How much does a first, second, third year teachers earn? It seems teachers, nurses and police take it in turns to go on strike, Why do people join these professions knowing how much they will be paid and then get upset. Is it because they can't get other higher paid jobs or is it for the love of it?

I think that, in most cases, teachers take the job for the love of it. Or at least for the love of the idea of it. When I finished high school, I achieved results that could get me into any university course available in Australia - but I chose teaching because that was what I wanted to do.

As for getting into the job knowing the pay rates, you have a valid point. One problem, though, is that high school leavers (and this is probably the fault of the education system) don't really understand money. When you are accustomed to earning $10,000 or less a year at McDonald's, you don't really understand money. When your parents have been paying the bills, you don't understand what a good salary is and what sort of pay rate will leave you teetering on the brink of poverty. As a teacher, I will never be able to buy property in Townsville without the aid of a high-earning wife. And then what happens when we have kids?

On paper, teaching looks attractive - the graduate salary is much higher than other 'high flying' courses like law. The difference is that, after three years in the workforce, a good lawyer could be earning double the salary of a good teacher.