Author Topic: Mustachian Teachers  (Read 16477 times)

cabeasle

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Mustachian Teachers
« on: May 05, 2013, 12:31:04 PM »
I know there are a few of you out there on the forums.  I've seen your posts :)

I'm just curious about some Mustachian thoughts from the teacher's perspective.  I teach English at a High School.  Most of the time, I enjoy my job (though the after hours grading can be a bit heavy at times).  However, I am not married to the job, and if something were to present itself that paid well and also struck me as enjoyable, I would definitely consider the change (for the sake of novelty and keeping things fresh, if nothing else).

So here's what I'm wondering.

1) As a teacher, my salary is not impressive (though far from sad).  Saving greater than 50% would mean some serious thrifty living.  I am currently able to save about 40% per month, close to 50% if you include the forced pension contributions.  I would like that to be higher, but I'm not sure it is feasible right now without my feeling too deprived.  Unfortunately, as an educator, advancing to a higher salary is not an option.  The best I can do is switch to another district and possibly bring in 1-2K more a year, but the subsequent upheaval and move would cost close to that in expenses anyhow.

So, since the day job is limited as far as cash flow, what do you other teachers do to bring in extra cash?  Do you have any side hustles that you would recommend?  Things that fit well with a teacher's schedule?

2) One of the biggest potential earners is summer school.  Do any of you guys teach during the summer?  And do you find the extra 2-3K you net from it is worth giving up that precious time off to relax, rejuvenate, and practice what life will be like when you hit real FI?  I'm not sure that the money gained will make a large enough differences in my time-to-freedom to offset giving up the vacation.


arebelspy

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2013, 01:01:06 PM »
I teach 4th/5th grade.  My wife teaches High School English.

I work hard now to make it easy later.  That includes tutoring, selling my prep, summer school, etc.  The wife does these, plus grades proficiency exams for the state, does Saturday school, etc.

I like these things anyways.  Not as much as I like leisure time, but I can enjoy them and put the monetary benefits of them towards FI.

We already get so much time off (holidays, Spring and Winter Break, and Summers - even if you teach summer school you get several weeks typically) that it seems a little silly to me when teachers want to take all of that that additional time off to relax and recuperate (and then complain about their pay). School is only 180 days.  We work half the time.  I'll gladly work a little harder now to have complete freedom in a few years.

I assume you are single income?  The wife and I save about 70%, but we have two incomes.  We could save more, but we don't deprive ourselves of anything we want.

Extra things to bring in cash (besides the aforementioned tutoring, summer school, and other teaching related things) include my wife doing an online article writing/editing job and me doing real estate related things (managing our rental properties instead of having a property manager, doing rehabs - though I don't do any of the work, it's managed by a partner and done by contractors, etc.).

Craigslist/eBay is a great way to make extra money through arbitrage, etsey if you're crafty, if you like writing there's places that will pay you to do that, and so on and so forth.

Glad you're thinking about your finances - many teachers I know are terrible with money.  The pension has the golden handcuffs aspect to it if you're willing to teach 20-30 years.  As much as I enjoy teaching, I don't want to do it much longer than a decade or so - I'd rather hit FI at that point and start to travel and look to other enjoyments full time.

The bottom line that we tell ourselves (and I'm repeating myself from above): work hard now to make it easy later.

Don't feel like getting up early on Saturday?  Too bad.  Want to lay by the beach all summer?  Too bad.  Those small "sacrifices" now (which aren't even that bad) will let us, in just a few short years, never work again, if we so desire.

A trade-off well worth it, to me.  I'm buying my freedom by working hard now.
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Deano

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2013, 02:26:27 PM »
I'm a teacher as well, as is my wife. Teachers are often terrible with money, particularly in Ontario where I live. Teacher pay is high here, avg. of 83k a year, with a max of 94k. I think that lulls a lot of teachers into a false sense of security. They borrow up to their eyeballs because banks will give anything to them (in part). They have had (though it is now changing) the best pension going (next to politicians), and so very few attempt to save anything.

In answer to question 2, despite being well compensated for the work I do, I work part-time here and there at friends businesses, am working on a a small paid writing project and work the occasional weekend or week long "camp". This money, for me, is something to do un-mustachian things with. I can see why the OP and the second poster both take side gigs though. Your country doesn't pay educators nearly enough. Given the number of hours you put in, I tip my hat to you. Summer school? I might worry about burn out, I find work during the summer is not a problem, but working with kids, that's a problem. You need space in the summer.

BPA

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2013, 02:43:07 PM »
I don't find teachers bad with money really.  Certainly no worse than the general population.

I teach a 2/3 timetable and live in Ontario, so make more than an American teacher. My goal for years has been to keep teaching part-time and still retire at 50 (or earlier), so FI was never the primary goal, just one I realized I could achieve fairly easily since I was already pretty frugal because I wanted to work part-time.

My tricks were: 
1)  I bought a house close to my school so I can easily cycle or walk.
2)  I have never owned a car.
3)  Most of my leisure activities are cheap/free ones.

I suppose I've been in some sort of semi-retirement the last few years I've been teaching part-time. 

I would never want to teach summer school...especially high school English.  I took it in summer as a student and my boyfriend who is an English teacher (and so am I) felt he couldn't do justice to the course because the kids didn't have enough time to read everything they were supposed to.  Also, he says five hours a day of the same course was drudgery.

amyable

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #4 on: May 05, 2013, 03:02:34 PM »
I don't teach summer school--it isn't worth it to me.  The pay for summer school is not great here, and I find I would rather pick up additional side-hustles than burn myself out over the summer cramming a year-long English course into 4-5 weeks.

