Babysitting, delivering pizza, mowing lawns—for some educators, the jobs they might have worked in high school are now what helps them pay the bills.
Low teacher pay has made national headlines over the past month. Teachers in West Virginia received a 5 percent pay raise last month after a nine-day strike, and Oklahoma teachers just secured a $6,100 pay raise after threatening to shut down schools across the state. Still, thousands of teachers in Oklahoma walked out of the classroom today to protest years of deep funding cuts to education. Before this year, they hadn’t received a pay raise in a decade, which has led many to leave the profession or take on second or third jobs.
We asked educators on Twitter to share how they get by—and found that multiple jobs and 12-hour workdays aren’t a rare sight in the teaching profession.
Tyler Sainato, a 7th grade teacher in Nashville, spends her spare time promoting hair products and selling lesson plans online—a growing practice that Education Week recently covered in a PBS News Hour segment. “I never really have time off because I’m always moving onto the next thing in hopes to bring in a few extra bucks,” Sainato tweeted. And for New York teacher Lori Griffin, working four jobs was the only way to pay for her daughters’ college educations. “Now I only work 2 [jobs], but what other professional career requires ‘only 2'??!” she tweeted.
I have had to work at the Walmart bakery from 3-8 in the morning and then teach from 8:30-4:00 just to not have to dig into the minuscule saving my wife and I had. My teaching suffered because I was so tired all the time.
— Daniel Heaps (@DanielBHeaps) March 31, 2018
Caddied on the weekends and during the summer. Made more per day lugging someone’s golf bag around then as a degreed, certified professional.
— David (@uncommonsense78) April 2, 2018
Worked at Pizza Hut & sold Mary Kay to supplement my salary, most recently drove for Uber #HowTeachersGetBy
— Helen Wilt (@HelenWilt) March 30, 2018
I spent several years detassling corn. I painted one year and mowed lawns another. This was at a district that paid better than most!! #HowTeachersGetBy https://t.co/bzSyafB5bH
— RyanDDevereux (@bchscurriculum) March 27, 2018
This year marks my 15th year at My school. I love it. It also marks my 10th year with three jobs. In a professionthat demands so much emotional energy, it is hard to not burn out. Hoping this spring break gets me to summer “break” so I can recharge. #HowTeachersGetBy
— Angela Bergman (@teachearthspace) April 2, 2018
Many educators struggle to balance multiple jobs as they attempt to further their education, lead extracurricular activities, and raise families. “I would love my work day to end at 3, sadly 4/5 nights I work until 7 & care for my 16yo son with special needs. I’ve reached a level of exhaustion I never knew existed!” educator Rita Ann Molino tweeted.
When I first started teaching I worked at the airport, weekends at a climbing wall and took classes towards my masters.. oh and had two kids.. 😳🤪 fun times.. 😏
— Erin (@erinbuchta) April 2, 2018
I have two part time jobs and I’m a full time teacher. Single mother of one, I don’t take vacations but teaching is what keeps me alive! 💕
— Estrella Nocturna (@twoStars4U) April 2, 2018
In my 9 years as a HS teacher, I have coached varsity sports, taught summer school, developed curriculum, chaperoned wkend dances, proctored ACT for extra cash, tutored & babysat, & started a small business. Teachers are flat out underpaid and undervalued. #HowTeachersGetBy https://t.co/XvMPaRnAra
— Ms. H (@ClassroomQuips) March 27, 2018
I taught six classes a day. Coached a cheer & dance program of five teams. Sponsored a class of 780+. Mentored struggling students. Coached an all star team. This is #HowTeachersGetBy and I just didn’t. But I sure did try. Miss my Bobkittens every day. 💙💛
— Chris DonFran (@CDonfran) March 29, 2018
Some shared their experiences with making a mid-career change to teaching—and taking a significant pay cut in the process. “I make 1/4 of what I made as an engineer,” said Twitter user @MrsIngrody, a high school physics and math teacher.
#HowTeachersGetBy 4 23 years I worked in corporate America. Made the conscious choice 2bcome a T (❤️). Now 18 yrs a T, I still make $20,000 less and I have a masters degree +. 4 awhile I literally had FIVE part-time jobs. I am down to one now! Phew! ❤️ what I do though!
— Jeri Asaro (@JeriAsaro) April 2, 2018
In some cases, pay cuts and low wages eventually drive teachers out of the profession. In a recent Education Week Teacher essay, former teacher Jennifer Johnson shared her hopes of returning to teach in the rural Oklahoma community where she was raised—and her realization that doing so would mean a $17,000 pay cut from her previous teaching job. “Although it was heart-wrenching, I made the choice to leave the classroom,” Johnson wrote.
Teachers shared similar stories on Twitter. “I’m leaving teaching after 25 years. My new school will only credit me for 13 years, so I am not taking another pay cut. I say enough. I’m not getting paid what I’m worth,” @duffysmom2 tweeted.
#HowTeachersGetBy At the local pub, the bartender told me he used to be a teacher, but he tends bar now because he can make more money. An artist friend once told me, wisely, that your pay doesn’t reflect your value; it reflects society’s values. So, I guess Alcohol > Algebra
— Drew Nucci (@NucciusMaximus) March 27, 2018
For more information on how teacher salaries, pensions, and benefits work in schools, check out this Education Week primer on teacher pay. And to stay updated on teacher strikes across the country, make sure to follow our Teacher Beat blog.
Have a story about low teacher pay? Share in the comments below or on Twitter with #HowTeachersGetBy.