Teaching Artist Pay Rate Calculator
Emerging (0-3 years)
Mid-Career (4-9 years)
Established (10-19 years)
Master Teaching Artist (20+ years)
Low Cost of Living Area
Average Cost of Living Area
High Cost of Living Area (e.g., Major Cities)
Very High Cost of Living (e.g., NYC, SF)
Recommended Hourly Rate:
$0.00
Total Labor Hours:
0
Base Fee (Labor):
$0.00
Expenses/Stipends:
$0.00
Total Project Fee:
$0.00
About the Teaching Artist Guild Pay Rate Calculator
This calculator helps teaching artists, arts organizations, and hiring entities determine fair and equitable compensation for arts education work. Based on principles advocated by the Teaching Artist Guild (TAG), this tool accounts for experience levels, geographic cost of living, and the unseen labor involved in preparation and administration.
Why Use This Tool? Historically, teaching artists have been undercompensated, often paid only for "contact hours" without regard for curriculum design, setup, or administrative overhead. This calculator aims to normalize "living wage" standards within the gig economy of arts education.
How Compensation is Calculated
The calculation logic uses a matrix of multipliers to establish a recommended hourly base rate, which is then applied to the total scope of work.
- Experience Level: This multiplier acknowledges professional development. While an "Emerging" artist is learning the craft, a "Master" artist brings decades of pedagogical expertise and classroom management skills, warranting a higher tier of pay.
- Cost of Living (COLA): A dollar in rural Nebraska has different purchasing power than in San Francisco. The calculator adjusts the baseline rate (typically anchored around $60/hr for mid-level work in average COL areas) to ensure the artist earns a living wage relative to their location.
- Scope of Work:
- Contact Hours: Time spent directly instructing students.
- Preparation Hours: Time spent on curriculum design, lesson planning, and gathering materials. A common industry standard is a 1:1 ratio (1 hour of prep for every 1 hour of teaching), though this varies by program complexity.
- Admin Hours: Time spent on emails, meetings, evaluation, and reporting.
Best Practices for Hiring Organizations
When budgeting for teaching artists, organizations should avoid offering flat fees that do not account for prep time. Instead, use a "fully loaded" hourly rate or break down the contract by hours to ensure transparency. If a specific hourly rate cannot be met due to grant constraints, organizations should reduce the scope of work (e.g., fewer deliverables) rather than asking the artist to work for less than their calculated rate.
For Teaching Artists
Use this calculator as a negotiation tool. When presented with a contract, input the expected hours to see if the offered fee aligns with industry standards. If the offer is low, you can present this data to advocate for a higher rate or a reduced workload that matches the budget.