I'm a middle school ESL teacher, and I've been working on building an English tutoring business online with sessions over Skype.  Pay is not excellent, but it's fun, easy, and I really enjoy speaking to people from different countries.  I only make about $15 an hour, but most of my tutoring appointments just want to practice basic English conversations skills, so I'm essentially making money to have an interesting chat with someone on Skype. 

I've also done a lot of SAT tutoring locally--pay is typically very good, and the work is easy and enjoyable. 

Nudelkopf

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #5 on: May 05, 2013, 03:24:37 PM »
Teacher-in-training here, but how about private tutoring for some extra cash? I get $50/hour from my old college, and I have plenty of friends (students, mainly) who tutor high school kids for $30-$40/hour. Since your clients will be school-aged, all the work will be after school hours. Plus you've already got the teaching skills.

Plus I like tutoring -- working one-on-one with people is nice, and they appreciate you much more :)

Dee18

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #6 on: May 05, 2013, 03:41:20 PM »
I teach college and spend one month in the summer teaching an intensive college course in Vermont---a great change of scenery for me so it is a working vacation,  one I love.  I agree with those recommending tutoring or getting into SAT/ACT prep.  I know a younger friend who is now doing webinars for MCAT prep and is making serious money while completing grad school.  On the other hand, my administrative assistant works about 6 days a month at Kohl's and a student of mine works one day a week at Whole Foods---they love the employee discounts and actually enjoy the work since it's so little time.  In short, find a side hustle that is enjoyable to you....I'm actually thinking of being a barista when I retire.

Deano

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #7 on: May 05, 2013, 07:09:31 PM »
I don't find teachers bad with money really.  Certainly no worse than the general population.

I teach a 2/3 timetable and live in Ontario, so make more than an American teacher. My goal for years has been to keep teaching part-time and still retire at 50 (or earlier), so FI was never the primary goal, just one I realized I could achieve fairly easily since I was already pretty frugal because I wanted to work part-time.

My tricks were: 
1)  I bought a house close to my school so I can easily cycle or walk.
2)  I have never owned a car.
3)  Most of my leisure activities are cheap/free ones.

I suppose I've been in some sort of semi-retirement the last few years I've been teaching part-time. 

I would never want to teach summer school...especially high school English.  I took it in summer as a student and my boyfriend who is an English teacher (and so am I) felt he couldn't do justice to the course because the kids didn't have enough time to read everything they were supposed to.  Also, he says five hours a day of the same course was drudgery.

For sure, many teachers are ok with money, some are amazing. I work with one couple who have lived on one income for almost 30 years, saving the other. Impressive.

I do come at this from a different angle though, I used to work in a bank. As I knew at the time I wanted to be a teacher, so I paid close attention to the financial dealings I had with teachers. I saw some UGLY stuff! Now, I admit, it might have had something to do with the fact that I was focussing on them, but my mother (a 30 year banking career) always said the same thing. Maybe something to it. I certainly know some who do some crazy things....500k houses, BMW's, Range Rovers...it's pretty sad.

Having said that, the OP seems to be pretty smart with their money, I should focus on that.

Skinnyneo

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2013, 09:35:56 PM »
I'm an English teacher in Japan.  At the current exchange rate I pull in about $3000 a month from my main job.  There are lots of opportunities to make money on the side here however.  I am at an average savings rate of 50% right now and don't feel that I'm doing anything drastic.  I want to increase to about 55 or 60 which would require some effort but not much really.  Ride a bike, make lunches and dinner and try to limit eating and drinking out. 

cabeasle

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2013, 04:52:58 AM »
Thanks for the ideas, guys.  I will definitely look into SAT prep and tutoring on the side.  I did not realize they could be so lucrative.  I definitely like the idea of playing around with Skype or other web formats to increase the range of students I could reach, as well as allowing me to operate from home.  30+ an hour sounds very worth experimenting with.  Any thoughts on the best way to get started with this?  I figure I would have to look for clients outside of my own district (otherwise the tutoring is almost expected to be free, certainly with my own students).  For those of you that tutor, how do you go about finding clients?

I am definitely a fan of the idea of biking to work.  I would like to give it a try, but I currently live about 8 miles from the school, which is a bit far for me.  Moving closer is not really an option, as the apartments in that area are pretty sketchy, and my girlfriend is commuting across town as is, so I would hate to put her even farther out than she already is.   Maybe I will try to toughen up and give the biking a go one week, or at least test out the route during the summer.


nktokyo

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2013, 05:46:27 AM »
Hi skinnyneo, I live in Japan also but no longer teach. I find it very easy to save in Japan and even easier to find gigs that pay well. Where do you live and how long have you been here?

arebelspy

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2013, 12:09:15 PM »
experienced teachers can get US$50-60k plus in the best international schools (lists readily available in relevant fora on the internet), plus free housing or generous housing allowance, insurance, RT airfare (sometimes including annual home leave for teacher and dependents) and free or substantially reduced tuition for kids.

(Emphasis added.)

What forums are those?  Links to the best ones would be appreciated!
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LivingOnLess

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2013, 08:32:01 AM »
I am also a teacher and if you count my mandatory pension contribution, I am saving close to $2,900 a
month, or 50.6% of my salary...might as well just round it up to 51%.  Next school year I hope to increase my savings to about 53% of my salary. Which means I'll be squeaking by on more or less about the same due to moving across the salary scale and the minimal increase that follows.

