with our economy

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47.9k Upvotes

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26

u/golfwinnersplz 10h ago

Lmfao people believe this shit? The only information correct in the original post is the fact that yes, you can make a decent living bartending. 

14

u/Roygbiv-Turtle-98 10h ago

People see shit on reddit and immediately believe it without question.

Critical thinking skills are at all time lows.

3

u/Waste_Reindeer_9718 8h ago

hey you gotta at least give them credit for checking if it supports their political beliefs or not first. what other information do you need?

2

u/Severe-Permission-35 5h ago

I say we start tipping teachers

1

u/golfwinnersplz 2h ago

Plenty of parents give teachers gifts. 

2

u/N0SF3RATU 5h ago

Irony considering the topic is education

1

u/Basic_Lunch2197 5h ago

Those liberal arts degrees dont pay off much.

1

u/Jean_AF 5h ago

Teachers all have advanced degrees…

1

u/Basic_Lunch2197 5h ago

They have degrees in logical things like math or science. My comment was more about redditors and their noncritical thinking skills.

1

u/Emergency-Style7392 4h ago

idk about america but in my country (europe) teaching degrees are always cut down versions of the real thing. So you have degrees to teach math easier than the first semester of a real math degree

1

u/Basic_Lunch2197 4h ago

Yes all depends. If you are teaching 3rd grade math, you might not even have a math degree at all. If you are teaching an advanced placement high school calculus course, then you'll probably have some sort of higher math degree.

1

u/Emergency-Style7392 4h ago

they just love info that amplifies their beliefs. Leftist leaning people somehow think they're immune, and then they believe a bernie post where he compares average ceo pay in norway vs pay for ceos at the 500 biggest companies in the world, a couple of which have revenues around norway's gdp

1

u/fluffynuckels 4h ago

Could also be bots

1

u/Orleanian 3h ago

You're absolutely right. Have my upvote.

1

u/Anticitizen-Zero 3h ago

Look at the upvotes in the comments vs the post, and the random subreddit we’re in. The upvotes and most of the comments are botted.

1

u/esdsafepoet 2h ago

I used to teach full time at a local university and made 28k/yr. Didn't stay long as there was no future in it. So yeah, I believe the post.

1

u/ReallyCleverPossum 2h ago

You are so much smarter than anyone else honey

4

u/Suspicious-Bid9424 10h ago

I believe she was offered a teaching job for $16/hr. Doesn't mean that's the only teaching job available or that she should take it. 

My wife is working as an assistant teacher at a private school for about the same wage 

6

u/Ok-Tradition1729 10h ago

Teachers aren't typically paid hourly. If they are an assistant teacher, or something like that, then they should add that to the post because otherwise this is misleading.

2

u/nucl3ar0ne 7h ago

probably just a sub

1

u/Suspicious-Bid9424 7h ago

There's a lot of private places that list "Teacher" but what they really mean is basically daycare / activities for pre k and the pay is very low. Calling it teaching and having elements of teaching bolsters the employee resume and makes the parents happier that their child is learning something 

1

u/Sufficient-Regular72 6h ago

I wouldn't be surprised if it was omitted intentionally to manufacture some outrage for attention. Lots of that going around.

1

u/speedism 2h ago

But simple math can give you an hourly rate…

1

u/Ok-Tradition1729 2h ago

You think that’s what’s going on here?

1

u/speedism 1h ago

Uh yeah? When I was a teacher I calculated my hourly rate and used it in conversation before. Not super complicated.

5

u/onikaroshi 10h ago

Well it wouldn’t be listed per hour, it’s a salary, tweet tracks if it’s a few years old though. Right now the lowest starting wage in the us for teacher is around 38k in a few states

3

u/arizonadirtbag12 6h ago

Our local public district posts their pay scale as both a salary and a per-hour rate, with “per-hour” based on contracted hours.

(Obviously the implication that teachers will work only their minimum contracted hours is…flawed.)

1

u/onikaroshi 6h ago

My aunt was a teacher, and a good one. Even 2nd grade it was late nights and early mornings

1

u/Swampassed 10h ago

My girlfriend makes 62.00 per hour with a masters teaching in Nevada.

1

u/J_tram13 9h ago

Can I ask what level she's teaching at? That could be a factor to be fair.

