Teaching at Private vs Public Schools: Which is Best for You?

If you’re a teacher weighing your options between teaching at private vs public schools, then you’re in the right place.

Having worked as a teacher for over a decade, I know that our working conditions are largely determined by the school we work at, and how its run. Part of what plays into this is whether the school is private or government funded.

Both private and public schools come with pros and cons and have different implications.

Overall, I believe that private schools usually offer a better teaching environment, but they don’t usually pay as well as public schools. For this reason – if the financial security is important to you right now, then I recommend you apply to public schools.

Teaching in a private school is a great way to get experience, or a fantastic option if you don’t need the money as badly and can ‘afford’ to work for the lower pay bracket.

When making your choice, I recommend that you avoid making too many sweeping generalizations. While the generalizations are often true, there are many exceptions too.

As someone who taught in a private school, followed by the public school system for almost 10 years, I’m going to shed some light on:

When reading this article, its important to keep in mind that each school is unique. Everything from the student behaviour, staff morale, and work environment is determined by several factors, including the school leader. (Which there are good ones and bad ones- both in the private and public sector.)

Common Myths About Private vs Public Schools

Keep in mind that everything you read about private and public schools is a generalization. Often, the common things you hear are true most of the time, but there are always exceptions when it comes to private schools.

Before diving deeper in to the difference between working at both, I want to uncover a few myths that I hear often – but can either be true or not true depending on the school.

❌ Kids in private schools are better behaved

This may be often true, but only because the classes are smaller. Less kids = less behaviours. Less kids also means less people to feed off behaviours around them.

It’s not that kids in private school are less prone to behaviours than public school kids. In fact, I’ve heard some horror stories about behaviours in private school. There’s just fewer of them, so you’re less likely to have as many issues as in the average public school.

I’ve had very challenging private school classes, and some phenomenally well behaved public school classes.

Pro Tip: Private schools set their own rules with regards to behaviour management. Some have strict standards for who can attend as a student, or procedures they follow if there is a pattern of disruptive or disrespectful behaviour from a student.

❌ All the kids in private schools come from rich families

This is not necessarily true either. Of course, how you define ‘rich’ may matter too. It may be a safe assumption that most families with children in private school are ‘comfortable’ enough to finance the private tuition.

However, you’d be surprised how many families are stretched pretty thin trying to pay for private school, but do so because they believe it to be the best option for their child.

❌ You don’t have to ‘please the parents’ as much in a public school

Generally – private schools operate as businesses, which means a certain amount of customer (parent) satisfaction – this means there’s a lot of communication with parents.

However, keeping the parents happy is not just a private school thing – its just as important in the public school environment as well. I used to joke that the public school parents were treated like “paying customers.” And it was true.

There’s a lot of liability that comes with working in a public school, and public schools do what they can to avoid risking scandals, bad press, negative media attention, or lawsuits.

Depending on where you live, most public school principals are not protected by a union and can be personally sued by parents. For this reason, they often want to avoid issues where they can and generally try to keep them happy – if possible.

My Experience Working in Private and Public Schools

One thing I valued about working at a private school was the small class sizes. My time at private school felt more ‘academic’ to me than my public school roles. Because my classes were smaller, I felt like I was really teaching – I could plan lessons, and we would get through them.

From working in public schools in Ontario, I still felt like I was teaching, but I felt that more of my job became about behaviour and classroom management. There were often fires to put out, and issues to deal with, and large volumes of students to keep organized. (It varied by class – some had so many behaviours that I felt more like a referee than a teacher, and others had no behavioural issues at all.)

Ultimately though, public school paid much better. I had the job security, benefits, pension and pay cheque to get started with my adult life.

I was happier in the school when I was working at a private school – but happier outside the school with public, because I had more freedom and money to enjoy my free time.

Relationship to Principals/School Directors in Private vs Public Schools

One thing, besides the small class sizes, that I found strikingly differnent about private vs public schools was the nature of the principal or school directors role.

In a public school (at least in Ontario Canada) your principal is your ‘boss’ in some ways, but not in others. If you’re sick or need a day off, they are not the ones you consult. You would consult your union and HR at the school board.

In a private school, the principal or director usually runs the school and they are who you answer to. This isn’t a problem if you have a good principal or school leader, but if they’re a tough one – then they can certainly make your job much harder.

