My friend is a second year school teacher making over 40K (In Orlando FL) and he doesn't even work in the summer. They can make close to 50K second year if they become board certified (whatever that means). Also, they get OFF every weekend, holiday, Spring Break, Winter Break, and he is home every night.
And when you look at a regional pilot's wages vs. a teacher's, you have to look at one more thing- THEIR PENSION. Most teachers (that I know of) will receive a pension when they retire. It won't be a ton of money, but the teachers in my district can probably expect to earn somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 to $40,000/yr (in today's dollars) if they spend most of their career in district. Roughly speaking, in order to purchase a fixed annuity (i.e. something resembling a teacher's pension with no adjustments for inflation) that pays a pilot around $30,000/yr in retirement, it would cost that pilot currently around $500,000. So that's what that teacher (or other pensioned professional) is getting in addition to their salary, over their career vs. a regional airline pilot.
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