Teachers’ jobs don’t stop once they leave the school building—some continue their workload at home, while others have picked up a second job to make ends meet.
Nearly 60% of teachers pick up at least one extra job outside of teaching, according to a recent study that analyzed federal teacher data from 1994 to 2021. The study also revealed that before 2008, teachers earned, on average, more than $4,000 a year from their extra job after adjusting for inflation, but that amount had gradually dropped to just $3,250 a year in 2021.
For example, a full-time teacher in Boston delivers food for DoorDash and runs her own business. Another teacher in Pennsylvania also moonlights as an electrician, according to EdWeek reporting.
Educators reacted to the concept of teachers working an extra job in an Education Week Facebook post. Here are some of their responses, edited lightly for clarity.
Some teachers say the necessity of a second job depends on the state
Teacher salaries vary widely across the country, some educators pointed out. In California, the average salary for the 2024-25 school year was an estimated $103,379, while in Mississippi, it’s $55,086, according to a National Education Association analysis.
Get your master's degree and move to a state that has good salaries. Salary schedules are published on websites, and it's pretty easy to figure out the cost of living somewhere with sites like Zillow or apartments.com. You'll also know what you pay for—things like student loans, car payments, or phone bills. Unless your spouse can't relocate, you can go somewhere where you don't need to work two jobs.
Never have I ever in my 35 years worked a second job. Teaching pays well in my state.
Some believe teachers should pick up a second job
If I had four months off a year, I would definitely have another job. I know teachers for years painted houses in the summer.
Why wouldn’t a teacher work a second job? With the summers off, weekends off, holidays off, and a very early end of the workday…a teacher not working a second job borders on lazy. I taught school for 32 years and worked a second job for all of them.
Even so, some teachers argue that they spend the summer months recovering from the stress of the school year, participating in professional development, and otherwise preparing for the year ahead.
The economic situation is still tough for many teachers
With my multiple degrees and years of experience, I topped out at $54,000 a year pre-tax, and I worked 60 hours a week. During the summer, I paid to take the college-level courses I was required to take for re-licensure. Most teachers I know have a second job AND a prescription for anxiety/depression medication.
I work at a school specifically for special needs individuals. And thankfully, they have over time available where I can work in the housing facilities for the individuals. As a result, I do wind up working 16-hour days, many days just to stay ahead of the increasing inflation that is happening in America. I have no life; all I do is work.
