Reply #13: Check the term of the contract

[SteveG]

There are a lot of factors involved. One important one is the term of the Contract. In my state, public school teachers are paid for 185 days, beginning with the school term. Most districts have the option of spreading that out over 12 months, so you get a paycheck (or in our case 2) per month. You can opt for payment on the 9 month, but you don't get a paycheck during the summer.

At the University I work at, you are paid from your official start date. For faculty that is usually the beginning of September. Faculty are paid on a nine month contract (though they can spread it out over 12) and are paid on suplemental contracts when they volunteer to teach summer courses. They also get paid for teaching overloads. I don't know how private colleges or schools deal with this issue, you should read your contract.