For many teachers, summer vacation is no such thing

The idea of ​​summer as two months of paid leave for American teachers is full of holes.

Nearly half plan to get a second job, according to a recent survey, while 76 percent will undertake some type of professional development — and not all are paid by their districts during the summer months.

“While we don’t know the full range of reasons why teachers work second jobs, a determining factor in their decision may be linked to financial reasons,” said Emma Garcia, research manager at the Learning Policy Institute.

Garcia pointed to a study conducted by his organization that shows six in 10 teachers took out student loans for their education and 36.7 percent reported working multiple jobs to pay off that debt.

“The proportion of teachers who worked multiple jobs is higher for those with larger monthly pay bills,” she said.

In a We Are Teachers survey, 49 percent of educators said they will take on a second job this summer, with 90 percent of those jobs in education-related fields.

Thirty-seven percent said they will work at a summer school, 25 percent will tutor and 28 percent will help develop curriculum, according to the survey.

“I would say it’s significant, enough to make a difference, because most of the reason educators work is because it’s a means to an end. Financially, we don’t earn enough to go a month or two without a salary,” said Tatiana Rivadeneyra, director of the teacher credentials program at Alliant International University. “So most educators do this because they have to financially.”

And the current landscape for summer jobs is at an interesting crossroads: Total job openings for summer 2024 are down 17% from last year, but still up about 25% compared to 2019.

“The reason you see a pullback, but it’s still quite strong, is that a lot of these seasonal summer positions are tied to in-person services, leisure and hospitality, education — so camp counselors for kids who go to camp,” said Nick Bunker, director of economic research at Indeed.com.

Along with summer jobs, a large number of teachers also dedicate their time to some type of professional development, keeping up with the latest changes in education, like the science of reading and adapting to AI.

How teachers are paid generally depends on your district: some are only paid 10 months a year and others allow teachers to choose whether they want to be paid on a 12-month or 10-month cycle.

“I did this, for example,” Rivadeneyra said. “I would take the 10 months I worked, take most of the money [at the end of the year] and then what I would do is, nine times out of ten, take another educational position between spring and fall.

“You enter the profession knowing that you will somehow work during the summer,” she added.

The National Education Association (NEA), one of the country’s largest teachers unions, released a report last year on summer pay gaps, encouraging teachers to budget their money or open a separate savings account for dedicated money. at two months. Calm down on paychecks.

“If you have exhausted all ways to reduce your expenses and still don’t have enough money, balance the costs (childcare, for example) and the benefits (extra income) of a part-time, short-term job. It doesn’t have to be flipping burgers. Maybe a friend’s lawn care business is short on labor this summer. Maybe when neighbors are on vacation, they need someone to collect the mail and newspapers, harvest the garden or look after the pets,” suggested the NEA.

Educator salaries have been a determining factor in the teacher shortage that struck the country during the pandemic and has continued to this day, discouraging many from entering the field.

An NEA report found that, when adjusted for inflation, average teacher pay has declined 6.4 percent over the past decade.

“It is important to note that teachers earn, on average, 23.4 percent less than other college-educated individuals in 2021 and that starting salaries average $44,530,” Garcia said.

A study by the Learning Policy Institute found that 17.1% of teachers will take a second job even during the school year.

Garcia said these second jobs typically occur within the school system, such as coaching, night teaching or mentoring other educators.

“Education has not kept up financially with the demands of life,” said Rivadeneyra. “So when I was teaching, I was working as an adjunct professor somewhere else.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story