At 02:42 PM 7/28/98 -0400, you wrote:
> I only made $20,000 a year--that's less than most beginning teachers
(another low paid job).  But then again, if I had been interested in only
money I never would have gotten into this field.  I am doing what I love
and that is more important to me.

Depends on where you are.  Begining teachers with a BA in the Northern
Virginia area (right outside of DC) start around $28K.  With an M.A.,
starting pay is around $32K.  Top pay is around $60K.  At the Smithsonian,
entry level GS-5 work is about $20K with curators being at least as GS-9,
around $30K.  In the Shenandoah Valley in some counties, starting teacher's
salaries are around $18K, but the few museums there are out there pay even
less.

>There are museums out there who have money but are still skimpy in the
salary area.  Then >again, there are hundreds if not thousands of museums
who simply can't afford to pay more.  >As long as I work at a museum where
I am respected and I'm doing what I love, I'll put up with >the low pay.

For small museums, I can understand the low pay.  For larger ones, I don't
understand it.  I think a lot of it has to do with the management level
people are museum people as opposed to business people.  No, we aren't in
it for the profits but even the big non-profit organizations out there have
at least one person on their staff with an MBA in financial planning.  Why
don't museums?  If we want to make the best use of what money we have, we
need to start thinking like businesses and not like museums.  Increasing
admissions, begging for donations and relying on grants isn't going to make
it.  Museums need to get people knoweldgeable in business finance,
specifically non-profit business finance, to look at where money is being
wasted and how money can be spent wiser.  It might turn out that a few
"exclusive" wine and cheese parties a year will fund a 5% salary increase.
Or maybe completely restructuring the membership program will attract more
donors.  The gift shop could be run very ineffeciently or marketing is
lacking.  There are lots of opportunities to get money needed to run a
museum and pay the employees a respectable wage.  No, we aren't ever going
to be paid as much as computer consultants but we don't need to earn a
pittance just because we love our jobs either.

Deb Fuller

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