Congratulations, you got a job offer!! There are many questions now that you should have for your employer that you need to get the answers to BEFORE you accept the job.
First you need to ask about the Compensation Package. What is your salary and how do you get increases if you are rehired? Most districts have a salary schedule that teachers are placed on based on their degree and years of experience. By law in Illinois, these collective bargaining agreements MUST be posted online on the district website. When interested in a district, find that agreement and read through it. Most of the agreements are multi-year, so read through the agreement and find the salary schedule for the year that you will be teaching. With the struggling economy and budget reductions, districts throughout the country have moved to alternative compensation approaches, so there might not be a salary schedule on the website. Compensation could be through merit pay, or a beginning salary for new teachers with flat percentage increases in subsequent years. Whatever the method of determining your salary, make sure you understand and ask questions if you do not.
In Illinois, retirement savings have been through the Illinois Teacher Retirement System, teachers currently do not contribute to or receive Social Security in Illinois. Legislation has changed how retirement funds are determined, so be sure to ask about the retirement options that you have. YES, you are just starting your first job, BUT you need to begin to save now for your retirement!!
In the next few weeks, I will explain other employment benefits and questions you should ask on insurance, professional development, and mentoring.
No comments:
Post a Comment