A public school principal can ask you do to do ‘extra’ things, but they are bound by the contractual agreement between the teacher union and the school, which means there are many rules designed to protect you as a worker from being taking advantage of.

In private school, you don’t have a union – so you’re are somewhat at mercy as to whether your boss will treat you well.

Ultimately, an ineffective principal can be detrimental to the teacher work environment regardless of a private of public school.

In pubic schools, principals are changed every few years. Where I live, principals normally only stay at one school for three years before they’re moved to another one.

In private schools, you are more likely to be ‘stuck’ with that leader for the foreseeable future, so its important to find one who you enjoy working for.

Teacher Autonomy in Private vs Public Schools

Teacher autonomy as a teacher is important when it comes to our job satisfaction. Teachers are professionals with similar years of education as a lawyer. (In Canada, it takes 6 years to become a teacher.)

Teaching is an art, and autonomy means having some control over your practice, including:

• what resources you use
• your teaching methods
• how you run your class
• how you communicate with families

While it helps you have some guidance on the above, it can be very hard when you don’t have any decision making ability at all. At the private school I worked at, the curriculum and timelines were very strict that I had to move on to new chapters whether the kids were ‘ready’ or not.

However, there is a determined curriculum and time constraints in the public school system too. I felt that I still had more freedom with regards to how I delivered my lessons, what resources and materials I used, and how I managed my classes.

Pro Tip: While I enjoyed the extra teacher autonomy in the public school system, I found that there were many teachers paying out of pocket for educational resources. According to statistics, over 90% of K-12 public school teachers have paid for learning resources for their class with their own money.

Perks Private and Public Schools

✅ Private School Perks

Small school, small class feel
Better school community
You’re paid to run extra-curricular activities
Fun field trips
Specialized activities

✅  Public School Perks

They generally pay much more
Good job security
Union support
Larger staff = more teacher colleagues to collaborate and make friends with
The principal is your leader, but not really your boss. (Depending on where you live.)

Downsides of Working in a Public and Private Schools

Public School Downsides

❌ Public schools in many places (certainly Canada and the US) are not adequately funded to service growing needs among students. As a result, a teachers job can be very overwhelming as they try to differentiate instruction and assessment for many different accommodations that are needed – without help or resources.

❌ There is a very high burnout rate among teachers in the publicly funded education system

❌ Running extra-curricular activities, such as clubs and sports are not paid in public school. On paper, you’re not required to run them – but its an unsaid expectation

Cons of Working in a Private School

❌ The school principal or director can make or break your experience in a private school. This can be true for the public school system too, but

Private and Public Schools in a Nutshell

Which is Best for You – Public or Private?

A private school might be better for you if..

• You’re an introvert, who prefers more relaxing and slow paced environment
• You are not reliant on the extra salary that tends to come with working for a public school
• You prefer small class sizes, with a more intimate learning experience
• You value education
• You stand by the values of the private school you’re teaching at (this is important)
• You don’t mind the ‘customer service’ aspect of dealing with parents in the private school system
• You have a specialized, in-demand skill or teachable (in Canada, this would be French) which may allow you to negotiate higher pay

A public school might be for you if..

• You really need the financial stability
• You’re good at managing large groups of students
• You generally agree with and can uphold the board standards and values, as well as the governmental curriculum
• You don’t mind a busy, hectic environment – in fact, you thrive on it
• You’re organized and good at keeping records, documentation

Final Thoughts on Teaching in Private vs Public Schools

I hope that this artcle has helped you weigh the pros and cons between teaching in private vs public schools. The class sizes in private schools are usually much smaller, and are well suited to teachers who prefer a more tight-knit, slow paced environment instead of the hectic, chaotic day that the modern public school classroom can be.

Since private schools don’t (usually) pay as well, most teachers strive to work at a publicly funded schools. This is also what I would recommend you do – assuming you need the money as badly as I did when I graduated from university.

You may find a great private school with above-average pay, and a wonderful leader. Of course, those positions exist – and I don’t think you should give up looking for them. But, don’t rule out the public schools if you want to be a teacher. The better pay and stability may mean a more sustainable career that you can stick with.

In addition to reflecting on whether the public or private school system suits you best, you may also want to explore which grade to teach.