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Teachers: do you work in the summer?

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Lanie

Lanie

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I''ve been teaching for several years now, and never even WANTED to work. It''s so nice to get those months off. But I''m saving for a house and a wedding, and my goal is to come away with more than 1500 this summer. My vacation is from Memorial Day until mid August.

If I work retail somewhere, like an Ann Taylor or Crate and Barrel, how much would I expect to make an hour? Guess it depends on the area. I live in Texas.

Any teachers out there ever work? What have you done as jobs? Any suggestions?
 
My Mom is a teacher and she works part time over the holidays and during the summer at a jewelry store as a sales assoc.
Problem is, she spends about half that income on jewelry.
So my suggestion would be to work somewhere that your employee discount doesn''t encourage you to indulge.

I paint oil on canvas and sell my work to friends (usually guys) with bare walls.
It''s sort of landscape abstract with shapes suggesting a realistic gravity location.
They give me color favorites and I try to stay in that family. Most are about 36-48" wide.

It''s something I enjoy doing. I don''t know what I''d do with them when I''m done anyway, so it makes for a nice second income.
 
I''m not a teacher but I can tell you about working retail. I don''t know where in Texas you live but I live near a major outlet mall and working there is probably one of the worst jobs available... sometimes. I think if you want a retail job then find a nicer, quiter, upscale area that might not neccessarily be a mall. I''ve worked in retail all over Texas and I''d say the pay range is anywhere from minimum wage for high school students up to 9ish (and it probably goes alot higher for people who have been with the company long enough to get several raises). Most people who make about 9/hour and up are part of management though... keyholders, stock managers, etc. but it definitely depends on where you work. I had a friend who worked at Ann Taylor for a while and liked it... I think someplace like Waterford Crystal might be nice also. Why not try a jewelry store? I''ve also found that many stores mainly hire part-time employees only so I don''t know if that would work for you. Some of the teachers I know have worked at Walmart, summer camps, summer school, maybe you could put out some tutoring flyers at the local library?
 
I live in Houston.

I have a masters degree, and I''m not expecting much, but I would think I would like to make at least 10 an hour. I just want something mindless and not too stressful. I have enough stress during the school year.

Since I''ll be moving into a new house soon, I thought it would be good/fun to work at a Pier One or somewhere like that where I could get a discount and use it towards stuff for my house!

Thanks for the ideas....keep ''em coming!
 
how about working for a temp agency? The pay may be better, and I think you can accept or decline jobs based on the pay and nature of the work. It might be interesting and you might enjoy it more than retail. One thought, are you near a college or university? they might need to hire people for the summer to take over jobs that students hold during the year (i.e. at the library, research labs, etc.)
 
If you want a low stress job then I really would discourage retail unless you can find a quiet store that most people don''t bring their children into. Happy Job Hunting!
 
Date: 3/14/2008 1:04:37 PM
Author: oobiecoo
If you want a low stress job then I really would discourage retail unless you can find a quiet store that most people don't bring their children into. Happy Job Hunting!
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Yep retail = stress. . .Even if the store isn't a kid-free one, there are tons of stores where you can hear the adult customers fussing and complaining to the sale associates and sounding even worse than five year olds, so it's hard to escape from some sort of people annoyance. I'd hate to work retail unless it was for a short-time summer job where there was an incredible discount for items I'd die to have. Possibly PT at Tiffany's
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oh, oh, oh!!! I know! Try applying at a community college since they are open during the summer! I worked at one for a few years while in college and made great money doing next to nothing! lol I was a teaching assistant and it was fun b/c the professor was nice and I got to chat with the students. The college hired me because a friend worked there too, BUT, it''s worth a shot handing in an application.
 
I''m a therapist and work in a public school in NY. Over the summer I work a few hours a day seeing kids through the Early Intervention programs and doing evaluations. I don''t know how it is in Houston but you might want to do tutoring or apply for work through the Early Intervention program (but I think you need special ed license).
 
My first year of teaching I had THE BEST summer job! I worked as a "pool monitor" at the apartment complex pool. I didn''t need lifegaurd certification because it was a private pool (although it''s not TOO hard to get), and literally, I got to sit by the pool, have people flash their passes at me as they came in, and read (and work on lesson plans when I got myself motivated) while I worked on my tan. I got paid about 8/hr.
 
I''m a teacher and I wish I could get away with NOT working one summer! Oh wait, you mean the type of work where they actually pay us to do something?
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Do you get paid to write curriculum? If there are any curriculum teams meeting over the summer you can always volunteer to work on those. I think I work an average of 20 hours every summer writing curriculum, and my school pays $40 an hour for curriculum writing, I believe.

