This week I saw this tweet – an oldie but a goodie.

Are you sick of overpaid teachers? http://t.co/OVw9HjDqBS

— Jason Borton (@Borto74) May 30, 2014

It linked to this article. 

I thought I’d put it into an Australian context.

Teachers’ hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work nine or ten months a year! And with the focus on getting the budget back into surplus, I thought it’s time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do — babysit!

Let’s be honest, parents can get that for less than minimum wage. But I guess they do have some kind of qualification, so we really can’t offer less than the minimum.

That’s right. Let’s give them AU$16.37 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be AU$65.48 a day (9-3 but I’ve taken an hour off for lunch, 15mins for recess and another 45mins for the odd free period they might get – let’s just call their working day 4hrs.)

So each parent should pay $65.48 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children (My 3yo’s daycare is about AU$90 per day… so pretty good value!).

Now how many students do they teach in a day…maybe 30? But I’m not counting those kids who just sit there and do what they’re told… seriously monkeys could do that… so let’s just say only about about 15 or so kids really need ‘looking after’.

So that’s AU$65.48 x 15(kids) = AU$982.20 a day. I’m sure we can work it out so the costs are spread evenly across parents.

Sounds like a lot, but don’t worry… these bludgers only work 40 weeks a year! I ain’t paying for them to go on their luxury yachting holidays I can tell you that!

And just to be on the safe side, we’ll knock off another week or two to cover public holidays and sick days…  sod it… I’m taking off another month!

So rounding it down to 36 weeks, these jokers are only working 180 days a year!

Let’s see if my primary school math teacher did anything right…

That’s AU$982.20 X 180= $176,796 per year. Erm… hang on… what’s happened here?

A classroom teacher of 8 years experience at the top of the scale earns around 90 grand.

AU$90,000/180 days =AU $500 per day ÷ 30 students = $16.67 (just over minimum wage) ÷ 4 (working) hours = AU$4.17 per hour per student (and that’s before tax!) — a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!)

WHAT A DEAL!!!!