3 Tips to Boost Your Salary and Advance Your Teaching Career in the U.S.
| by Lauren Donmoyer
Understanding how to maximize your salary and the potential to grow your career is important to any teacher’s long-term success. Moreland’s recent webinar, Supercharge Your Teaching Career and Salary, provided actionable tips to help U.S. educators at every stage of their career thrive financially and professionally. Whether you’re just starting out as a teacher or ready to take the next step on your journey, here are just a few of the tips from the webinar that can help develop your career:
1. Pursue Full Certification
Many educators enter classrooms with temporary or provisional licenses, especially during teacher shortages. However, fully certified teachers consistently earn higher salaries than those without full licensure — for example, a provisional teacher makes an average of about $15,000 more than a substitute teacher and over $20,000 more than a paraprofessional, according to ZipRecruiter.
Moreland’s 100% online TEACH-NOW program prepares teachers to get licensed in as little as 9 months while being able to work full-time and balance the responsibilities in their lives. With full certification, teachers have more opportunities to enter new roles and earn higher pay.
2. Earn an Advanced Degree
It’s impossible to overstate how a master’s degree can transform your earning potential. According to the salary schedule for Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia, teachers who begin their career with a master’s degree can earn nearly $7,000 more annually than new teachers with just a bachelor’s degree, and that number only gets bigger as they move up the salary steps and gain more experience. In fact, an educator’s pay increase from having a master’s often offsets the cost of the degree in just a few years, making it a cost-effective and responsible long-term asset.
Teachers pursuing master’s degrees often study the subject area they teach in or earn a Master’s in Education (M.Ed.). Moreland offers three master’s programs relevant to the evolving education landscape, including an M.Ed. where candidates can choose from 6 high-demand specializations to add to as focus in their coursework. Each of our master’s degrees can be completed 100% online in as little as 12 months, giving you a flexible pathway to boost your salary while expanding your expertise.

3. Explore Additional Revenue Streams
Since educators generally receive a 12-month salary for 9-10 months of work during the traditional school year, many teachers choose to supplement their income through summer jobs or side hustles like creating content for educational platforms or becoming subject matter influencers on social media. This is a practical way to increase your earnings. Taking on additional responsibilities within your school or district like coaching, leading extracurricular activities, or even mentoring newer teachers can also help boost your income through stipends.
Another way to earn additional revenue any time of the year is to participate in Moreland’s Referral Program. By encouraging others to advance their education and move forward in their teaching journeys, you can help grow the Moreland community while receiving rewards like $200 Visa gift cards when people enroll using your unique referral link.
Take the Next Step with Moreland University
Putting these 3 tips into action can help you make strategic career moves that result in new opportunities and salary growth to meet your goals. From earning your teaching license to completing an advanced degree like an M.Ed., Moreland is ready to support you with programs designed to help you turn your professional dreams into reality, all on a timeline that fits your life.
Ready to unlock new opportunities and boost your earning potential? Request more information and apply today to start your Moreland experience. You can also get more tips to help transform your teaching career by watching the full on-demand Supercharge Your Teaching Career and Salary webinar.