My wife and I are both teachers. We only own one 11-year-old car. We commute together and now pay $2,000 a year in a “family friendly” tax to cross the Port Mann Bridge. We owe more in credit than the equity value on our house due to years of paying for student loans, daycare costs, and other general increases to the cost of living.
We finally took a family vacation this past spring break because my mother who lives on $1,500 per month was able to pay for most of it.
People who think teachers are overpaid do not realize the time and money it takes to become one. An eight-per-cent raise over five years after three zeros, makes it less than one per cent per year. I read that the average raise for other workers was going to be a little bit lower this year at 2.8 per cent. So how do we pay our bills for the next five years when the cost of living increase is 2.2 per cent per year?
Finally, I have a business degree and I have worked for some large companies and this is the hardest job I have ever done.