How many jobs should it take to make a livable wage as a teacher? In many districts, it’s often two. In July 2025, Pew Research reported that nationally, about one in six teachers work a second job, and since the COVID-19 pandemic, even more have picked up extra shifts just to cover rent and groceries. This reality undermines education itself. If better learning is the goal, teachers need paychecks that let them focus on their students, not on a second employer.
This isn’t just a statistic–it’s a lived reality. In 2022, Rocky Mountain PBS profiled Colorado educators who spend their days teaching and their nights waitressing just to make ends meet. One teacher described rushing from the classroom to a restaurant shift, sacrificing rest and preparation time in order to afford housing and groceries. Stories like this reveal what the pay gap looks like in real life: passionate professionals worn down by long hours, balancing multiple jobs that take energy away from students.
The broader data confirms it. In 2025, a survey from the National Education Association found that 78 percent of teachers had considered quitting their teaching position since the pandemic, often citing workload, pay and stress. That threat is not surprising when public K-12 teachers earn nearly 20 percent less than other college-educated workers, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). The “teacher pay penalty,” as it is often called, has reached record levels. EPI reports a 17.1 percent total compensation gap as of 2024, being the largest in decades. Over time, teacher wages have actually declined by about 5 percent when adjusted for inflation.
However, some argue that teachers know the pay scale when they enter the profession and can always pick up flexible work like tutoring or summer jobs if needed.
But this reasoning misses the reality of modern teaching. Core responsibilities already extend far beyond the contract day: grading papers, planning lessons, running clubs, and communicating with students or families. These hours are rarely compensated, yet they are essential to student learning. Taking on another job isn’t just a choice, but it’s usually about making ends meet. It leaves educators juggling so much that it can even affect their well-being and the time they give to students.
Meanwhile, teachers consistently log longer hours than most working adults. A RAND Corporation survey found that educators work about 53 hours a week, seven more hours than the average full-time worker, and roughly one-quarter of that time is unpaid. That means the public already benefits from teachers subsidizing the system
with extra labor. When pay doesn’t cover basic living costs, second jobs become less of a job and more of a necessity.
Think about other essential services. No one wants a nurse to be forced into double shifts just to afford rent. Patients need rested caregivers. Schools are just as essential. When salaries don’t meet basic costs, teachers have to take extra jobs and thus bring less time and energy to class.
To school board presidents, superintendents and union leaders: make livable pay a priority. Raise base salaries with cost-of-living adjustments, and ensure extra duties are paid instead of expecting them for free. Protect prep time and set clear limits on unpaid work. Students and families can also help by speaking at board meetings, writing letters and sharing how delays affect learning. Day to day, plan ahead, be patient with grading, and recognize the extra effort teachers put in both inside and outside the classroom. This issue isn’t about blaming educators who pick up second jobs. It’s about creating a world where they don’t have to. If stronger schools are the goal, the starting point is clear: pay teachers a livable wage so that one job is enough.
