Rebecca Cox, 27, hoped to take a summer break following her first year as a full-time fifth-grade teacher in Kentucky.
“It just drained me and wiped me out because I was learning so much and figuring things out as I went,” Cox told Business Insider.
Instead of taking a vacation, Cox has been working different gigs this summer, attending trainings, and decorating her classroom. She spends some evenings as a restaurant hostess, making $18 an hour. Cox also earns money as a nanny for a family. She cares for their dogs and children as needed, including during the school year.
She also did a short stint earlier this month at a business owned by a friend of the family whose kids she takes care of with a pay of $30 an hour, unpacking and organizing homes for people. While that job was short-term, she said the other two are more consistent for this summer.
“I feel like I haven’t stopped even since school’s been out,” she said. “Yes, it’s summer break, but I have not sat down. I keep working.”
Other young teachers like Cox take on summer jobs. A Pew Research Center analysis of federal education data found that as of 2015, “teachers younger than 30 are more likely to hold summer jobs than their older colleagues,” and public school teachers with a year or less of experience were most likely to have a non-school second job.
A recent survey of 366 teachers from We Are Teachers found around half said they would be working a second job in the summer. The survey found many would be doing jobs related to education; 37% said they would be teaching summer school and a quarter said tutoring.
Plus, teachers are generally underpaid, and that could be pushing some educators to take on extra work when they should be resting up for the next school year. A Census Bureau analysis published in 2022 stated, “Although teachers are among the nation’s most educated workers, they earn far less on average than most other highly educated workers and their earnings have declined since 2010.”
Cox is putting the money from her summer jobs toward savings and classroom items. The summer gigs are also helpful for Cox as a soon-to-be bride. “Once I figured out that I was getting married and I started to see how much these things cost, I was like, there’s no way that I’m even going to be able to even, one, save money in general regularly, but now on top of that, pay for some of the expenses for the things we need.”
Cox said she wished teachers didn’t have to take on summer gigs.
“Even if we’re not working per se, a lot of us are spending our time getting new things created for the new kids that are coming in or organizing things or getting ready with curriculum or going to professional development over summer on our own terms,” Cox said.
She still gets paid over the summer as a teacher, receiving around $1,300 every two weeks after deductions and taxes.
Cox said it was a good thing she started the organizing business job when she did because she suddenly needed car repairs. “Now I can pay for it because if I didn’t have extra money from working over the summer, I don’t know that I would be able to pay to get it fixed,” she said.
The money will also be helpful for her classroom. She said she does receive several hundred dollars from her district to use for supplies, but it can feel like nothing when taking into account how many children she teaches. “I want them to have all the resources that they need. So on top of my own expenses, I do take on some expenses from my classroom as well,” she said.
Teachers can end up spending thousands of dollars on classroom supplies during their teaching career. One teacher who wanted her room “to feel homey” previously noted to BI she would spend a lot of money on books. Teachers may also get donations to help fill their classrooms with supplies.
“We don’t ask other professions to try to do their job without the materials they need,” another teacher previously told BI. “I feel like a lot of teachers are expected to do their job without materials that they have or that they need.”
Cox finds the nanny job her favorite among the summer gigs. “Yes, it’s work, but it also is a little more enjoyable because I get to take them to do fun things — if they just need to go out to do stuff or if they want to go to the movies,” she said.
Cox loves being a teacher and said she’s not in it for the money, but does find the relatively low pay a challenge. “It was kind of just the realization of is this really what I’m going to be making every two weeks because honestly, I wouldn’t be able to afford to live on my own. My fiancé’s actually a teacher as well, so if I was by myself, I would not be able to pay all my bills,” she said.
“I feel like to even make a livable, reasonable salary as a teacher, I’m going to have to get my master’s,” she said. “So, I plan on doing that next year. But it’s like in order for me to make more money, I have to go spend more money to even get there.”
What does your pay look like as a teacher, or are you working multiple jobs as a teacher or in a different job? Reach out to this reporter to share at mhoff@businessinsider.com.
