Hmmmm. WEll teaching positions mean lots of teaching. Like maybe 4-5 classes per semester or more. Maybe 2-3 preps (different classes)

Salary can vary widely---small community type college can be as low as $40-50K WITH a PhD. Others schools that are large institutions AACSB accredited can pay $100k+ with an PhD depending on the school. AACSB accredited schools have to have a high number of PhDs, so teaching with just an MBA is not always an option. A teaching position with an MBA might max out at around $60-75k.

I have a friend at a large state "teaching" school with an MBA program, he is at $130+ as an assistant w/tenure--he teaches 3 and 3, I believe. No summer support.

Research schools (for instance, with PhD programs) invariable pay much more, however. But you are expected to be very productive in research. But even a research school will sometimes employ fantastic teachers, generally non-tenure track.

Hope that helps

Research Position - lots of pressure, a lot of people cannot take it, many are let go after 3 years, many make it to the 5th year and are denied tenure (if you made it past 3 years, there is a pretty good shot that the department will support you - unless of course something bad happens).
You typically teach 3 courses over the year (2 in fall, 1 in spring) and may have the summer to yourself (you get paid for 9 months, the salary can obviously be distributed over 12). Take the pressure of completing your PhD and multiply it by 10 - probably a good approximation. Oh, make sure your wife or girl friend understands what you are getting into. If you want a research position, work for a rock-star academic and start very very early. You will be absolutely miserable for 4(or more) years, but you won't regret it if you really want a research position.You would have to be very very good at research to survive in a research position. How would you know? - well, if you can publish before graduation, thats one good sign. If you have a detailed plan of how you plan to get tenure, thats another great sign. If your advisor still smiles at you after the proposal defense, thats a really great sign.

Finally, publish or perish is the only model where you are rewarded for your research. If you like research, but have a job in a teaching school, you will not be able to find time for research.


Teaching Position - Less pressure, you typically teach 3 courses per semester or more. relatively laid back and if you enjoy spending time with students, this is for you. A lot of faculty become sick of teaching after a while and I perfectly understand why, especially if you are teaching a core course that not many care about or have to deal with undergraduate students all the time. I am not sure if you are required to do research at all.