With 21 years engineering industry experience, I got my
High School Physics Certificate of Eligibility and trying
to negotiate a starting salery. New Jersey teachers
have "steps" in their contracts with each step representing
one year of teaching experience. I have zero years as a
regular school teacher (but have been a Substitute teacher
for a few years) so technically, I might start at Step 1.
So what step is a reasonable start for me?

Can anyone point me to resources/statistics for industry
experience vs start step? or average alternate route start
step, or average starting saleries?...

thanks, gary

[Mrs.O]

in my district start at $40,646. Not sure if this is helpful, but there is no such thing as negotiating a salary. It is what it is.

Also, in my district your subbing would not count at all.

[CageyBee]

First...you are entering teaching in NJ in a very unfriendly climate so you aren't in the position to expect or demand much of anything.
Second...many districts will only hire you at step one since you have little to no teaching experience...maybe a generous, well-off district might give something for the subbing...but I doubt it.
Third...unless a district desperately needs a physics teacher, they won't jump the scale in an effort to save the bucks.

Have you been listening to the most anti-public education governor we have??

I really do hope you get a jo in educationnif that is what you are after. Just don't expect too much in this climate.

[Peaches Pears]

Where I work (not NJ) you would start at 0 years experience.
Your industry experience would not count towards grid placement nor would your sub experience.
Our salaries are negotiated by the bargaining process and included in our collective agreement.
Do you negotiate individual service contracts?

[lucky]

I'm with the other posters here. I don't know anything about NJ, but here in CA you can't "negotiate" your salary. Teaching isn't anything like private industry. There is no such thing as negotiation. Your pay is completely based on years with the district. In mine, starting teacher salary is 40,000. And that is with a bachelor's. If you start with a bachelor's plus 60 semester units, then you start at 47,000. I'm sorry, but it takes many years and lots of work to increase your salary in teaching. Subbing counts for absolutely nothing either. I've been teaching for 14 years and my salary is just now increasing to 64,000 in February of 2011.
You know, for someone like you who has so much experience in engineering, you might want to consider teaching at the college level. Of course, you would have to go back to school for your masters (and maybe even your doctorate).
Sorry I can't be more positive but there is a lot of truth in the old saying. You don't go into teaching for the money.

[Sam5]

In our district the principal can start you on step three if and only if you are in a high needs position (physics probably would fit here). However, than your salary will not more for three years until your experience catches up with your step placement. That is the only credit you will get - there is no individual negotation for individual salaries for teachers.

[Driven2BG]

You might look at a charter school or a private school in order to receive more money. I know of a few charter schools that love real world experience, and may pay more for that fact. In my area, the elite prep school pays $15,000 or more than the public schools.