'I am stuck in a low-income trap': I'm a teacher and very good at my job. Will I ever earn six figures?

By Quentin Fottrell

 'My low salary requires me to have multiple other part-time jobs' 

 "I've searched. I've networked. I've tried seemingly everything." (Photo subject is a model.) 

 Dear Quentin, 

 I am a schoolteacher. I am very good at what I do, but there is limited upward mobility for this position. I'll never make six figures, and my low salary requires me to have multiple other part-time jobs. Is there an end in sight? Is there anywhere I can transfer my classroom skills to a better-paying job? It feels like I am stuck in a low-income trap with this skill set. I've searched. I've networked. I've tried seemingly everything. 

 A Tired Teacher 

 You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions at qfottrell@marketwatch.com, and follow Quentin Fottrell on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. 

 Don't miss: 'I don't own a home': I'm 62, unemployed and have $1.5 million for retirement. Can I afford to divorce my husband? 

 As a manager or teacher or plumber or data analyst, you will be using different skills to do the same thing: anticipate and solve problems. 

 Dear Teacher, 

 Your question is a deeply personal and an unavoidably structural one. 

 It's possible to earn a six-figure salary as a teacher, but you would have to move to a state with a high cost of living, which would defeat the purpose. There are many aspects of your letter that ring true. Teachers are grossly, vastly underpaid. It's an incredibly stressful job that requires many, many hours of grading papers and planning lessons outside of the classroom. Teachers must also shoulder emotional labor in addition to knowing their subject, whether it's history, math or English, inside out. 

 It may be that you ultimately decide to retrain for another profession. Any hiring manager worth their salt would see a great deal of commitment, strength and skill in a teacher, particularly a public-school teacher, who has over a period of years cultivated the ability to successfully marshall dozens of young people. Patience; communication, organizational and presentation skills; the ability to distill complex ideas; and project-management skills are all qualities and skills that can be valuable in many other professions. 

 You know what AI can't do? It can't stand in a classroom and check that everyone understands the assignment. 

 You could move to consulting, corporate training, human resources, educational technology and publishing, public relations or content development. Ultimately, however, you should aim to blend your skills with what you love to do. The closer your job is to your hobbies, the easier it will be and less it will feel like work. As a manager or teacher or plumber or data analyst, you will be using different skills to do the same thing: communicate effectively, lead with confidence and, ultimately, anticipate and solve problems. 

 Your letter arrives on the heels of some surprising unemployment figures. February saw a loss of 92,000 jobs, against expectations for a 50,000 gain, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.4% from 4.3% in the previous month. It doesn't do any harm for workers reading this column to take a deep breath and acknowledge that things could be very different. Given that teaching is the most important job in the world, it is likely more immune to disruptions caused by artificial intelligence than many other professions, such as technology, finance, law and journalism. 

 From the archives (December 2025): 'I love my work': I'm a 61-year-old Chicago public-school teacher with a $60K annual pension. Is it safe? 

 You know what AI can't do? It can't stand in a classroom and check that everyone understands the assignment. It can't observe that one kid doesn't seem to be acting like themselves lately and that something may not be right at home. AI can't express real human emotions, even if it is getting better at mimicking them and performing empathetic-like tasks. AI can't sit with a student after class and talk through a complex theorem until the child finally gets it. It can't embody real passion and dedication and dignity and the joy of learning new things. 

 The average full-time teacher's salary was roughly $74,200 in 2025, a 4.1% increase from the previous year. Adjusted for inflation, that's not exactly a big increase, according to a report from the National Education Association. California and New York report average annual teacher salaries above $100,000 and $95,000, respectively. Meanwhile, teachers in Mississippi and South Dakota earn below $50,000 a year on average. This gap reflects deep structural differences in local economies, school districts, tax bases and educational-funding priorities. 

 You could move to corporate training, HR, educational technology and publishing, PR or content development. 

 Low salaries make it hard to attract quality candidates. "Teachers earn 24% more, on average, in states with collective bargaining, and education-support professionals earn 7% more," the report said. "Low pay limits the ability to attract and retain quality educators in the profession amid a looming educator shortage and sagging educator morale due chiefly to low pay and poor working conditions. However, despite this progress, much work remains to close the teacher pay penalty and address inadequate pay for all educators." 

 Whether you believe now is a good time to jump without a new role lined up - something I don't recommend - depends on your profession, your job satisfaction and, clearly, your job prospects. Roughly 28% of Americans say jobs are "plentiful" right now, while 20.6% say jobs are "hard to get," according to a Conference Board survey released last month, shortly before the latest employment report. If you're overworked, burned out or underpaid in an industry that has experienced a slowdown in hiring, you'll likely be part of the latter group. 

 As a schoolteacher, don't rule out becoming president of the United States. 

 From the archives (March 2025): America's job market is eerily similar to the 1990s dot-com bubble - and, yes, it's a worry 

 The Moneyist regrets he cannot reply to questions individually. 

 More columns from Quentin Fottrell: 

 'When he doesn't get money, he becomes angry': My brother has led a life of chaos and financial ruin. What is my moral obligation? 

 'He has been emotionally abusive': My father, 75, is on oxygen and destitute. What do I owe him? 

 'I'm terrified I'll be homeless when my husband, 76, stops working': We only have $100K. What happens to people like us? 

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 -Quentin Fottrell 

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03-09-26 1210ET

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