What about summer school? We pay $2400 for a three week session of summer school, 8 am to noon Monday through Friday.

My sister works for a caterer in the summers and makes great tips.

If you live near a large university look on their site to see if they have any extra-curricular programs for gifted students that meet in the summer. I teach at Northwestern U on the weekends during the school year, and they have a huge summer program, too.

I second MC''s rec to check out a community college. I started out teaching as an adjunct at a CC during the summer, it was a great job. I actually stayed for a few years before I decided to teach high school.

Good luck finding a summer job!
 
I have usually worked during my summers off from teaching elementary school. I''ve taught summer school, I''ve tutored privately, I''ve worked as a sub for my district''s summer school program, and I''ve done curriculum work. There are times I think that I''d like to do something completely unrelated to teaching and working with kids, but I always end up going right back. The only other thing I''ve done during the summer break is take a class or two to work on my Master''s + 30 (credits). Short of earning a Ph.D., that''s the highest I could go. I love taking courses though so it''s usually not too stressful.

I''m getting married in mid-July this year, which is right in the middle of my district''s summer school program. I wouldn''t want to work anyway until after we return from our honeymoon. I''m not sure what I''ll do this summer -- maybe see if I can get a few hours of curriculum work done.
 
My first summer after teaching was devoted entirely to finishing my masters up. My second summer was my wedding/honeymoon, so that ate up everything. This summer though I am considering working. I have thought about applying to teach summer school...although it may be a bit stressful b/c most of the kids who attend need it b/c they misbehaved and had OSS every other week and failed classes b/c they were not allowed to make up the work. I don''t know if I''m ready for that whole crowd all at once just yet.

I''ve heard Starbucks makes for a nice summer job. Here you get about $9/hour and lots of beverages.

I had a friend who loved working at Ann Taylor Loft during her summer off (She mostly loved her 40% discount that she got for working there).

I wouldn''t work at just any retail store though. If it were me, I''d want to be somewhere with a discount I could take advantage of.
 
Last summer, I started my masters program. And since my twins are due in May, I''m going to be with them. I think might do something next summer. I''ll have to see where we are.

I would love to attend one of the College Board AP Chemistry programs.
 
Okay, am I the only slacker teacher out there who doesn''t work during the summer? Actually, I do work... on getting my sanity back for the fall!
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I''m with ya indypitty. No summer working for me! The money I could earn pales in comparison to how much I enjoy/need my time off. Luckily for me, DH is very understanding and always tells people how hard I work during the school year and how I really need my vacation to get reenergized.

I had a friend''s mom bug me a couple of years back to become one of her Avon type makeup reps. She wouldn''t let it go and kept telling me how as a young married woman it would be so useful to me to have this additional income (useful to her, I''m sure). I declined politely several times until finally I snapped and said, look, I NEVER work over the summers because I have more than enough money for all of my needs and my free time is priceless. So there''s no way I''m going to start working on the side at nights and on weekends either! That was the last I heard of her . . .
 
I have never really worked in the summer, either. But I have tutored a child or two in the summer because I am trained to do reading therapy for dyslexia and can charge $40 an hour. What do you teach? If it is something that can be tutored, you can probably make at least 3 times per hour what you could in retail. I wouldn''t do retail unless you work somewhere that you need to buy things with the discount.
 
I teach at summer camps for kids with autism in the summer, which is really fun, and teach music lessons and work at my coffeeshop on weekends--those last two I do year-round, though. Wish I could afford not to work extra jobs, but my student loans make it difficult.

If you want a fun job for the summer, maybe think about working as a barista somewhere? The pay is pretty good, tips can be a nice bonus sometimes, and best of all, it''s a lot of fun (especially if you work in a family-owned shop that''s at the heart of a community like mine). It''s a little stressful at first when learning how to make the drinks, but once you get the hang of it, it''s easy-peasey and really very enjoyable.
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Although I DO work in the summers and always have, I want to say a big AMEN to everyone who says they need and relish that time off.

I have yet to experience the luxury of being a tenured teacher, so when spring comes around and my principal says "Miss Haven, we need you to teach summer school" I just don''t have the ability to say no. Perhaps it''s different at other schools, but at my school it''s a big no-no to decline anything when you''re non-tenured. In fact, I started teaching summer school before I even taught high school--I was still teaching community college when I went through a grad program to get certified to teach HS, and I taught summer school for the HS THAT summer, too!

