The Slow Salary Ladder (And the Faster Path Nobody Told You About) with Jena Castro-Casbon
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What is the slow salary ladder and why does it trap school‑based clinicians?
Starting a private practice isn't what it used to be. Today's clinicians are starting private practices much quicker, easier, and cheaper than before. And they aren't guessing their way through it or getting stuck in analysis paralysis, they're following a tried and true roadmap in order to save time, money, and frustration. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel or struggle to figure out how to start a private practice on your own. We've helped thousands of SLPs and OTs through this process and now we want to help you too. For a limited time, I'm offering a free copy of our private practice roadmap, specifically for SLPs and OTs who are curious about private practice and want to see what the journey looks like.
To download your free copy, please visit startyourprivatepractice dot com backslash roadmap to sign up. Now on to the episode. Hey there. So today's going to be a short and punchy episode specifically for school-based SLPs and OTs. And if that's you, this might be the most important 10 or so minutes that you listen to all week. Because today I want to talk to you about money. And specifically, I want to talk to you about the path that you're on right now versus the path that exists that nobody in your school district, your grad program, or even your supervisor. ever told you about. Today we're talking about the slow salary ladder and why it's costing you thousands and thousands every year. I'm gonna do the music real quick and then come back.
Don't go away. I'm Jenna Castro-Kasbon, speech language pathologist, business coach, and creator of the Start Your Private Practice System. And I'm on a mission to turn stuck SLPs into successful private practitioners. If you're tired of dealing with high productivity requirements, high caseload sizes, and low pay, it's time to take control of your professional, personal, and financial life and finally get the freedom, flexibility, and financial abundance that you deserve by working with private clients in your own practice. Join me here each week as I share tips, best practices, and inspirational interviews on the Private Practice Success Stories podcast. If you're a private practitioner or one in the making, you're in the right place, so let's get started.
Okay, so today we're talking about what I call the slow salary ladder, because let's just be honest about the salary trajectory of school-based clinicians. You're probably starting somewhere around $50,000 to $60,000, obviously depending on your state. And every year, you probably get a step increase, maybe 2 or 3% of your salary, if you're lucky. Some years it's a cost of living adjustment that barely covers inflation, and some years it's nothing at all. And you might get a bump if you take some more classes or get another degree, and maybe another bump at year 10 or 15 on the salary schedule. And after about 20 years, that's 20 years of managing caseloads right. IEPs, advocating for your students, working summers, staying late, you're probably making somewhere between $75,000 and $90,000.
In some districts, you might even crack six figures near the end of your career. That is the slow salary ladder. Every rung is small. Every rung takes a full year. And you can see the top from here, and it's not that far up. I'm not saying that to be discouraging. I'm saying it because I think a lot of us have this vague feeling that if we just keep going, keep working harder, keep getting our credits, that eventually the money will. Feel good. And for some people, it does. But for a lot of us, we get five, eight, maybe 10 years in, and we look at the salary schedule and think, is that it? This is what 10 more years of working this hard gets me? And look, money isn't the only reason why people think about private practice.
It's often not always the main reason, but it is the one that we don't talk about enough because it feels too taboo. Clinicians aren't Supposed to care about money, right? We're supposed to be in this for the kids, for the patience, for the mission. And you are. You absolutely are.
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