According to Teacherportal.com, North Carolina’s average teacher salary last year was a total of $47,941 -- making it the 40th lowest state of pay in dollar amounts.
For some teachers, the choice or need to have an additional income is a real part of their life. This is the case for math teacher and part-time tutor Mandi Boyd’s family, whose husband also teaches at Roberson..
“When it was just two adults in our house, we were totally fine on a teacher’s salary. But once we had a kid and had to pay for child care, health insurance, pediatrician visits, clothes, and everything else, we got to the point where we were constantly running out of money,” Boyd said.
To support her family, Boyd works part-time at Biltmore Tutoring. She said she typically works Sunday afternoons, Tuesday nights for two hours, and Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Boyd said that Wednesdays are the hardest because she isn’t able to see her daughter all day.
“That’s the worst part. That’s the one day a week that I don’t see her, but the things that I can do for her because we have that money tend to make it worth it,” Boyd said.
Despite the negatives of time requirements in working a second job, Boyd says it has some perks.
“Would I like to be at home with my family all the time when I am not at school) Yes, but it's also kind of nice, though, since my husband and I have been together since freshman year of college, so I have something that is just mine and professional,” Boyd said.
For Spanish teacher Jamie Shell, working a second job helps fill in the gaps when her budget is unchecked.
“I work because I am bad at budgeting and we need extra money. My husband and I have a lot of medical expenses,” Shell said.
Although sometimes teachers have to work a second job to help make ends meet, not all teachers do it for that reason. For art and photography teacher Ben Clark, a part-time job means being able to pursue his hobby of photography.
“It started as a hobby for friends and family and snowballed with the website. I have gotten out there more so more people from out of state have found me. There are a lot of people I just meet the day of the rehearsal (of a wedding),” Clark said.
While he said this job is often enjoyable for Clark, it can also have its own challenges.
“Being a wedding photographer is very stressful. It is long hours, especially the day of. It is usually a Saturday or Sunday. You wake up and you’re standing for hours, from probably 8:00 in the morning until 11:30 to 12:00 at night,” Clark said.
Despite the long hours he puts in on the weekends or after school, he said that his second job is worth it to him in the end.
While for some teachers, a second job is enjoyable, for others, it is just something that has to be done.
“If I do stuff on the weekends and have to come back to school on Monday. It’s tough, but I love it. Fight through the pain I guess because it’s not that bad; it could be worse,” Clark said.
For some teachers, the choice or need to have an additional income is a real part of their life. This is the case for math teacher and part-time tutor Mandi Boyd’s family, whose husband also teaches at Roberson..
“When it was just two adults in our house, we were totally fine on a teacher’s salary. But once we had a kid and had to pay for child care, health insurance, pediatrician visits, clothes, and everything else, we got to the point where we were constantly running out of money,” Boyd said.
To support her family, Boyd works part-time at Biltmore Tutoring. She said she typically works Sunday afternoons, Tuesday nights for two hours, and Wednesdays from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Boyd said that Wednesdays are the hardest because she isn’t able to see her daughter all day.
“That’s the worst part. That’s the one day a week that I don’t see her, but the things that I can do for her because we have that money tend to make it worth it,” Boyd said.
Despite the negatives of time requirements in working a second job, Boyd says it has some perks.
“Would I like to be at home with my family all the time when I am not at school) Yes, but it's also kind of nice, though, since my husband and I have been together since freshman year of college, so I have something that is just mine and professional,” Boyd said.
For Spanish teacher Jamie Shell, working a second job helps fill in the gaps when her budget is unchecked.
“I work because I am bad at budgeting and we need extra money. My husband and I have a lot of medical expenses,” Shell said.
Although sometimes teachers have to work a second job to help make ends meet, not all teachers do it for that reason. For art and photography teacher Ben Clark, a part-time job means being able to pursue his hobby of photography.
“It started as a hobby for friends and family and snowballed with the website. I have gotten out there more so more people from out of state have found me. There are a lot of people I just meet the day of the rehearsal (of a wedding),” Clark said.
While he said this job is often enjoyable for Clark, it can also have its own challenges.
“Being a wedding photographer is very stressful. It is long hours, especially the day of. It is usually a Saturday or Sunday. You wake up and you’re standing for hours, from probably 8:00 in the morning until 11:30 to 12:00 at night,” Clark said.
Despite the long hours he puts in on the weekends or after school, he said that his second job is worth it to him in the end.
While for some teachers, a second job is enjoyable, for others, it is just something that has to be done.
“If I do stuff on the weekends and have to come back to school on Monday. It’s tough, but I love it. Fight through the pain I guess because it’s not that bad; it could be worse,” Clark said.