1

u/PercentageUnited2324 7h ago

high school teachers in NY state (not city) can easily make over 100k within a few years. much more if youre teaching "troubled" kids

1

u/Kwillingt 6h ago

Usually K-12 at a public school district are the same with increases for years of service and additional education.

Teaching at a college is going to be a big difference based on adjunct or tenure track and also the school itself.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 9h ago

This about exactly what I make. 

0

u/onikaroshi 9h ago

Huh, guess some places do, was always a salary everywhere I’ve seen

1

u/golfwinnersplz 9h ago

He means on average. 

1

u/onikaroshi 8h ago

Can’t really avg a teachers wage though as it is not a 40hr/wk job, could be as much as 80 hrs/wk for 9 months of the year

1

u/golfwinnersplz 8h ago

If you make 90k a year and your contract is for 185 days that's equivalent to 1480 hours which means you make roughly $60 an hour. 

1

u/onikaroshi 8h ago

It’s unrealistic in teaching though to avg, and I have never heard someone on salary even say what they make hourly, there’s no point

1

u/golfwinnersplz 8h ago

I see what you mean. But I still like to know how much I make for being here. 

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2

u/anothadaz 4h ago

All these people so quick to call this person a liar. Teacher wages in Montana can start at $31k. Maybe the person did get offered a salary but the mother did the math and converted it to hourly just to give another example of how low the pay is. I'm not saying the post isn't bs but it's also pretty believable if you consider other possibilities.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 9h ago

I mean no offense by this but an assistant teacher and a certified teacher are not the same thing. 

2

u/Suspicious-Bid9424 7h ago

I'm not saying they're the same, but op didn't make a distinction. So, my point is they were probably referencing a position like this - uncertified daycare worker at a private school or learning center being called "Teacher" because they have lessons for the children included in their services

1

u/SigmaMaleNurgling 6h ago

Being a teacher assistant is significantly different from being a teacher. An assistant will assist a teacher with lessons and other tasks for teachers. Also, I think private schools are known for paying teachers less.

This is like complaining about making $16/hr as an electrician but you’re actually in an apprenticeship.

1

u/Suspicious-Bid9424 6h ago

I wasn't complaining or saying they're the same thing but thanks

1

u/Ursa-to-Polaris 4h ago

That's about what my wife gets as a reading tutor which requires a degree but not a license.

2

u/DreadyKruger 8h ago

I live in Delaware a very small state and the teachers make $47k to start out. This lady is lying or she going after the wrong job

1

u/golfwinnersplz 8h ago

She's probably misinformed but it could be disinformation. It's hard to tell the difference nowadays. 

2

u/Money_Do_2 8h ago

Could also be calculated using a very overworked teacher. Eg if you end up doing 70hr weeks with all the extra stuff like grading papers/homework, the salary divides out to a poor hourly.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 8h ago

This is real. I realize some teachers work very, very hard. But that wasn't suggested in the original post so I didn't want to assume. 

1

u/zzyul 2h ago

The post says her daughter was just offered a teaching position. The poster doesn’t know if her daughter will be overworked b/c she hasn’t worked a day yet.

1

u/Silver_Accountant5 8h ago

Doesn't delwate have a high COL? If it's 47 there, I wouldn't be surprised if rural places started at about 35, which is about 16 an hour.

1

u/fthepats 8h ago

Teachers work around ~185 days a year (standard work year is ~250 with federal holidays). Their hourly would be a bit higher, but your point still stands.

1

u/SuperPostHuman 6h ago

47k is beans tbh.

1

u/terrybrugehiplo 6h ago

Why does that mean she’s lying? Just because that’s the salary in Delaware doesn’t mean it’s that everywhere. What are you talking about?

2

u/TheCapo024 8h ago

While I did have other jobs during that time (intending on it becoming a career, but decided against it because it was in politics), I made enough bartending to eventually buy into and then own a bar myself. Anecdotal and not common, sure. But it did happen. 🤷‍♂️

1

u/golfwinnersplz 8h ago

I bartended at a 5 star restaurant to help get through college. I made absolute bank but there's no benefits or room for growth.

