slewis10

Does anyone know the national average salary for an ASL teacher?

Deafness

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Reba

Sorry, no. I suspect that there really isn't a "national" average. There's probably a national range somewhere. Teacher salaries vary quite a bit, state by state, district by district. Also, there's a range from beginner to highest seniority, and level of education.

Endymion

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook is always helpful:

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition

I looked on there but didn't find much (they do have a bit on general interpreting, however). You probably will find other useful information there in the future, so you might want to keep that URL saved.

To answer your question, it's variable. It depends on where you teach. If you teach at a community college or you teach at the university level, you're probably not going to earn much money at all (unless you're tenured at the university, then you make nice money).

For an idea, let's say you teach at a community college. The average compensation for instructors at the local community college is about $500+ per credit hour. So if you teach four ASL courses, that should be about twelve credits. Twelve credits times $500 is $6,000 per semester. That's pretty low. If you teach three semesters per year AT that rate (you'd go nuts, especially in the Summer), you'll make $18,000 a year at the local community college. Plus most of these positions are weak when it comes to benefits. Medical? Dental? 401k? Good luck!

This is generally true even if you're non-tenured at the university level. But it really depends on where you teach, your academic credentials, and how long you've been teaching.

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For anyone who's thinking about teaching ASL, this is my advice: I'd gun for a PhD (deaf studies? asl linguistics?) and try to get tenure at some university. You'll be teaching and doing research, but you'll also make a lot more money. More important, though, you'll be protected career-wise by the school and surrounded by the subject you love. Try the bastions of deaf academia: RIT, CSUN, Gallaudet, San Diego State, University of New Mexico, and so forth. They might be more receptive to providing tenure to ASL-related instructors than other schools.

I'm not the best person for advice on this subject, though.

jillio

Good posting, Endy. Also most universities require that you be certified through ASLTA.

Kenai

Are you looking to teach ASL or use ASL to teach in a specialized school or classroom? As for teaching ASL to college students, unless you're a full professor, you won't be making too much money. I'm an associate prof teaching special education courses and make about $30k a year teaching four 3 credit classes a semester. Nothing stellar, but it's not bad, either.

If you intend to teach at a school for the deaf or class for the students with hearing disorders, that amount varies greatly. I taught 7th grade English and social studies in a deaf program in Naperville, Illinois and made just under $58k a year. That was a unique school district and city, though. Most deaf ed teachers make scale to what is averaged within the surrounding school districts. There is no extra pay for working with deaf students.

Endymion

Good point, Jillio! I'm glad you brought that up.

Woofy

Heyloo all,

I am an ASL teacher at two local community colleges. The salary isn't too bad. One has to remember that ALL teachers have to do their work (prep lessons, make copies, correct papers, reply to students' emails, etc...) at home or at the office. It largely depends on the college where you will teach.

Normally, when a community college is located in an affluent area, the pay tends to be a little higher. But this isn't always the case.

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[/SIGPIC] Woofy

Woofy

Heyloo all,

I am an ASL teacher at two local community colleges that is located near my residence. The salary isn't too bad. One has to remember that ALL teachers have to do their work (prep lessons, make copies, correct papers, reply to students' emails, etc...) at home or at the office. It largely depends on the college where you will teach.

Normally, when a community college is located in an affluent area, the pay tends to be a little higher. But this isn't always the case.

I should point out that if a college or university has a high number of deaf students or ASL classes, it doesn't mean that the pay will be a lot higher.

One time, I applied for a teacher's slot at this community college that has an ITP (Interpreting Training Program). I soon found out that they pay 20 dollars less than the other 2 colleges (that don't have ITP, just a small cluster of ASL classes) that I currently teach at. I ended up not accepting this job at this college because the pay was a lot less than I deserved.

Hope this info is helpful...

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gnarlydorkette

LIke everybody else has been said-- salary sure varies-- geographically, educational background, years of experiences, cost-of-living, et cetera...

I am a teaching assistant at an university-- only two ASL classes and I earn around 2,500-ish for a quarter (10-weeks).

caprixrandom

hi I'm new to this awsome community. I'm an a.s.l 2 student and I'm looking forward to becomeing involved in A.S.L teatching. I to love every ones responce and is helpfull as well.

thanks a million!!

VamPyroX

I guess it would vary on the state, the city, the school, etc...

Some schools treat ASL classes as a real college class while some places treat ASL classes as a simple "elective" that is considered insignificant.

For instance, I knew an interpreter who was also an ASL teacher at her local college. Her salary was the same. For instance, she interprets for 20 hours a week at $1,000 a week (I don't know the actual pay). Or... she interprets for 18 hours a week and teaches for 2 hours a week... but still gets paid $1,000 a week.

At RIT, they have ASL workshops and classes for free and the teachers are there voluntarily... not for pay.

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