Once you’ve received your teaching degree, the next step is deciding where you want to teach. This includes the location of the school and what classes you want to teach. Once you’ve made your decision, one major question remains: should you go private or public? There are a variety of differences between the public and private schooling systems, with each having its own pros and cons. Understanding these differences will help you make that final decision.
There are five main differences in public and private schooling and they are: professional education levels, class size and control, student base, educational curriculum, and teacher’s pay. Based on what your goals as a teacher are, these variations may determine your motivation and how you choose to employ your set of skills.
Professional Education Level
Government run schools usually have a set of standards and requirements pertaining to the educator’s level of education that have to be met including certifications and degrees. Private schools, on the other hand, have more flexibility when it comes to teacher education requirements.
Class Size and Control
Most private schools can regulate the number of students they have in one class. In fact, they use class size as one of their biggest marketing points to parents. In public schools, however, because of the lack of adequate funding, schools cannot afford the luxury of class size regulation.
Another aspect that can be considered along with class size is the amount of control you as a teacher will have on your students. It is a well known fact that most private schools have good disciplinary records. This is because the school keeps the parents involved in their children’s academic lives. Private schools’ administrations reserve the right to remove from class or discontinue any disruptive students. In public schools, however, the right of admission is not reserved. It takes a severe breach of conduct to get a student kicked out.
Student Base
Public schools are mandated to admit any students that seek entrance. Because they have government funding, public schools do not have the right to select the students they would like to admit. Private schools, alternatively, are based on the right of selection. Most have particular requirements that they expect their students to meet. These requirements are often financial or academic in nature; though there are a variety of private institutions that have full and partial scholarships for academically brilliant students. As a result of these conditions, most private schools do not have as diverse a student base as their public school counterparts.
Curriculum
Public schools are not allowed to choose their own curriculum by virtue of being government funded. Thus public schools are obligated to teach what is outlined in a government set of standards and requirements. Additionally, public schools are required to be complete standardized state mandated tests. In private schools, the school’s board can choose and regulate the content of its curriculum and they can opt to use the state’s standardized tests or create their own.
Teacher Pay
While most of these differences favour the private schooling system, when it comes down to pay the opposite applies. Teachers in public schools make at least $10,000 more than their private school counterparts. This is because in private schools the pay is based on the number of students enrolled and because of the lack of union representation.
Please comment on your thoughts about teaching in a private or public school system… I would love to hear from you.
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