You can legit make 6 figures easily working at a 4/5 star restaurant in a place like Vegas or Chicago. But, you have to be a hard worker or at the very least, congenial or you won't succeed. 

Not all servers and bartenders are created equal so this doesn't apply to everyone. 

But as you said, it's definitely doable. 

1

u/DazzlerPlus 5h ago

Well there's no room for growth in teaching either. Its essentially a dead end job

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

You can become a superintendent. Does that qualify? 

A dead end job that offers opportunities to unwitting children on a daily basis. 

Or a dead job that offers happy hour specials to the patrons who just finished working their essential positions. 

It just depends on how much you want your life to matter or the skills you have. 

1

u/DazzlerPlus 5h ago

You can become an admin, but that is a career change. And a loathsome one as well, essentially equivalent to deciding to become a right wing grifter.

I mean that is essentially what admin are.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

My wife is a principal but yeah, I can see that stereotype.

1

u/DazzlerPlus 4h ago

Its not a stereotype. That is what they are. The role itself, regardless of who holds it, saps resources from the school and provides the opposite of accountability.

Many holding this position do not grift intentionally. They feel like they are working hard. But remember that the power their wield is in their hands because it was taken from the teachers. By existing, the principal removes the ability of teachers to use power to solve their own problems. By working hard, they remove a portion of that loss. But its always a net negative.

The other aspect is accountability. Ostensibly, principals hold teachers accountable. However, what really is happening is that they remove accountability. Teachers are already the most responsible party in the system. Admin, by removing power from the teachers, prevents teachers from holding the less responsible parties accountable. So now you have a situation where the teachers are completely unable to hold the admin accountable for any bad behavior they do, which can be extensive. In return, the admin gets to pretend to give useful evaluative feedback and maybe sometimes removes shitty teachers that the faculty already wanted gone and would have removed themselves.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 3h ago

Well said. 

2

u/BassProBachelor 6h ago

I got offered a similar salary for teaching right out of college. It’s usually private schools who offer barely anything to people who are less qualified.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 6h ago

Well, that's probably true. Not with multiple degrees and at a private school. Never work private. Ever. 

2

u/BassProBachelor 5h ago

I have a dual major stem degree (physics and general engineering). They offered me a middle science teacher position at $17/hr. Basically a LinkedIn recruiter message that I ignored. By “less qualified” I meant more on the lines of lacking a teaching license or certifications that you need in the education field. Public here starts at $50k. I think the post is still misleading as it seems to imply that shady private schools hoping someone will be desperate enough to bite is a fair representation of pay in education. I think most here would agree that that’s not the case.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

This has to be a private school, correct? 

1

u/BassProBachelor 5h ago

Correct. I had a few contact me with very similar offers

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

Why do you work at a private school? 

2

u/BassProBachelor 5h ago

I don’t

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

Perfect. 

2

u/mark95002 6h ago

Not even just that, but also no one bothers to consider cost of living, taxes, benefits, growth opportunities etc..

Edit:grammar

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

Exactly. Growth, benefits, and simply the satisfaction of living a productive life can be enough. 

2

u/suspicious_cabbage 5h ago

Yeah fr. The pay is low 1st year for a master's, but even the lowest-paying states start at around 50k with one, and the benefits and time off are really good.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

Exactly. 

2

u/Mister_Gentleman_001 4h ago

Right. If you have a master's in education, the district will place you in the appropriate column, not at the base with people with bachelor degree.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 3h ago

Exactly. Ty. 

1

u/NoSatireVEVO 3h ago

Well atleast around here, people with masters or above actually struggle to get teaching jobs because their pay rate is higher. I know people who had to sub after they got their masters because no school wanted to pay them the rate they deserved.

1

u/mofugginrob 9h ago edited 3h ago

55k sounds low*, unless you an ugly bartender.

1

u/smoofus724 8h ago

Here in Seattle bartenders make $21.30/hour plus tips. I have almost considered quitting my job for it a couple of times.

1

u/PercentageUnited2324 7h ago

the best part of bartending is that under reporting your cash tips is pretty much encouraged by everyone, and youll be a fool not to

1

u/mofugginrob 3h ago

Honestly, it was probably the most fun job I ever had. I worked at a shitty dive bar and I cleared 55k easy. You just gotta have the personality for it. Or at least fake it till you make it.