Squeaking by is fine, because I really have no significant bills, except for one student loan I'm paying off, no credit card debt, car is paid for and over 10 years old, and I commute to work. I'm frugalmeister to the max....on a teacher's salary it isn't luxury living lol. I'm pursuing National Board Certification and if when I pass that will add an extra 15% increase to my salary, however, only 7.5% of it will be counted in the calculation towards my pension and in order to earn the additional 7.5% increase I have to put in 92 hours of work....I'm okay with that. 

I've done a stint of tutoring on the side, but I wouldn't consider it extremely profitable as I worked for one of those tutoring companies that charges the local school district $100/hr and pays the tutor contractor $20-$25 an hour.  Often thought about teaching overseas, I have fluent Spanish skills and I would love to teach English even for a summer overseas. I've looked at local countries (Spanish speaking) Craigslist for jobs, but they require that you already have a work permit for their country.  Can't get a work permit unless, someone sponsors you.  Teaching overseas would certainly beat teaching summer school here - 20 kids with different disabilities - some ED, different academic abilities, grades 2-5 in one classroom and you are lucky if you get an aide. That scenario is certainly not educationally worthwhile for the student.

Any website recommendations on how to get started on teaching English overseas I would certainly welcome them :)

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #13 on: May 08, 2013, 12:09:02 PM »
For what it's worth, I used to teach (7th & 8th grade Writing) but left the field.  It was partially motivated by finances, but also from stress.  I found teaching to be much more stressful than I anticipated.  I wouldn't recommend leaving meaningful work to do something that's soul sucking; but to the degree that other opportunities arise, I'd say it's worth considering them.  There can be life after the classroom. :)

BPA

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #14 on: May 08, 2013, 03:06:16 PM »
I don't find teachers bad with money really.  Certainly no worse than the general population.

I teach a 2/3 timetable and live in Ontario, so make more than an American teacher. My goal for years has been to keep teaching part-time and still retire at 50 (or earlier), so FI was never the primary goal, just one I realized I could achieve fairly easily since I was already pretty frugal because I wanted to work part-time.

My tricks were: 
1)  I bought a house close to my school so I can easily cycle or walk.
2)  I have never owned a car.
3)  Most of my leisure activities are cheap/free ones.

I suppose I've been in some sort of semi-retirement the last few years I've been teaching part-time. 

I would never want to teach summer school...especially high school English.  I took it in summer as a student and my boyfriend who is an English teacher (and so am I) felt he couldn't do justice to the course because the kids didn't have enough time to read everything they were supposed to.  Also, he says five hours a day of the same course was drudgery.

For sure, many teachers are ok with money, some are amazing. I work with one couple who have lived on one income for almost 30 years, saving the other. Impressive.

I do come at this from a different angle though, I used to work in a bank. As I knew at the time I wanted to be a teacher, so I paid close attention to the financial dealings I had with teachers. I saw some UGLY stuff! Now, I admit, it might have had something to do with the fact that I was focussing on them, but my mother (a 30 year banking career) always said the same thing. Maybe something to it. I certainly know some who do some crazy things....500k houses, BMW's, Range Rovers...it's pretty sad.

Having said that, the OP seems to be pretty smart with their money, I should focus on that.

You know, it's interesting.  I just realized that the most frugal teachers are the ones who are my age (45) or younger.  I wonder if there is a shift even in Ontario now (although I don't really know since my sample is pretty small).

fidgiegirl

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #15 on: May 08, 2013, 04:14:00 PM »
Interesting thread.  I am also a teacher but not in a classroom position currently.  I am surprised no one mentioned getting a Master's.  Here in MN it is still the case that the cost of a Master's is quickly recovered in salary increases and you bring in more year after year after year.  I found it very worth it to do mine, not to mention that my practice improved dramatically.

LivingOnLess

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #16 on: May 08, 2013, 04:29:23 PM »
Interesting thread.  I am also a teacher but not in a classroom position currently.  I am surprised no one mentioned getting a Master's.  Here in MN it is still the case that the cost of a Master's is quickly recovered in salary increases and you bring in more year after year after year.  I found it very worth it to do mine, not to mention that my practice improved dramatically.

I agree about the Master's, but it seems that it is more worthwhile in MN than here in CA, depending upon what local school district you work for the increase in salary may be somewhere in the $600 or
under a 1K extra a year for having a Master's.  Which truly is nothing to dismiss, especially year after year as you advance on the salary scale.  Some districts pay more for an NBC which is a 15% increase, and as such some teachers choose to pursue that first and then the Master's.

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jpap

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #17 on: May 08, 2013, 06:41:46 PM »
Wife and I are both teachers.  14.5% of salary goes to pension plan, which builds a cash balance if we decide to leave early.  Additionally we save 30% of income.  My side hustles are online tutoring (tutor.com) which is extremely flexible, and I teach ACT preparation courses sometimes (I charge $75 per student for 12 hours; I can make about $600 about 4 times a year doing this).  I teach high school math, and students can earn the required personal finance credit by taking a math course with me (I incorporate all sorts of financial topics).  Get the necessary graduate hours to go all the way to the right on the salary schedule.  That was the best investment we ever made, we spent about 5 grand on graduate hours past our masters and that paid for itself very quickly.  Now it is pure profit.

BPA

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #18 on: May 08, 2013, 06:52:54 PM »
Interesting.  Where I live it really isn't worth getting a Master's Degree. 

