Teacher Compensation for Extracurricular Activities

Teachers can sometimes enhance their salaries by taking on additional duties at their schools, such as sponsoring a club or coaching an athletic team . The additional money isn't always a great sum, but if you are, for example, someone who loves musical theater, putting on a big show stands for more than just the little extra you'll earn. And, if coaching kids is part of who you are, the extra compensation you earn will only add to what is already a rewarding job.

Teachers who also coach a sports team at their schools are usually paid extra based on the degree of responsibility and the time they are expected to put in. The profile of that particular sport at the school will also help determine how much a teacher gets. A high school that is known for its football success, for example, will pay its head football coach more than its tennis coach, and the head coach will get more than the assistant coaches. Michigan's Walled Lake School District paid its high school head football coaches between $4,617 and $6,928 in 2010 while golf coaches earned between $3,078 and $4,619. Coaching experience also plays a role in compensation.

Sponsoring a club or a high school class at school can bring in some extra money, which is often why younger teachers who aren't making the salaries of their more experienced peers agree to take on extra activities. In the Walled Lake School District, teachers who agree to sponsor a high school yearbook, for example, may be paid an additional $1,924 and $2,887. Just like athletic team coaches, class and club sponsors in different parts of the country may make noticeably more or less than that range.

Individual school districts usually establish a range of compensation for teachers taking on extracurricular activities, and that range is part of the contract between the teachers' union and the school district. Within those ranges, school principals can approve specific amounts for each teacher concerned. Schools also have discretionary funds that can be used for everything from pizza parties for classes that read the most books to extra money for teachers who take on extra responsibilities, particularly if those responsibilities fall outside what is covered by the teachers' contract. A second teacher may help out a club, for example, but he is not on the books as that club sponsor. A principal can use some of the school discretionary funds to compensate a teacher in that situation.

The extra compensation teachers receive for their coaching -- and leading the marching band or running the school newspaper -- amounts to a few cents an hour for many dedicated teachers who put in hundreds of extra hours each year. You should be aware that, while the extra compensation sounds nice, the time commitment may or may not be worth it in your eyes. At some schools, sponsoring a club means little more than being a presence in the room while the students do most of the work. But coaching or directing the spring musical demands time and energy that will go well beyond the extra dollars in your paycheck every month.