Highest paying education careers in the US
Ranked by the typical pay shown on each career's own page, so the order here cannot disagree with the pages it links to. Typical means the middle: half earn more, half earn less. Starting pay is lower, and each career page shows the full range and what it takes to get there.
13 careers in the United States
Ranked by typical pay
131School PrincipalRun a school: the staff, the budget, the discipline, the buses and the blame. You teach first, then you lead.Typical pay$106kTo qualify7 to 12 yrsDemandLimited2University ProfessorTeach and research at a university. Ten years of training, and the secure jobs are disappearing.Typical pay$80kTo qualify9 to 14 yrsDemandLimited3LibrarianHelp people find what is true, run the collection and keep the doors open. A master's degree job that is mostly about people.Typical pay$68kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandLimited4Special Education TeacherYou teach students with disabilities and you write the legal plan that says what their school has to provide.Typical pay$65kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandModerate5School CounselorCourse choices, college applications, crises and everything in between, for hundreds of students at once.Typical pay$64kTo qualify6 to 7 yrsDemandModerate6TeacherRun a classroom of your own. A state license, a school calendar, and the most openings of almost any job on this site.Typical pay$64kTo qualify4 to 5 yrsDemandVery high7College InstructorTeach the trade you already know at a community or technical college. Your work history is the qualification.Typical pay$64kTo qualify2 to 8 yrsDemandLimited8English as a Second Language TeacherYou teach English to people who already speak another language, in schools, adult centers or abroad. Modest pay, and work that changes someone's whole life.Typical pay$62kTo qualify4 to 6 yrsDemandLimited9Driving InstructorTeach teenagers to drive from the passenger seat. Cheap to start, and calm is the whole job.Typical pay$47kTo qualifyup to 1 yrDemandModerate10Music TeacherTeach piano, guitar, voice or band. You can start with no license at all, or take a degree and teach in a public school.Typical pay$47kTo qualifyup to 5 yrsDemandModerate11Library TechnicianRun the desk, the catalog and the shelves. The job that keeps a library working, reachable with a two-year degree.Typical pay$45kTo qualify1 to 2 yrsDemandLimited12Preschool TeacherTeach three, four and five year olds how to be people. Meaningful work that the country underpays.Typical pay$38kTo qualify1 to 4 yrsDemandModerate13Teaching AssistantWork alongside a teacher and with the students who need the most help. The quickest way into a school.Typical pay$37kTo qualifyup to 2 yrsDemandLimited