I checked out tutor.com, but I think it's harder to get on when you are an English teacher, as opposed to a math teacher, but worth checking out.  It's been a while since I checked.

Joet

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #19 on: May 08, 2013, 07:52:44 PM »
I don't see any references to corporate training gigs? pays pretty well, easy $75/hr contracting in my area

*you will need a relevant skill, often in productivity tools/coding/software/etc tho, probably more apropos computer science teachers

also many of my co-workers teach a class or two at a professional college or even a city college. A lot of the seminars pay around $3-$5k/week, the city college gigs dont pay much tho

typical topics are ASIC/EE stuff, programming languages, etc

[perhaps other topics are available in this arena as well, all I see in this thread are references to K-12 stuff]

I'm not a teacher by trade but I've taught a few seminars through Stanford/Berkeley extension stuff. It's decent $

TheDude

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #20 on: May 08, 2013, 07:55:38 PM »
Love this thread. I am not a teacher but my wife is. Shes done some tutoring. I have tried to get her to stop teaching and start tutoring full time. She started at $25/hr and raised the rate until she hit $45/hr. Even at $45 she was turning kids away. At one point she was teaching full time getting a master in admin and tutoring about 12hrs a week. Now that we have had a kid she quit tutoring but it was good money while it lasted.

The other sweet thing about being a teacher in CO is the retirement benefits. She doesn't have to pay SS as she contributes to PERA. Even if she doesn't work until 58 to get the benefit she can still pull out all the money she put in. The other great thing about working for a school is having access to a 401k and a 457. Meaning we can shield $35000. Awesome!

Is anyone on here National Board Certified? My wife worked really hard to get certified but she gets an extra 5% in salary

Dee

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #21 on: May 08, 2013, 09:19:52 PM »
David Chilton in The Wealthy Barber Returns goes on quite a bit about teaching being a profession that highly correlates with financial skills. It never occurred to me before that this opinion is controversial and that others have made the exact opposite observation.

My mom was a teacher. She had many exemplary financial habits but also a few not so good ones.

cabeasle

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #22 on: May 09, 2013, 05:18:58 AM »
As far as my district is concerned, I'm not sure earning a Master's is worth it.  I live in the Houston area, and the district I work for only adds a 1k stipend yearly for having a Master's.  Considering that the degree itself will likely cost 10k plus, I don't know that it will pay for itself by the time I'm looking to retire/leave the profession.

For those of you who have tutored... how did you go about finding clients?

Rural

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #23 on: May 09, 2013, 05:36:00 AM »
Be careful with the advanced degrees if you intend to switch jobs. It can make you less attractive because systems have to pay you more.


triteacher

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #24 on: May 09, 2013, 08:48:08 AM »
Anybody get their master's and leave the classroom for administration?

arebelspy

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #25 on: May 09, 2013, 09:12:43 AM »
Anybody get their master's and leave the classroom for administration?

I thought about it (and applied for an administration thing, but then it got cancelled due to budget cuts and I didn't reapply when it was reinstated a year or two later), but decided that I'll be done soon enough (another three years or so, five years from that point back then) that it's not worth it for me to do so.

Were I know I was going to stay in the field for another 20 years, I'd be looking into a move into administration (but then wouldn't be surprised if I ultimately ended back up in the classroom after trying that - I love working with the kids).
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

triteacher

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #26 on: May 09, 2013, 11:25:48 AM »
Yeah. I'm pouring all my spare cash into my master's ($800 a month) and I'm starting to have second thoughts.

crazy jane

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #27 on: May 09, 2013, 01:28:59 PM »
I tutor math which is in very high demand. I also do lunch duty, which is a nice bonus twice a year. I have also coached and I score keep all the volleyball and basketball games.

Look into every opportunity for extra duty pay. Yearbook, debate team, offer to start a club, work the concession stand during sporting events, etc.

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #28 on: May 10, 2013, 09:42:28 PM »
I just joined the MMM community after lurking and reading nearly everything for a few weeks. I am a teacher with a masters + specialized certifications who has been self-employed for 11 years. I tutor students at my home up to 30 hours per week and I tutor summers, too. I still take off 7 weeks a year. I also contract with some school systems and I am paid as a 1099. Although I don't have benefits, I am covered by health insurance under my husband's work plan, and I can take  deductions as I'm self-employed. I specialize in reading disabilities and assistive technologies with learning disabled students. There is a great need for experienced tutors, especially at the middle and high school level. I always having a wait list and have never advertised.

I still need to learn what other benefits I might have from a self-employed point of view--looking to learn on this site. But, also willing to share what I know. 

LivingOnLess

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #29 on: May 11, 2013, 08:37:50 AM »
Love this thread. I am not a teacher but my wife is. Shes done some tutoring. I have tried to get her to stop teaching and start tutoring full time. She started at $25/hr and raised the rate until she hit $45/hr. Even at $45 she was turning kids away. At one point she was teaching full time getting a master in admin and tutoring about 12hrs a week. Now that we have had a kid she quit tutoring but it was good money while it lasted.

The other sweet thing about being a teacher in CO is the retirement benefits. She doesn't have to pay SS as she contributes to PERA. Even if she doesn't work until 58 to get the benefit she can still pull out all the money she put in. The other great thing about working for a school is having access to a 401k and a 457. Meaning we can shield $35000. Awesome!

