Wage is exactly why I did not consider teaching. Grad salary for secondary ed in Chemistry or Mathematics in WA is 78k. That means you’ve completed enough chem or math units to complete a degree, and then done teaching on top. The grad salary on the mines is far higher, and with that much math you could go into the actuarial field and make 200k in a couple of years.

Why would I study an extra 1/2 years to be paid less?

(To be fair, I did none of the above. But it is why I didn’t go into teaching)