Career Exploration Resource – Teach North Carolina: The following information is from the Teach NC site. It has a great overview of teaching as well as available tools and services.

NC is part of the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement which facilitates the mobility of educators among the states and other jurisdictions that are members of NASDTEC and have signed the Agreement.

Teaching is a career in high demand throughout the US, including the Asheville area. There will be many opportunities in locations or communities for which you would like to live and work.

Once you are initially licensed in a content area through UNCA, you can add additional content area teaching licenses by taking and passing the State Board of Education (SBE) approved licensure content area exams.

Job Security

Now is a great time to become a teacher. Teachers are in high demand across North Carolina, and the number of teaching opportunities is projected to grow in the coming years. (6) 

Don’t underestimate the 10 month (180 day) employment schedule!

Vacation days will depend on your district, but in general you can expect: 

  • Spring break
  • December holiday break
  • National holidays off
  • Paid personal & sick days during the school year

As you probably know, teachers also get a long summer break. Teachers use this time to travel, explore professional development, relax or work elsewhere. Some districts offer summer positions for teachers, such as summer school classes or curriculum development jobs.

Career Paths and Pay

North Carolina’s average teacher salary is around $54,392, and most salaries are on the rise. From 2019 to 2020, The state’s teacher salaries rose by 5.5 percent. (1) That’s one of the fastest-growing salaries in the nation! 

In 2020, the state’s average teacher total starting salary was $37,049. (2) 

Many people don’t realize that becoming a teacher can be the first phase of a career with many options and opportunities. Click here for a break down the different jobs teachers can fill into five main categories with examples of each and what the position entails. 

There are a number of ways you can increase your teaching salary, including advanced degrees, leading extracurriculars and pursuing advanced certifications or meeting performance benchmarks. 

Incentives for Advanced Credentials

You can earn bonuses when you meet certain performance benchmarks, or if you earn your National Board Certification. In NC, National Board Certified teachers go up a full step on the district salary schedule—which works out to an extra 12% salary increase. (3)

Bonuses for Extracurriculars 

Most districts offer extra pay for teachers who lead certain extracurriculars, especially at the middle school and high school levels. These stipends are usually for staple extracurriculars, such as yearbook, choir or athletics. 

Stipends vary depending on the activity and your district, but extra pay for these leadership roles ranges from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Housing:

Buying a house is expensive, but there are resources to help teachers find a home in the community where they teach.

Asheville City and Buncombe County Schools partner to provide affordable teacher housing in Asheville at the Williams-Baldwin Teacher Campus.

Good Neighbor Next Door

The federal government created Good Neighbor Next Door to contribute to community revitalization and to support people in service professions. The U.S. Department of Housing and Development offers a discount of 50% from the list price of qualifying homes.

Teacher Next Door Program

The Teacher Next Door Program is designed to help classroom teachers buy a home and become homeowners in the communities where they work. The program offers a wide range of support for educators, including:

  • Housing grants
  • Down payment assistance 
  • Home loans
  • Preferred interest rates

Student Loan Assistance Programs

You can explore grants, scholarships and fellowships for North Carolina teachers and teacher candidates with our Financial Aid Explorer.

Stepping into a classroom could mean stepping out of debt. There are a number of loan forgiveness opportunities for teachers. These programs cancel your remaining student loans—meaning you don’t have to pay them back!—in exchange for a commitment to teach for several years.

Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program

The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program benefits public school teachers with federal student loans. To qualify, you’ll need to: 

  • Teach in a school that serves low-income students.
  • Teach full-time for five consecutive academic years.
  • Have taken out your loans before the end of your five years of service.

Teachers in certain shortage areas, including math, science and special education can receive up to $17,500. If you teach a different subject, you can still get up to $5,000 in forgiven loans. 

Paths for Career Growth

Perkins Loan Forgiveness

You can get up to 100% of your Perkins loans forgiven if you teach a shortage area subject in a school that serves low-income students. 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

If you’ve worked full-time in a public service field for 10 years, you may qualify to have your remaining student loans forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Qualifying fields include government service, nonprofits and public education.

Retirement Pension

In North Carolina, you’ll receive retirement funds through the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System. A retirement pension is rare in the current workforce. With the state retirement, you will receive a state pension for the rest of your life when you retire. The longer you’ve worked in the school system, the more you’ll receive in retirement. You can retire with full benefits if you: 

  • Are 65 and have contributed to the retirement system for five years.
  • Are 60 and have put in 25 years of service.
  • Have completed 30 years of service at any age.