If it were up to me, I would take every summer off and recharge. I feel like I''ve been running a 3-year marathon at this point. Teaching community college was so much easier, it really was. Thank goodness I''m chaperoning a two-week trip to Greece and getting married this summer, otherwise I''m sure I''d be teaching summer school and serving on several curriculum committees yet again.
 
How many years does it take to earn tenure where you are, Haven? In Maryland, in my (old) school system, you receive it on your first day of your 3rd year.
 
I am of the "don''t work during the summer" group. After 11 1/2 years of teaching, I really do need a break! However, we used to be a year-round district, so to put myself through grad school, I often taught Intersession classes, have developed curriculum, attended meetings for various planning committees, etc... When we were still year-round, I also subbed at least 7 days of the month I was off and usually did 3-7 days as a TIC (acting administrator) which paid quite more than just subbing.

Now that we are on a modified traditional schedule, there is no opportunity for subbing and I don''t have a lot of time in between my breaks, but we do still have Intersession during Thanksgiving and Spring Break (which I am on right now, and can''t imagine that I ALREADY have to go back to work a week from tomorrow!!! Aghhh!) When we only have two weeks off, I have a hard time giving up at least a week of it to work with the kids.

Our school year does not finish until the middle of June and then we start back the first week of August, so this summer I am trying to cram in 2 bridal showers and a bachelorette party, then we leave for Hawaii on July 17th, get married on the 22nd, home on the 31st and then have a few days before I get back to work, then a wedding reception on Aug. 16th...I just have no idea how on earth to fit anything else in there along w/trying to move all of my stuff into my FI''s house somewhere during ALL of that! YIKES!!!

To supplement my crappy income (even w/a Master''s Degree, yes, it is still crappy in my district...so sad!) I make jewelry year-round and sell it whenever I can. I usually have a jewelry party right before Christmas, but with so many things going wrong last year at that time, I didn''t make it happen, which usually nets me about $800-1000 in a few hours...I am sure going to miss that money when all the wedding bills come in. In the meantime, I am still making jewelry whenever I can!

I also tutor 2 days a week for $35/hour. In addition to that I also teach a class after school one day a week for hourly pay, which ends up being about $13 after the dang taxes, so that is just NOT worth it to me, but like Haven, I have a hard time saying no and was pretty much suckered into it at the beginning of the year.

I am considering taking on another student to tutor between now and the wedding, but I just don''t know how much I can handle at this point...the stress is already starting to get to me and I''m not sure how much more I can take. I DO know that I could NEVER handle retail OR the hourly wage that comes with it...

Best of luck finding a summer job!
 
About tenure...

Does one earn tenure after three years of teaching in one particular district or is it three consecutive years of teaching all together?

If it''s the former, I guess that means that if you move after getting tenure in that district, you have to start all over again. I''m just not sure how it works.

Can someone please enlighten me?
 
Date: 3/18/2008 7:56:49 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
About tenure...

Does one earn tenure after three years of teaching in one particular district or is it three consecutive years of teaching all together?

If it''s the former, I guess that means that if you move after getting tenure in that district, you have to start all over again. I''m just not sure how it works.

Can someone please enlighten me?
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Hi Zoe,

From what I understand, tenure is reached in one district consecutively. In my district, tenure is attained on the first day of your 3rd year in the district. Years in another district only apply towards your pay scale, and only 7 years for that.

So, no, you can not apply your years in one district towards tenure in another district, you must start over.

HTH!
 
Thanks Harleigh! That''s what I thought but I wasn''t sure.
 
After two miserable unemployed summers (time off is more fun with money and similarly scheduled friends), I took a job selling drinks on a golf course. Minimum wage plus tips, which put it well into double digits per hour. Provided entertainment, interaction with others, a moderate amount of physical activity (carting drinks). Did not require lesson plans, grading, classroom management, etc. It was perfect for a busy break.

Personally I think retail wages aren't quite enough to justify it, unless you just want to keep busy and earn pin money. You could try looking for a seasonal restaurant that needs extra summer staff, if you are up to the pace and schedule of food service. At a decent restaurant, you can earn much more than retail.

Also worked academic summer camps - good money for my experience at the time, but it was residential. Also contained - 2 three week session and you don't have to work both.

Last, while I currently tutor I think most tutoring opportunities are born in the fall, with a long tail across the winter/early spring as kids realize they are struggling. Not so many options appear in the summer, except a few more diligent ones either trying to get ahead or make up for the next/last year. Finding these summer students will be hard - unless you are already tutoring or can get referrals from other tutors in your field (who aren't themselves interested in summer work.)
 
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