Is anyone on here National Board Certified? My wife worked really hard to get certified but she gets an extra 5% in salary

I am currently working on the process and while it is a bear, I hope to get the 15% increase that is in our contract for teachers who become NBCT.  In the meantime, I have no life until I finish this.

mm1970

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #30 on: May 11, 2013, 08:43:36 AM »
2) One of the biggest potential earners is summer school.  Do any of you guys teach during the summer?  And do you find the extra 2-3K you net from it is worth giving up that precious time off to relax, rejuvenate, and practice what life will be like when you hit real FI?  I'm not sure that the money gained will make a large enough differences in my time-to-freedom to offset giving up the vacation.

Uh...not to be snarky, but most people who aren't teachers don't get months off in the summer to recuperate and rejuvenate.  Don't get me wrong.  I would love to have it.  If my company gave me the summer off, I'd be all over it.  I had half of last summer off, but I'd just had a baby, so it wasn't exactly rejuvenating.

I'd expect that a few weeks should be enough to recuperate, but I guess that depends on the person.

mm1970

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #31 on: May 11, 2013, 08:52:33 AM »
Also, it depends on where you live and what your skills are.  I have a few teacher friends that I've met because they were my son's teachers.  :)

The ones who don't have children tend to work summers:
tutoring
selling shoes at Nordstrom (hey, it's a regular paycheck)
babysitting (days/evenings)
summer camps (my son's preschool teacher would do a few weeks of "camp" at her house with beach trips, etc.)
internships at the university (a high school science teacher would work doing research in the physics department)

BPA

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #32 on: May 12, 2013, 12:33:21 PM »
2) One of the biggest potential earners is summer school.  Do any of you guys teach during the summer?  And do you find the extra 2-3K you net from it is worth giving up that precious time off to relax, rejuvenate, and practice what life will be like when you hit real FI?  I'm not sure that the money gained will make a large enough differences in my time-to-freedom to offset giving up the vacation.

Uh...not to be snarky, but most people who aren't teachers don't get months off in the summer to recuperate and rejuvenate.  Don't get me wrong.  I would love to have it.  If my company gave me the summer off, I'd be all over it.  I had half of last summer off, but I'd just had a baby, so it wasn't exactly rejuvenating.

I'd expect that a few weeks should be enough to recuperate, but I guess that depends on the person.

Unless you've taught, you don't get it. 

At my school, in the last 14 months, five of our students have died. We love the kids we teach and we also have to help their friends and classmates deal with their loss.  It is exhausting and heart wrenching.  Frankly, it's the single greatest reason I'm planning to FI before traditional retirement age.  I've been teaching 17 years and dealing with student deaths never gets easier.  Several young people I've cared a great deal about (I love my students like they are nieces or nephews) have died over the course of my career.  It's gotten to the point that when I hear on the news that a teenager has died in our area, I silently hope it's one that goes to the other school in the district.

Also, by this time in the school year I am so tired of teenage attitude and disobedience, that if I don't get a good long break, I'm going to snap at them.  I usually teach the ones who exhibit difficult behaviours, but even those semesters when I don't, I need a break to prevent burnout. They are just being typical teenagers and are at heart good people, but they are still learning to be respectful adults and helping to guide them is not easy...as parents of many teenagers will attest. 

I've worked other jobs before and none of those required the recharging I need to be a good teacher.  The public thinks it understands what a teacher's job entails because everyone has been a student and has seen it from that perspective only.  That is not an accurate reflection of what the career entails.

Frankly, I found being home with a newborn way less testing of my patience and contributing less to emotional upheaval than teaching. It was tiring, but predictable and no one told me to fuck off.

Besides, if I have to pull another Cagney and Lacey chasing down drug dealers who are beating on one of our students this year, I may ask for danger pay.  I twisted my ankle chasing three thugs who showed up and started beating one of our students (imagine me:  overweight 44 year old woman on a bicycle dismounting, throwing her bike down in the parking lot to take on these thugs.  I must have looked so tough in my helmet  lol).  I need physio now.  Good thing it is mostly covered by our extended health plan.  I'm just lucky they didn't hit me.  The other time it was only one drug dealer I was chasing, so it was a little less scary.

I have a thick skin, but yeah...summer break is necessary.  And so will FIRE be.



LizzyBee

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #33 on: May 12, 2013, 09:15:42 PM »
2) One of the biggest potential earners is summer school.  Do any of you guys teach during the summer?  And do you find the extra 2-3K you net from it is worth giving up that precious time off to relax, rejuvenate, and practice what life will be like when you hit real FI?  I'm not sure that the money gained will make a large enough differences in my time-to-freedom to offset giving up the vacation.

Uh...not to be snarky, but most people who aren't teachers don't get months off in the summer to recuperate and rejuvenate.  Don't get me wrong.  I would love to have it.  If my company gave me the summer off, I'd be all over it.  I had half of last summer off, but I'd just had a baby, so it wasn't exactly rejuvenating.

I'd expect that a few weeks should be enough to recuperate, but I guess that depends on the person.

I was a teacher and worked myself to the bone, 60-70 hrs a week. I poured my life and soul into teaching. I stayed and worked in my classroom 1-2 weeks after school ended and came into work at least 2-3 weeks early to get ready and then during the summer I took as much professional development as possible (much of which was required, other of it was because I was interested in the topic). I never really had a full two months off and never felt rested when I did summer school. Although I did it every year except one.


