The International Schools Review Forum

Is it normal to get paid at only the Bachelors rate if your Masters is not an education Masters?

Thanks!

Where are you located? I think it varies from school to school. In Canada if you have any sort of masters you're compensated for it.

The job is in a reputable international school.

Is the undergrad degree an education degree? Does the person have a current teaching certificate? Is the person being hired in the field in which the master's degree is held?

My first thought would be no, it is not normal. If you have an MA, you should be paid on the MA salary scale. However, if the person doesn't have a teaching degree at all, isn't certified, and is teaching in an field totally unrelated to their MA, perhaps I can see why the school is not paying on the MA scale.

I'd say it's pretty normal. The caveat should be that everyone in the school is treated equally in this regard.
If a masters is in education or your teaching field, generally those 'count' toward the salary scale.
But if it's outside your job specs, it's fair for the school not to pay extra for it.

Think about it another way. If someone had a real estate broker's license, you wouldn't expect a school to pay them the extra bump that is sometimes given for having multiple teaching licenses. If someone had a degree in dental hygiene, even an advanced one, that's of no use to a school, and they won't pay their grade 5 teacher extra. Would you be willing for your lawyer to charge you a higher hourly fee because they have a masters in literature in addition to their law degree?

In my experience, few schools pay for a masters unless it is tied to the teacher's field.

Hmmm... the terrifying prospect of maybe needing a fourth degree!

Well, thanks for your honest assessment. I won't say exactly what my MA is in for fear of outing myself but I wil say it's related to, but not IN my teaching field. Sort of the equivalent of having an engineering masters and teaching math or physics.

Decisions, decisions! I have an offer in my home country so maybe I should do that to build up a couple years of experience and cash.