Teachers: Do you consider yourself in a white-collar or blue-collar position?

Question

The typical white-collar profession are doctors, lawyers, accountants, business executives, etc. I kind of think teachers are somewhere in the middle. I mean, we are just as equally educated in our career and are professional. Yet we don't get the big salary. The school administrators would be considered white-collar. What about us teachers? Are we more blue-collar like a letter carrier, construction worker, or laborer?

The reason why I have thought about this just now is because I am a classroom teacher with 13 years experience, but am now taking Educational Administrative classes.

Answer 1

I consider myself a professional whether it be blue or white collar.

Answer 2

You are a white collar worker. If you are a public school teacher you are lucky because you have the protection of a blue collar union.  

Answer 3

neither.

They are old words to help another generation define their economy. If I remember correctly from my business classes in college - we are considered part of the tertiary sector.. the service industry

guys like colin clark and Jean Fourastie talked alot about economic sectors.

We as people like to classify things - its an interesting thing about our brains.

Answer 4

I'm wearing a t-shirt, and I'm sitting down.  (?)

Answer 5

I honestly have to say that I consider myself a white collar worker if I absolutely HAD to label myself. I think the deciding point is the amount of education. I am also one that considers baseball players are blue collar even though they make the big bucks.  Teachers themselves need to start valuing themselves before we can even begin to have society and our community see us as professionals.

Answer 6

We are considered blue collar.  Blue collar is the working class (teachers, police, firefighters, nurses, et al).  I'm not happy about the way we are viewed, considering all we do.  Blue collar workers are the ones in the trenches, and my dear, we certainly are there!  I feel blue collar, working 18+ hour days at times.  

Answer 7

I've been teaching 16 years.  I think it is a white-collar job, just not as well paid.  I don't equate salary directly with the definition of white collar.  A corporate lawyer makes a whole lot more than the public defender, but they're both lawyers.  I think of the distinction between the two types of jobs like this:  working in a laboring position vs. an office type position.  What we do is closer as teachers to what a doctor does than what a construction crew does.  I might get dirty since I teach first grade, but that is my choice.  

Answer 8

White collar has nothing to do with a big salary.  White collar means you generally work with your mind, rather than your hands, and you work in an office or similar location.  The people you mention are white collar jobs, but so are clerical workers, computer programmers, telephone operators, and ministers.  Teachers are clearly a white collar job by any account.