LizzyBee

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #34 on: May 12, 2013, 09:38:40 PM »
I have a different lens because I was a classroom teacher, but now work as teacher coach. I observe and give feedback to teachers and also facilitate professional development for teachers. The best thing I ever did for my career was to get my Masters. I've always worked with English Language Learners and decided to get my Masters in second language acquisition. In my district, there is a HUGE need for experts in second language acquisition so my Masters has paid off tremendously. I got a pay raise for my Masters and it was also a huge reason I got my current position. Because of my Masters, I am hired by my district to teach new teachers in best practices for English language learners (all new teachers in our district have to take several classes to become certified in teaching English language learners). This brings in a lot of extra income for me in addition to the pay raise when I moved from teaching to my current position. I suggest finding a niche that works for you and that is an asset for your district so that you become a highly desirable candidate for any teaching or central office job that you may want in the future. It's not just about the pay raise, but the increased opportunities that become available to you.

Another piece of advice: network, network, network. I'm not going to make sweeping generalizations, but I will talk about the teachers that I worked with at the last school I taught. Many of them complained a lot and were rude, cold, or disinterested in getting to know school-based admin or other central admin support people. I always got to know the Principal that I worked for and embraced central admin support people, not only because I saw them as valuable resources, but also because I knew they would be helpful for future jobs I may be interested in. The connections I had with central admin were key in getting my current job, and when I was teaching they contacted me when they needed teachers for special projects, such as working on curriculum. These projects tended to pay well and weren't more of the same (more teaching, which just burned me out). You will be surprised about how many of these opportunities exist.


expatartist

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #35 on: May 13, 2013, 12:52:26 AM »
Also, yes to teaching in international schools! Some good salaries and benefits available. You can really leverage lower costs of living vs. international salaries in some countries.

Re. online ideas for networking, have a look at LinkedIn for relevant groups, there should be plenty if you search (I'm not a member of any, just use LinkedIn for artist not teaching stuff).

I'm currently an art teacher at an international school in Beijing. During my free time, I tutor English and art on evenings and weekends. My rates vary from $25-40/hour, and really add up. My mom's a retired English teacher in the US and makes a good living doing SAT/ACT tutoring and exam facilitating. This pays for most of her travel budget.

LizzyBee

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #36 on: May 13, 2013, 08:51:16 AM »
Here are some websites about international teaching. I copied this and pasted it directly from an email a teacher friend sent me, which has some great notes and tips. She was a teacher in Guadalajara, Mexico and made more than a U.S. teaching salary while living in a city with costs significantly less than if she were to live in the U.S. Before she told me about this, I thought my only option for making decent money while teaching abroad were English positions in Asia. The websites below offer a variety of positions in a variety of countries.
 
http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/c16899.htm    (Overview of schools that are affiliated with the US Department of State)
 
https://www.iss.edu/education-careers      (ISS- they hold recruiting fairs which are a must to attend to get an international job.  You should go to the recruiting fair in the fall/ winter of the year before you want to teach abroad and reach out to the international schools you are interested in before you attend the recruiting fair. )

http://www.searchassociates.com/job-fairs/Default.aspx   (Search Associates also has recruiting fairs.  Both ISS and Search Associates require a pretty hefty fee to attend the job fair but it really is the only way to get your foot in the door. )

http://www.uni.edu/placement/overseas/osfair.html   (This job fair is in Cedar Falls, Iowa.  It is less expensive than ISS and Search but sometimes does not get as many of the schools as the others do. I went to this one since I am from Iowa and was very pleased with it, but I have heard since that to get the high-paying BEST jobs it is better to go to Search and ISS.)
 
http://www.tieonline.com/     (The International Educator is a great resource that a lot of the international teachers use.  When I was a member I think it cost $25 per year and it is well worth it.  There are great resources, articles and they post job vacancies.  Many of my friends have used this to find last minute international teaching jobs when they weren’t able to go to the job fair and their 2nd or 3rd international location.  But really once you get your first job or if you have connections you don’t really need to use any of these services. )

fidgiegirl

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #37 on: June 18, 2013, 08:02:13 PM »
Be careful with the advanced degrees if you intend to switch jobs. It can make you less attractive because systems have to pay you more.

In my area, judging by the experience of some friends/colleagues, this may be true for license areas where there is a surplus of teachers, like general elementary school teachers or high school social studies or English teachers, but I have a Spanish and ESL license and it wouldn't matter if I were maxed out on grad credits, they would take me and happily.  There is a shortage in these license areas.  Additionally, special educators are not in this boat - they can almost go anywhere they want.  But I have met people who get a Master's as the initial license in one of those above-referenced over-supplied license areas and I think that is not a smart move, because then you still have no experience and a more expensive degree than someone who got their initial license with a bachelor's.

Here there is kind of a golden handcuffs situation when you stay with your district for a while no matter what your degree.  You build up sick days and other bennies and are at a certain spot on the schedule that you can't be guaranteed to be placed at in a new district.  A lot of my friends are in this situation right now (especially the ones I referenced above, who are in those license areas where there are tons of candidates).  I have thought of switching into my own city's district to see if I can go carless, but haven't made the leap yet because I find my current position so rewarding and it isn't a killer as far as commute - it's just not bikeable - mostly because I go to different buildings daily, and sometimes without advance notice, and can't spend half my work day biking all over the east metro.  We shall see how next year goes.  I always keep my eyes open - if something opened at the school a block away (never have seen an opening yet, tho) - I might even be convinced to give it up for that.

MrsPete

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #38 on: June 21, 2013, 06:53:42 AM »
With 21 years experience in the classroom, this is a subject I know well. 

