A Handbook for Beginning Choral Educators

7. Fifty Things No One Ever Told Me

7 FIFTY THINGS NO ONE EVER TOLD ME 1. The times when there are the most job vacancies are late spring and late summer. Everyone would like to have a contract signed and plans made by May so they can kick back and enjoy the summer. The simple fact is that MANY jobs are not announced and filled until the week before school starts. Don’t panic. 2. Faculty dress codes are not considered archaic in many schools. There may very well be a dress code for teachers. Find out before you sign a contract, and if it is a big enough concern for you, don’t sign the contract. 3. Evaluating and negotiating the initial contract is the responsibility of the teacher. Before you sign any contract anywhere, ask questions about the following: Salary Benefits Sick leave Professional leave Emergency/personal leave Insurance (medical, dental, life, disability) Continuing education requirements and reimbursement Allotment for professional organization dues Maternity/paternity leave Expectations on your time beyond the school day Extra duty pay (this is a biggie for musicians) These are only the tip of the iceberg. Plan before you go into an interview and don’t let yourself be hurried. 4. Believe it or not, retirement will be here soon. Save as if it were beginning tomorrow. 93 94 A Handbook for Beginning Choral Educators 5. When you leave one job to take another or to go back to school, do not take the money you have put into your retirement account out of that fund to use in your new venture. Personal insight: I retired this year; it has taken me seven years’ worth of healthy payments to buy those five years of service back into my portfolio. You will need those credits and that money. 6. Paying Uncle Sam requires a major part of the paycheck. Way too much of your check goes back to the government, but there is little you can do about it. Set up a meeting soon after employment with the district payroll manager. He or she can give you the figures you don’t want to see, and will know some legal ways you can increase the size of your refund in the spring. 7. There is a formula established which determines the amount of money you will receive upon retirement. Retirement benefits are figured differently from state to state. In many, Social Security is your retirement plan and you can get information at any time during your employment by contacting your local Social Security office. In some, a state teachers’ retirement system controls the benefits, and different formulas for figuring your retirement pay are in effect. Generally, you will receive an amount based on the number of years you have taught, the salary you have received, and the amount you have invested in the system. 8. The rules about giving private lessons to students for money vary from place to place. Giving them for free is always OK. Just make sure you know the rules in advance. If you cross a certain line, you are guilty of “double dipping,” collecting both tax money and personal money for teaching a student on school time. 9. Begin a tax sheltered annuity or similar savings plan with your very first check. Do not skip a payment, even if it is only one dollar that you can afford to save. Each month, on that day you write checks, pay yourself first, regardless of other bills. Only when you do that will you really be committed to a program of saving for the future. 10. Becoming a union member may be required, and it can be expensive . What do you think about the National Education Association ? About local bargaining units? About unions? These Fifty Things No One Ever Told Me 95 questions have to be answered before you worry about paying dues. In a short statement, the dues can be expensive; have the money withdrawn a little at a time from your paycheck. 11. Money may be available from your school to aid with convention-going expenses. Money for convention attendance is on the decline. Fewer and fewer schools are paying for room, board, and transportation. Ask for the moon, but chances are good you will get only a little stardust, if anything. 12. There is usually district money available to hire a clinician (guest conductor, institute day speaker). It’s...