About 60% of teachers are happy with their careers. In response to a CareerExplorer survey, teachers rated their happiness with their career at three out of five stars. This may sound pretty middle-of-the-road for career satisfaction, but it actually puts teachers in the bottom 36% of all careers for happiness levels.
While many teachers say they find their work fulfilling and are generally happy with their work environments, many are dissatisfied with their salaries. With only 28% saying they rated their pay at either four or five out of five stars.
The average U.S. public school teacher's salary is $65,090, while the average salary across all occupations for people with a bachelor's degree is $67,860. As a significant number of teachers have at least a bachelor's degree, this means they often earn less than what their similarly educated peers are earning.