First, you don't sound like a typical teacher.  50% of the job is being the right person -- that doesn't mean being a good person or a bad person; rather, it means having the right personality for the job.  Part of that is that no other job really appeals to us -- we have known we were teachers since we ourselves were in elementary school.  We aren't particularly curious about what other jobs are out there.  This job isn't just what we do; it's who we are.  People who don't know me have said to me, "You're a teacher, aren't you?"  That makes me think you might be destined to go. 

Second, I was interested to see the term "golden handcuffs" kicked around.  It's not a term I'd heard before, but I know that I'm wearing a pair.  I am well on my way to a teacher's biggest benefit, the pension, and they have me handcuffed to the classroom because I'm "too far in" to turn back now.  I have tenure, I get a longivity bonus once a year, and I have over a year of sick days accumulated (which won't transfer).  I have a prime classroom, and I am allowed to teach exactly what classes I want every year.  And NONE of this transfers to another state; some of it doesn't transfer to another county.  They've got me.  So, my question to you is, How far are you in?   This matters for a couple reasons:  1) If you have only a few years in, it's not so hard to walk away.  You aren't giving up so many years of experience, and you have plenty of time to build a career elsewhere.  On the other hand, I wouldn't do that at the point where I am now.  I'm too far in to give up what I've accumulated.  2) Things are changing drastically in the world of public education, and I don't think this job will still exist (in its present form) 20 years from now.  I'll be gone by that point (sounds like I'm planning on dying, but you know I mean retiring), but if you're a new teacher now, I'd recommend you get out now.  Things aren't going to improve financially for teachers, and they're piling on more and more and more duties.  3) How many years do you need to work in your state to be vested in the pension plan?  Let's say it takes five years, and you've taught for four years.  I'd say you should go back at least one more year because that one year would draw you a smaaaalllll pension when you're old enough.  On the other hand, if you decide that leaving is in your best interest, and you're in a 10-year vestment state, I'd recommend not staying all those years.  The pension is really only worthwhile if you get a "full pension", meaning 30 years in my state. 

In my state our salary was frozen for four years, yet our insurance went up every year.  Last year we were given a whopping 1.2% increase, and our insurance went up something like 6% in one year.  At the same time, we lost teachers, which meant our classroom size increased.  And we went to a whole new curriculum, and we were given a new teacher evaluation tool that's overly complicated and makes us look bad.  We're being kicked in the teeth on a regular basis from several sides . . . and, even ignoring the increases in cost of living, we're doing it for literally fewer dollars than we were five years ago.  The worst thing is that I don't see this changing.  In fact, I see it getting worse.  I genuinely think we'll reach the point that the pension disappears -- for new people; I don't think they can take away a benefit for which I've worked for two decades. 

In my state a Masters' Degree adds 10% to your salary . . . BUT there's a proposal in front of the state legislature right now to STOP that 10%.  They're going to "grandfather in" those teachers who already have an advanced degree . . . but IF the proposal passes, no new teachers will get Masters' pay. 

My personal prediction:  If they do away with Masters' pay, National Board (which is a 12% bonus in my state) will be next on their agenda.  On the subject of National Board, if you go that direction, do realize that it's not a "forever thing" like a Masters' degree.  Rather, National Board is a 10-year certificate.  Then you have to go through a modified-but-still-difficult process to renew.  If I were doing this, I'd pay attention to how many years I have left 'til retirement.  I would not, for example, complete National Board when I had 12 years to go 'til retirement.  If I were that close, I'd wait 'til I had 10 years to go so that I wouldn't have to renew the certificate. 

Going into administration is one of the time-honored ways teachers get themselves a big pay-jump, but do realize that it's a whole different job -- and not one that appeals to me.  If you're an administrator in high school, you put in hours and hours and hours supervising evening events:  An administrator must attend each and every sports event, several of them attend each dance and social event.  It's a lot of hours. 

How can teachers earn extra money with little side jobs instead of the big choices discussed above?  I see plenty of options around my area:

- Summer school.  You mentioned it, but I don't recommend it.  I did it once, and it wasn't a good experience for me.  Think it through:  I had a dozen 9th graders who had ALL just failed, every last one of them because they'd been lazy-butts 'cause 9th grade English isn't that hard to pass . . . and three weeks later they were sitting in summer school six hours a day repeating the material they hate most.  Do you think they were a fun, easy-going group?  The really hard thing was that I finished summer school on Friday and had to move straight into the fall semester on Monday.  I didn't get a break.  Yes, someone on this thread has already raised the public's favorite hue and cry:  You get so much time off!  No one else gets a summer!  Yes, yes, but -- as someone else already said -- if you're not a teacher, you don't "get it".  I had another job briefly before I was a teacher, and the pace of other jobs isn't the same.  You're not as emotionally involved in other jobs, you don't bring home the work in the same way.  Again, if you're not a teacher, you won't "get it", but -- trust me on this one -- teaching summer school will sap every bit of energy you have.  I have worked in OTHER summer jobs since that year I taught summer school, but I've taken care to do something completely different, and I have never again returned to the school year feeling that I hadn't had a break. 

- Teaching classes on Virtual Public School.  This is a growing concept.  More and more of our students are interested in taking classes on the internet -- it makes more classes available to them, and it's flexible for them.  I personally know two teachers who are teaching these classes, and my oldest child took a class this way.  The teachers say it's a completely different method of teaching, and the first time you do it, IT IS WORK.  After that, though, once you get the hang of it, they say it's not so bad -- except for the irresponsible students who never log on and don't do their work. 

