My sister and brother in law are both teachers. Good ones. I make more than double their combined income, and their jobs sound way more stressful. The bil is actively working to switch careers because of it
He will never be able to match a teachers pension with 401k though...he might regret it when he is still working and his teacher friends have retired
With expected lifespan, a teacher pension can be worth over a million dollars...zero chance a 401k will deliver half that for most salaries
They also get more than a month of vacation during the school year: 1 week in fall, 2 weeks in winter, 1 week in spring, plus state holidays.
Even with mandatory continuing education (which many jobs require), government teachers are still getting a few months of vacation. It's not comparable to folks who have to work 11+ months every year.