Do Teachers Get Paid in the Summer? (2024 Full Guide)

Teaching is certainly a noble profession and one that you might be considering. If you are thinking about a career in education, one question you may have is, “Do teachers get paid in the summer?”

Let’s dive into how teachers’ salaries work and uncover the truth behind their summer earnings. Grab a cool drink, get comfy, and let’s explore the ins and outs of teachers’ summer pay. We’ll also cover some of the best ways teachers can earn more during the summer.

Do Teachers Get Paid in the Summer?

Teachers are paid a set salary which can be paid out over 10 or 12 months depending on the pay structure they opt for. Salary for teachers varies from state to state.

The average public school teacher salary was $63,645 for the 2019 to 2020 school year.

In most school districts, teachers get the choice to opt for a 10-month pay structure or a 12-month pay structure.

Let’s take a look at both options:

10-Month Pay Structure

If you opt for the 10-month pay structure, you will only collect paychecks when school is in session. Your paycheck will be higher than it would be if you opted for the 12-month pay structure.

Let’s say you’re a high school teacher in Texas, where the average teacher salary is $62,001.

In that case, you would get $6,200.10 in your bank account each month, over the course of ten months.

Then, during the 2 months when school isn’t in session, you won’t receive any paychecks.

Having no paycheck come in can be incredibly hard on people’s finances.

A teacher who opts for the 10-month plan may struggle when the summer break comes along and they have no income coming in at all but still have bills to pay. That’s why many teachers opt to have their salary paid out over 12 months, rather than just when school is in session.

12-Month Pay Structure

If you opt for the 12-month pay structure, you will receive a paycheck every month, regardless of whether school is on summer break.

Again, let’s say you are a high school teacher in Texas. Your $62,001 salary will be paid out over 12 months. So, you would get $5,166.75 in your bank account each month. This is less than the amount you’d get if you were paid your income over 10 months, but you get a consistent paycheck.

Receiving a paycheck every month of the year, and not just when school is in session, is a much better option for many teachers.

It not only means that teachers receive an income consistently, but it also ensures that they receive any medical coverage during the summer months.

And, it also allows teachers to accrue retirement service credits during the full 12 months of the year.

What Do Teachers Do Over the Summer?

Many teachers use the summer months to prepare their classes for when they return for the coming school year.

This could include tasks like:

• Preparing and organizing the classroom
• Attending professional development sessions with the rest of the faculty
• Working on the curriculum
• Developing teaching materials

Many teachers decide to take the summer months off to relax. Others who want to earn more money may decide to work a summer job.

Many teachers opt for jobs that are freelance-based. This is because freelance work allows teachers to pick up as little or as much work as they want to, based on how much work they’re looking for.

There are many ways for teachers to earn money during the summer, which brings me to the next section…

How Do Teachers Make Money During the Summer Break?

Many teachers consider picking up extra work during the summer break.

Teachers who’ve opted for the 10-month pay structure, in particular, will often want to make extra money during the summer months when there’s no paycheck coming in.

Fortunately, the skills involved in teaching transfer well to a variety of jobs. So, there are plenty of opportunities out there that are ideal for teachers looking to survive the summer financially.

Some teachers may choose to opt for a job that’s similar to teaching, while others will want to do something that’s totally unrelated to teaching because they want a break or to try a new type of job.

Here are some summer jobs for teachers:

1. Tutor

• Average pay: $22 an hour
• Pay range: $8 to $50 an hour

Teachers looking to keep their teaching skills sharp may want to consider tutoring. Since tutors can work from home and set their own hours, it’s a flexible summer job for teachers.

Here’s where you can find work:

• Skooli
• TutorMe
• Aim-for-A Tutoring
• Tutor.com
• TutaPoint.com
• Smarthinking
• Manhattan Prep

2. Sports Coach

• Average pay: $17 an hour
• Pay range: $9 to $39 an hour

Sports coaches instruct people on the skills of a particular sport, like soccer or basketball.

Here’s where you can find work:

• Indeed
• LinkedIn
• HigherEdJobs

3. Editor

• Average pay: $25 an hour
• Pay range: $6 to $45 an hour

Use the grammar skills you’ve developed as a teacher to work as an editor. Editors get paid to check written works like novels and articles for typos, grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and structural elements. Editors can work from home, which gives teachers a good way to earn money during the summer.

Here’s where you can find work:

• Indeed
• LinkedIn
• ZipRecruiter

4. Sell Courses Online

• Pay varies

You can use your knowledge of a particular topic to create a course and sell it online. Pay varies depending on the number of courses you sell and how much each one sells for. Some people make $1,000s a month selling courses online.

Here’s where you can sell your courses:

• Udemy
• Teachable
• Skillshare

5. Freelance Writer

• Average pay: $23 an hour
• Pay range: $12 to $58 an hour

Freelance writing is a good summer job because you can pick up work when you need it. So, teachers can simply offer their freelance writing services during the school holidays. As a freelance writer, you’re paid to write things like blog posts, articles, product descriptions, press releases, and more. You can work from home and set your own hours.

Most freelance writing positions pay per word. Pay per word can range from as little as $0.01 per word to as much as $0.10 per word or even more.

Here are some writing websites that pay:

• Textbroker
• Verblio
• BKA Content

You can also find private clients on websites like UpWork and PeoplePerHour.

6. Sell Lesson Plans

• Pay varies

Teachers can also make money by selling their lesson plans.

Have a read of 4 Ways to Get Paid to Write Lesson Plans (from Home!) to learn more.

7. Virtual Assistant

• Average pay: $16 an hour
• Pay range: $10 to $27 an hour

Virtual assistants get paid to help people with a variety of tasks, such as making phone calls, organizing meetings, and scheduling appointments.

Teachers can use their organizational skills in this job. Since virtual assistants can work from home, this is a flexible summer job for teachers.

Be sure to have a read of my post on how to become a virtual assistant for tips on how to get started and for a list of virtual assistant jobs.

8. Transcriptionist

• Average pay: $15 an hour
• Pay range: $10 to $28 an hour

Transcriptionists get paid to listen to audio and then type out, or “transcribe,” what they hear. Then, they deliver the transcription document to the client. This is a good job for teachers because work can be done on a freelance basis and from home.

For teachers looking for a low-stress summer job, being a transcriptionist can be a good choice.

Here’s where you can find work:

• Tigerfish
• 1-888-TYPE-IT-UP
• TranscribeMe
• Scribie
• CastingWords
• Athreon

9. Rideshare Driver

• Average pay: $15 an hour for Uber, $16 an hour for Lyft.
• Pay range: $3 to $43 an hour

For teachers looking for something totally different from teaching, being a rideshare driver is a good option. Rideshare drivers provide a taxi service to people. They use an app to accept ride requests and then give people lifts to where they need to go.

Here are a couple of popular rideshare companies:

• Uber
• Lyft

10. Food Delivery

• Pay range: $12 to $25 an hour

Food delivery companies pay you to deliver food from restaurants and other eateries to customers’ homes.

Here are some companies that pay you to deliver food:

• DoorDash
• UberEats
• Caviar

Be sure to have a read of my list of the best delivery apps to work for if you’re looking for more companies.

Takeaway

Teachers who opt for the 10-month payment structure do not get paid over the summer break. However, teachers who opt for the 12-month payment structure can receive paychecks for work done during the school year.

This isn’t the same as actually getting paid for the summer months, but it gives teachers more financial stability when school isn’t in session.

If you’re considering a career as a teacher, it’s important to understand that while teachers do get more time off than those in other professions, their salary doesn’t include summer breaks.