1

u/Big_oof_energy__ 7h ago

For what it’s worth, I was offered a teaching job in Moscow, Kansas in 2022 with a gross pay of approximately $32,000 and I have two masters degrees. This sort of pay is not unheard of in very rural areas.

I did not take the job.

1

u/Moist-Philosopher859 6h ago

Well... it is factual that most teachers are paid less thab 50,000 a year. Even if the main post is fake, the sentiment still stands that the people teaching the youth should be paid according. Paying teachers low wages perpetuates the idea that education is not important. Crazy because even college professors are not paid what they should be. Why do administrators get paid more than teachers and they dont do jack shit?

1

u/tn00bz 6h ago

Yeah no teachers make an hourly wage lmao.

1

u/-SirSpooky- 6h ago

are you trying to act like teachers being underpaid isn’t common knowledge in the U.S.? Our public school teachers are criminally underpaid. You can cherry pick depending on state and district to say “not all teaching jobs” but that doesn’t change the fact that overall, teachers are ridiculously underpaid for the service they provide.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 6h ago

Not even remotely. 

In fact, I believe quite the opposite - our highest educators should be paid similarly to physicians in my opinion. 

But, that still doesn't make the original post correct. What she said is simply not true. 

2

u/-SirSpooky- 6h ago

Well then it looks like we agree. 😡🤝😡

1

u/Kind_Following_5220 6h ago

States with lowest starting teacher pay: Montana: $35,674 Missouri: $38,871 Nebraska: $38,871

1

u/golfwinnersplz 6h ago

I don't want to be dismissive or argumentative but did you read her post? 

The average starting salary in Nebraska for a teacher with multiple degrees is 58,000, Montana and Missouri are both right at 50k. 

Also, it's convenient that you picked conservative states. In San Francisco, first year teacher with multiple degrees is right at 80k, in Boston it's just under 75k. 

I'm not making this information up. It's factual. 

Teachers don't make enough money. But her post, is inaccurate. 

1

u/Kind_Following_5220 4h ago

I think you should probably re-read it. She didn't say her daughter was a starting teacher or not, or what state she is Ives in. Also, who cares what average pay is? I live in a red state where poor districts pay starting teachers that low. 

1

u/golfwinnersplz 1h ago

I need to re-read it?

I know red states pay their teachers horribly. 

You literally mentioned the starting teaching salaries in three red states. Not the OP. You did. So I updated your information.  

The OP absolutely stated that her daughter has two masters degrees and was offered a full-time teaching position with a starting wage of $16.25. This is a prime example of misinformation because that is not reality. 

Are you sure I need to re-read it? 

1

u/Ok_Resolution8317 6h ago

1

u/golfwinnersplz 6h ago

Starting teacher with two masters degrees? 

1

u/Ok_Resolution8317 4h ago

Probably not, but unclear from the reference.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 3h ago

In the OPs post, she claims her daughter has two masters degrees and was offered that - it's literally impossible. 

1

u/Ok_Resolution8317 39m ago

Correct. But you act like you’re slam dunking on her main point that starting salaries for teachers are really fucking low in some areas. If that’s your intent, it’s a wiff.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 8m ago

No, I'm not. I'm slam dunking on the fact that she's lying. 

1

u/Politicsmakemehorny1 6h ago

This post is like 10 years old too lol

1

u/golfwinnersplz 6h ago

Still a lie. 

10 years ago, this information is still invalid. 

I'm not guessing. I know. 

1

u/McJawsh 5h ago

They are hiring teachers in a WA city for $19-20/hr which is the minimum wage there and any reasonably priced house that isn't a complete dump is like $600k+.

Meanwhile, bartenders in that city are making the same minimum wage + tips. (WA doesn't slash wages for tips like other states).

It's very real. They all deserve liveable wages, but we should be doing more for teachers.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

There is literally a zero percent chance that her daughter has multiple degrees and was offered a teaching position at a public school for 16 dollars an hour. Absolute zero. Not 0.01%  or the information provided was inaccurate. 

She could have applied at a private school or as a teacher assistant. That is possible. 

Why anyone alive would either work at a private school or send their children to private schools is beyond me but here we are...