- Tutor.  Get your name on the county office list, specify what you're willing to tutor (i.e., Middle or High School reading, writing, SAT prep in the field of English).  Guidance counselors and teachers at all the schools in your county will direct parents to the county office, and when a parent calls up, they'll pass on your name.  You can also look into private places in your community; for example, we have a place called Mathnasium that employs after-school teachers.  Important:  You cannot tutor a current student for money (during school, after school, EVER -- not while he or she is enrolled in your class).  Tutoring your current students is covered under your current salary, and you never want to look like you're taking money for grades. 

- Homebound work.  Again, get your name on the county office's list.  When a student is stuck at home -- say, he's had an operation and can't come to school for a month -- you're the liason between the school and the student.  Depending upon what the system has allocated for him, you meet with him 1-2Xs a week, you bring work from his classroom teachers, help with difficult parts, supervise test taking. 

- Administer the SAT.  You have to go to training for this, and it's only something like six Saturdays a year, but it's easy money.  I mean, you currently administer standardized tests as a part of your classroom curriculum, and it's not too taxing.  I'm currently looking into this as a second-job thing . . . and I'm thinking it'd be an easy gig to continue into retirement. 

- Another thing I'm considering for retirement is working as a private college-admissions counselor.  I'm doing it for free right now with my seniors!  This wouldn't be too difficult because so much is on the internet.  It'd be helping seniors (and their parents) narrow down their choices, then fill out the paperwork.  This isn't hard to do (but so many are overly nervous about their essays), but many people find it daunting and are willing to pay for help. 

- Become a grader for AP testing or National Board testing.  This requires a training and is pretty intensive work, but you get to go to nice places (paid) to do it.  Two friends of mine who've done it have been sent to Daytona Beach and Nashville to "read".  And their evenings have been their own.  Oddly enough, to grade AP tests, you must have an AP certification . . . but you do not have to be National Board certified to grade national boards.  Personally, I think that's wrong. 

- Supervise detention after school.  Yeah, it's a thankless job, but it pays $50/four hours.  Probably more than four hours actual time because you can't leave 'til the last kid's picked up. 

- Coach.  Obviously, you must have the right attributes for the job, and you must be in a school that doesn't already have a coach with a 15-year winning history and no intention of leaving.  You must have the ability to deal with a crapload of parental problems:  Why didn't you start my kid?  You know that other player isn't as good.  Transportation issues.  Missed practice issues.  Medical issues.  This isn't something to do for the money; rather, this is something to do because you love the sport and the interaction with the kids. 

- Teach Driver's Ed.  This requires a certification -- it's two separate certifications:  You can be certified to teach the 30 hours of classroom instruction and/or certified to do the behind-the-wheel training.  I know one man who did this while he was a teacher, and now that he's retired, he's doing it on a private basis.  Most of his clients are the private school kids; they can't get driver's ed through their schools. 

You need to look around and see what's available in your area.  You might have options that would surprise me.  Keep in mind, though, that there are two ways to have more money.  You're focusing on ways to earn more, but spending less is an equally good way to boost your net worth.  I can tell you a couple unique ways to use your status as a teacher to spend less: 

- Take your teacher ID everywhere.  A surprising number of restaurants and stores offer a small discount -- if you have your ID. 

- Free labor on car maintenance.  Our school teaches auto mechanics, and the instructor loves to have his entry-level students change the oil in teachers' cars or have his advanced students diagnose problems.  We love the guy at our school, and he supervises all the work, so no concerns about quality.  We talk to him personally to schedule it, and pay for the oil or any parts that're necessary.  I've always given him a 12-pack of sodas or a small Chick-fillet gift card as a thank you. 

- Free travel.  If you supervise a group of students on an international trip, you travel free.  I know three teachers who do this every single year.  They use commercial travel groups aimmed at students, and the groups even collect the money for them. 

Finally, and a bit off-subject, the teachers I know seem to be pretty good with money.  In my department, everyone is rather frugal, and it's not unusual for lunchtime conversation to include details about a good sale on frozen food at such-and-such store, or a frugal vacation that someone enjoyed.  However, more than half of us take advantage of at least some "extra work for extra pay" -- either through the school system or elsewhere in the community.  About half of the younger teachers are dealing with student loans, and ALL of them have some sort of second job. 

Finally again -- yes, I'm bad about that.  I should stop typing "Finally" as if I'm really done, as I draw near enough to see the end of my teaching career, I think I've done okay financially.  In part, this is because I married someone whose work life meshed well with mine.  As a teacher, I have relatively short hours actually in the school building, a low paycheck, great security, and the promise of a pension.  He, in contrast, works a traditional 9-5 schedule, makes about twice what I do, but is always worried about lay-offs.  When the kids were small, he took care of getting them out of bed, feeding them breakfast and getting them to school.  I picked them up after school, supervised homework and made dinner.  Our retirement plan is that my pension will pay for our week-to-week needs (groceries, gas, electricity), and his greater savings will pay for larger, occasional expenses.  Having different "strengths" in our work places has been a good thing for our family. 

And one more thing.  Being a teacher has been good for my kids.  I've been closer to the system, so I've always been on top of what's going on with them.  I've been able to pick their teachers, they've never had transportation problems staying after school for tutoring or extra-curricular activities.  I had a better-than-average grasp of the college application and scholarship application process.  I've known all of their friends.  This is a non-financial benefit, but it has made a very real difference in my children's lives. 

Good luck to you!


fidgiegirl

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Re: Mustachian Teachers
« Reply #39 on: July 20, 2013, 04:59:33 PM »
Thanks for all the education-related side gig ideas.  I hadn't thought about supervising SATs, for example.  All good ones!