Teachers have been working to supplement their classroom pay for decades. But a new study suggests there are tradeoffs depending on the type of work they seek. Opportunities to add additional education duties for pay can improve teacher retention, but work outside the K-12 system can increase teachers’ risk of burnout.
Redding and his colleagues analyzed federal teacher data from 1994-2021. They found nearly 60% of teachers pick up at least one extra job outside of their primary teaching work—a share that’s held fairly stable, regardless of changes in the overall economy, during that time period. On average, educators who took on additional work made on average $1,000 less in base salary than those who only teach.