Newly updated survey data collected by the U.S. Department of Education reveals that while teachers work much longer hours than what is required, 17 percent still work second jobs outside of the teaching field.
The 2020-2021 National Teacher and Principal Survey found that teachers work an average of 52 hours per week, far exceeding the required 38.4. In addition to long hours, teachers found it necessary to supplement their salaries, with 40 percent of public school teachers receiving stipends for extracurricular activities. Furthermore, 16.8 percent of teachers reported holding a second job outside of the school system to earn additional income.
Additional findings from the survey include:
- The proportion of white public school teachers grew slightly, from 79.3 percent in 2017-2018 to 79.9 percent during the 2020-2021 school year.
- Most teachers feel as though they have some control over school policies, with 86.2 percent reporting that they feel they have control in selecting topics, content, and skills to be taught in the classroom.
- Staffing remains a persistent problem, with teacher vacancies spanning all subjects.
For more information, check out the EducationWeek article Long Hours, Second Jobs: New Federal Data Give a Snapshot of the Teaching Profession.
Troy Richardson is an HR data analyst at TASB HR Services. Send Troy an email at troy.richardson@tasb.org.
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Tagged: Salaries, "Salary surveys", "Teacher stipends"