‘Teachers shouldn’t have to work a second job’: Viral TikTok shows second-grade teacher working nights at Starbucks, sparking debate

A debate is raging on TikTok after an alleged teacher and Starbucks worker posted a video showing their time working at the coffee chain.

The video, which was posted by Jenna (@miss_hall_) and currently sits at almost 177,000 views, shows the user going through an average workday, including preparing drinks and dealing with difficult customers.

“2nd Grade Teacher by day, Barista by night,” Jenna wrote in the overlay text on the video.

In the comments section, TikTok users were disappointed by the fact that Jenna’s teaching job wasn’t able to make ends meet.

“Teachers shouldn’t have to work a second job,” a highly upvoted user wrote.

“This breaks my heart,” another agreed. “Teachers should be resting after a full day of work.”

Jenna’s predicament is unfortunately common. According to statistics from the National Education Association, “about 20 percent of teachers hold second jobs during the school year, accounting for roughly 9 percent of their annual income.” Additionally, the NEA also notes that, “according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, teachers are about three times as likely as other U.S. workers” to have a second job.

Other alleged teachers shared their own stories of supplemental income.

“I’m a preschool teacher and a restaurant server,” a commenter shared. “So nice to see someone going through the same thing.”

“Fellow teacher here and I spend my afternoons, weekends cleaning houses,” another detailed. “Felt this from the bottom of my heart.”

“7th grade math teacher during the day, barista by night!” another TikToker chimed in.

Overall, commenters seemed to come to a consensus that teachers should not have to work a second job. Additionally, many expressed that the TikTok served as a good reminder of the struggle teachers go through trying to make enough money to survive.

“I’m shocked that so many people don’t know we have to have second jobs,” another commenter who claimed to be an educator said.

“Teachers deserve higher wages,” one user wrote. “Period.”

“There is something very very wrong in America if teachers need a second job,” a third said.

Update 11:37am CT, April 20: “I think this [TikTok] hit home because teachers working multiple jobs is sadly normal,” Jenna tells Daily Dot. “I think that most teachers work second jobs for two reasons: money and/or mental health. First, teachers not only are underpaid, but there is not much room for advancement throughout a teacher’s career. Unless a teacher wants to move up to administration, there is no way to get a significant pay raise. In most careers, the harder you work, the higher positions you can earn, therefore getting away raise. This is not the case for teaching. A teacher can be the best in their field and work extremely hard to better their students and their classroom but will never get a raise. At most, they will get an email from administration and a gift card. Then with inflation, a teacher’s pay check is being spread thinner and thinner.”

She then continued: “Second, teaching is emotionally draining which causes a lot of people to have negative thought spirals. This is the case for me. There are so many laws made [by] people who aren’t ever in a classroom that make teaching more difficult than it needs to be, and because of COVID, the effects on students that teachers have to work with have been detrimental Teachers are feeling less success that can create lots of negative thought patterns. I got a 2nd job to keep me from spiraling every night,  to give me some kind of social life, and to  earn a little extra money.”

She later added that the experience has actually helped her in non-financial ways. “Even though working 70+ hours a week total is exhausting, working at Starbucks has actually helped bring me out of my severe depression,” she says.

However, Jenna says that Starbucks isn’t her only side hustle. She claims she also “tutor[s] 2-4 times a week after school” in addition to “making wedding and party cakes and selling quilted goods to make extra money.”

As far as how teachers can avoid working second jobs in the future, Jenna isn’t sure. “My first thought is ‘pay teachers what they are worth’ but sadly, I don’t know if that will ever happen,” she tells Daily Dot. “People always say ‘you went into the profession knowing you won’t get paid a lot,’ and it makes me mad because I know, but that doesn’t make it right. Teaching is so much more difficult and involved than people think. Until teachers are paid what they are worth, I think there will still be a need to have a second income.”

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