Report: One in Six American Teachers Work a Second Job

A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 16 percent of U.S. teachers worked a second summer job unrelated to education. That might not come as a huge surprise, but another finding might. From Pew Research:

Notably, about the same share of teachers (18%) had second jobs during the 2015-16 school year, too…This makes teachers about three times as likely as U.S. workers overall to balance multiple jobs, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

These second sumer jobs accounted for 7% of a teacher’s total earnings, and the second jobs held during the school year accounted for 9%. As you might expect, those teachers with lower salaries are more likely to work a second job, and that correlates to both experience and age. Younger, newer teachers are far more likely to need a second job, with a whopping 32% of those with a year or less experience working outside the school. Additionally, 26% of all teachers under 30 reported working a second job. Male teachers are slightly more likely than female teachers to take on a second job, while secondary school teachers took extra work more frequently than elementary teachers.

These numbers, which as Pew mentions are three times the national average, are an indication of how poorly teachers are treated in some states in America. Across the country, from L.A. to Oklahoma to West Virginia, teachers have gone on strike to demand higher wages, and while they’ve had success, federal and state governments continue to funnel money to charter schools, and teacher’s rights, from salary to pensions to health benefits, remain under attack—particularly in red states.