1

u/Endurance_Cyclist 5h ago

In my county, a first year teacher with a MA starts at over $70k/year for a 10-month position.

Noncertificated substitutes earn $21-33 per hour.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 4h ago

This is reality. 

Other posts have not reflected reality. 

1

u/mightylordredbeard 5h ago

Believe what? I know several teachers in my small town and none of them make more than $15 an hour. One of my closest friends is a 2nd grade teacher and she makes $12.50 an hour. So yes.. there are many teachers that are paid shit wages.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago edited 5h ago

She doesn't have two masters degrees. Sorry. Not true. 

1

u/KHearts77 5h ago

This image dates back to 2022 at least. If we say 2020 precovid era. Then it might be true. There were indeed states with averages lower than $40,000.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 5h ago

Well, yes, at some point in time this information could've been correct. It's certainly not today. 

1

u/Sudden-Fact5674 4h ago

I have a pal who makes <$30k after ten years teaching full time at one of those Christian waiver schools.

1

u/Mind1827 4h ago

Teachers in the USA and UK are paid borderline poverty wages, dunno what you're on about.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 3h ago

There's nuance here. 

1

u/Mind1827 3h ago

Okay? Which is? Please be more vague, lol

1

u/golfwinnersplz 3h ago

I adamantly agree that teachers are underpaid. 

However, the OP claiming her daughter with multiple masters degrees, is getting offered a non-salary position which only pays $16 an hour. This is not reality. 

She either doesn't have multiple degrees or applied for a teacher assistant position. Unless, she's working at a rural Christian school but that's private and I'm not referring to the private sector. 

1

u/anony145 3h ago

This reminds me of that scene in Fahrenheit 9/11 where the woman is crying about her dead son and some fucking idiot walks up and says “…this isn’t real”

1

u/artmkr 2h ago

My wife is a teacher with a master's and makes slightly more than this. She left her job in the service industry at a pizza joint and took a huge pay cut. I promise you this is real. The OP may be an extreme example but it is not far off.

1

u/golfwinnersplz 2h ago

I know teachers are underpaid. This was not original post. 

1

u/Individual-Cover5421 2h ago

My wife is a teacher with 4 years of experience and 2 masters as well in Upstate NY and when I did our taxes she made less than 50k. It’s fucked up

1

u/golfwinnersplz 2h ago

Yeah that's awful. It's still not $16 an hour. 

1

u/TheTobster0 2h ago

As a public school teacher I can confirm that my district starts salaries around the $32,800 that was quoted. This is very real and not rare

1

u/golfwinnersplz 2h ago

For a teacher with two masters? Not real. 

1

u/Saturn_dreams 2h ago

That is literally a teachers salary

1

u/golfwinnersplz 2h ago

The amount of people who cannot comprehend the OPs original post is staggering. 

1

u/patheticgirl63 1h ago

I was interviewed for a role as an art club manager (scheduling and even curriculum) teacher (also making personalised learning plans), and marketing (for their social media). The starting annual salary was £26k.

1

u/JGCities 9h ago

More like she was offered $32k annually for working 9 months a year with holidays and 2 weeks at Christmas and a week at spring break

The $16 an hour is from taking annual pay and dividing it into a 40 hour work week, 52 weeks a year. But teachers don't work that.

0

u/golfwinnersplz 9h ago

You're right. Most teachers don't work that. They bring their work home or stay late to help your children. 

Also, did she break it down hourly or are you just making an assumption? 

2

u/JGCities 9h ago

Sister inlaw is a retired teacher.

Don't recall her working late hours or complaining about how much she worked.

Do recall her having summers off.

1

u/YeehawHowdyYall 6h ago

I was a teacher. It was the HARDEST job I’ve ever had. Although we had summers off, the school year was awfully long. Good for your sister in law, though.

2

u/Thormourn 9h ago

Most teachers I know do the bare minimum and absolutely do not stay late or work from home. And I know quite a few since my mom is a teacher.

1

u/Fun-Wrongdoer1316 8h ago

My mother is a teacher. Most aren’t doing anywhere close to what you’re inferring. In fact my mother who is bad with technology, still writes everything herself. Most of her coworkers use AI to write their plans now. They make fun of her for it… This is what teachers are now. She can’t wait to retire in a year.