Many believe that working for the public school system is highly advantageous because it pays generously. That may be true, but unfortunately non-teaching jobs in the public school system don’t fetch that much compensation, especially in the rank and file. Though certain benefits are offered by the state, getting a paycheck with just a few zeros is not enough to raise a family especially in these hard times. Check out 5 of the lowest paying jobs in the public school system listed below.

• Custodians/Janitors/Cleaners. Keeping school buildings and grounds clean, orderly and safe is the main duty of school custodians. They perform routine cleaning and minor maintenance tasks, which, although under minimum supervision, often puts them at other employees’ beck and call. They start work before students and teachers and other workers arrive and end when everybody’s gone. Employees who work under this category get a meager salary scale of $7 – $10 per hour.

• Food Service (Cafeteria) Workers. Serving lunch and recess may seem fun but for someone who’s been doing it day in and day out and only get paid for a measly amount of $11 an hour, it can be quite stressful. It’s a wonder they can still afford to smile. Perhaps the next time they smile at you, you could take it upon yourself to smile back.

• Bus Drivers. Taking full responsibility for the safety of energetic kids while driving across the expressway is what school bus drivers do everyday. Waking up early in the morning and picking up every kid in the neighborhood is a tedious task with an average compensation of $12.79 per hour. 2008 statistical data shows the upper 10% of school bus drivers earned over $19.11 per hour; the middle 50% earned between $9.61and $15.78 an hour; while the lowest 10% were only paid less than $7.38 for each hour of work.

• Teacher Aides/ Assistants. They’re also known as paraprofessionals. The work is as noble as if you’re working as a licensed teacher, but it can be hard holding on to such a noble purpose if you only get $12 /hour, with a range of responsibilities that include providing instructional and clerical support to teachers and students alike. Some are assigned non-clerical tasks like monitoring activities in non-academic settings (e.g. lunchroom and playground). Some schools pay a little bit higher than the average; but there are certain considerations, though; such as educational background, length of service, etc. Median annual wage is approximately $22,000, with the lowest 10% receiving less than $15,340. Only 10% receives more than $33,980; while the 50% gets the salary range of $17,610 to $28,180.

• Library Clerks/Assistants/Technicians. Elementary and high school library assistants typically receive an average of $25,620 annual wage, while those in colleges and universities get $28,710 per year.

The erratic unemployment rate leaves most people with very little choice and have to take on jobs (or hold on to their existing jobs) despite the low pay. It’s a matter of surviving today’s recession. Moreover, most of these jobs don’t even require a diploma. What you need is a whole lot of stamina, patience and determination.

Tags: job, job duties, job history, job hunt, Job Search, job skills, job tips, jobs, new job, Personal Branding, professional

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 9:55 am and is filed under Applying for a Job, Free Advice, Job Search Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.