Salary & Benefits

Once Fellows have successfully completed our summer Pre-service Training, they are eligible to be hired as a full-time teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools, as well as certain area charter schools. Once hired, Fellows are considered full-time employees of the district or charter school at which they are employed, with the same starting salary as other first-year teachers in that setting. For the 2011-2012 school year, first-year teachers typically earned $35,727 annually.

Teachers typically receive their first paycheck at the end of the first month of teaching.

Fellows also are eligible for the same comprehensive benefits as all new teachers working in the district or charter school where they are employed. These benefits typically include medical, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage.

Financial Assistance

Milwaukee Teaching Fellows is currently a member of AmeriCorps, the national service network. Through this relationship, 2012 Fellows may be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award for their service as a teacher in a high-need school. The Education Award is $5,500 for a year of full-time service and can be used to pay education costs at qualified institutions of higher education, for educational training, or to repay qualified student loans. Fellows will have up to seven years to claim and use the award after they have completed their term of service.

AmeriCorps membership will be determined in September 2012 and is dependent upon availability of funds from grant sources. This notification should not be taken as a guarantee that AmeriCorps funds will be available or distributed to Fellows.

Fellows with Stafford and Perkins loans may be eligible for loan deferment or forgiveness. For details about eligibility, please contact your loan provider directly to confirm whether programs are available for individuals who make a commitment to teach full-time in under-resourced schools. You may also visit the Federal Student Aid website for more information about the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.