I have been a (silent) member of this listserv for almost a year. This
topic has compelled me to add my two cents. I am also a Chicagoan who has
been a part of the museum field for almost 9 years. The salary for the
entry-level educator position from the original post is on par with that of
most Chicago institutions. I am currently a manager, yet I only make a few
grand more than that. I have inquired or interviewed at several museums in
the US and the typical salary range for an educator appears to be somewhere
between 18-24K, regardless of experience, education, etc. If one feels that
the salary offered is much too low, one can always hope to negotiate. If
that is not possible, you must either decline the offer or rework your
budget. As many have mentioned in past posts, one should have an idea of
what the median salary is for the position for which you are applying (in
your geographic area) and realize that an institution looks at many factors
before determining a salary range for a position.
In addition, for those of you that had posted reply's stating that the
salary was too low (to Kenya's inquiry), could you be so kind as to post
what your institution pays it's own educators? For those in a position to
set a fair salary range, one needs to know what like institutions pay to
stay competitive. It would be nice if every employer (non-profit or
otherwise) would calculate the cost of living, loan repayments, savings,
etc. for their candidates but we all know this is not realistic.
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Amy Bissonette
Sent: Monday, August 07, 2000 8:51 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Living on a museum salary
I agree with the general feeling about this that seems
to prevail on the list. I live in Chicago and any
place $500 or under, I would consider pretty sketchy
unless I really lucked out in finding a deal. Even
shares are becoming expensive. I think any urban area
holds the same problem. I am looking for a job right
now and am a little concerned about how low the wages
are. But, this was my choice and I went into this
field because I love it and am passionate about it and
understood going in that it was never going to be
about getting rich. I just hope my future boss
understands if I have to moonlight waiting tables or
bartending at night to make ends meet (as an actress
in my life before art history, I became pretty good at
both.) I hope to not have to do that, but the bills
need to paid. And I don't have any student loans but
most of my colleagues do and I cannot imagine having
to add that into my budget! Amy
--- [log in to unmask] wrote:
> "Subtract another $500 in rent"...
> As a resident in the DC area I can assure you there
> is no place to live
> for $500 a month. Also, most masters degree
> recipients have substantial
> student loans to repay. Factor these in and she may
> even be borrowing
> heavily, probably in hopes of advancement someday.
> True, no one expects luxury on a museum salary,
> but a reasonable
> living wage is not too much to hope for.
>
> Mary
>
>
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