If you teach over here, you WILL be struggling. The starting wage for most teachers is barely over the poverty line, and they ahve to pay back their student loans during that time, too, and sometimes their master's student loans. That's 6 figure debt when you leave school for a job that's barely above the poverty line. That's barely minimum wage. There are special loans just for educators to buy even a meager house because most banks would never lend to someone in such a financial state usually, that's how poor our teachers are. And if you think teachers only work 9 months out of the year, you are sorely mistaken, at least the family members and teacher friends I have. Not only do they have to use their summers teaching voluntary (but mandatory) summer school, they have to plan their next year's curriculum, arrange the supplies, sometimes clean their rooms even. And if you think they only work 40 hour weeks during the school year, you are sorely mistaken.