Do Teachers Get Paid in the Summer?

Teaching can be an enjoyable, fulfilling career. As you gear towards becoming a professional in education, you may wonder if you’ll still be able to maintain a sense of financial stability when school is not in session. So, do teachers get paid when everyone is out of school in the summer?

Teachers usually don’t get paid in the summer because they don’t complete any working hours during the holidays. However, some districts offer to prorate a teacher’s annual pay across 12 months instead of 10, so teachers will sometimes receive their pay even in the summer.

Below, I’ll explain how a teacher’s payroll works and how working hours are calculated for educators. I will also delve into what teachers do during summer when there are no classes to teach and the students are away. Let’s get started!

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Do Teachers Get Full Pay in the Summer?

Teachers do not get their full monthly pay in the summer. Technically, teachers are only paid for the days they’re active on the job. There is no school during the summer holidays — no school equals no working hours for educators.

However, teachers can sometimes receive their paycheck in the summer, although these will be substantially lower than the checks received throughout the rest of the year. Certain districts offer teachers a 12-month payroll as opposed to a 10-month payroll. I’ll explain how this works.

A teacher’s total pay is calculated according to the academic calendar. The number of school days can vary between 170 to 190 days a year, depending on state legislation. Therefore, a school teacher’s annual pay will be set according to the number of days they spend in school.

With eight weeks off in the summer, teachers spend two months out of work every year, just like the children they teach. So with a 10-month payroll, educators will receive their paycheck only during the months when school is in session and not during summer break.

On the other hand, a 12-month payroll means that the teacher’s pay is prorated. When a salary is prorated, the annual income is spread out across 12 months; however, each individual paycheck is reduced to accommodate for the two extra months of pay.

Here is an example of how an average elementary school teacher’s pay looks like in both a 10-month and 12-month payroll:

Average median salary (2022)	$67130.00
Monthly income for 10-month payroll	$6713.00
Monthly income for 12-month payroll	$5594.17

Why do some educators go for the 12-month structure?

Benefits of Having a 12-month Payroll

A significant benefit of having a 12-month payroll is better wealth management. It is much easier for an employee to budget their monthly expenditure when consistent pay is coming in every month.

Although a teacher gets more money per paycheck on a 10-month plan, not everyone can budget their finances properly this way. Going two whole months without pay means that school teachers will need to save in preparation for the summer holidays. Typically, income is used to cover these expenses:

Rent or mortgage
Bills and utilities
Groceries

Transportation
Entertainment

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average American spends about 33.8% of their income on housing alone. So having to save up any leftover cash to cover only rent or mortgage during a teacher’s unpaid months already seems tedious. Additionally, people tend to splurge on vacations and shopping trips when they have free time on their hands.

So being on a 10-month schedule would mean teachers need to be savvy about spending and budgeting. This can be somewhat stressful since it means they could constantly be thinking if they have enough savings for the rest of the school year.

However, these troubles are alleviated with a 12-month payroll. Since educators will receive a constant income stream every month, they will only need to budget for that particular month. This also helps teachers easily meet any monthly financial obligations they might have.

Getting paid every month also ensures that a teacher’s savings do not deplete quickly during their time off. This leaves ample opportunities for investment or depositing enough savings to generate interest.

If you want a more comprehensive view of money management for teachers during the summer, check out this video below by Too Cool for Middle School. In the video, the creator talks a bit about the different salary structures for teachers and how they can overcome the summer income gap if they’re not getting paid:

Do Teachers Get Time Off?

Generally speaking, school teachers do get time off when the school calendar permits. Unlike regular office workers, teachers’ vacation days cannot be determined voluntarily. Excluding summer break, a school worker’s time off coincides with the days off that students receive.

Teachers will get off days in the following scenarios:

Federal or state holidays
Thanksgiving week
Christmas holidays

Winter break
Spring break

Since the above holidays are considered short breaks in the academic year, teachers will continue receiving pay. However, the teacher’s salary still only covers the days they have been actively working.

Besides school-mandated off days, teachers get a set amount of leave days each year. According to data obtained by the National Council on Teacher Quality, school districts typically provide teachers with an average of ten to 14 days of leave.

However, teacher leaves are not always approved by the school. This is mainly in the interest of schoolchildren — studies show that academic outcomes start to decline when an educator is absent ten days or more in a year. To counter this, some districts incentivize teachers to not take personal days with monetary bonuses.

Most districts will allow teachers to accumulate and roll over leaves from one year to the next. Upon retirement, some districts may pay teachers for the unused leaves they have accumulated over the years. This amount may not equal an entire workday, but it is a form of compensation and an extra perk.

Do Teachers Get Compensated for Doing Extra Work?

It is a misconception that teaching entails a lot of free time when the final bell rings. Most teachers spend after-school hours and weekends preparing for upcoming lessons. This also holds true during the summer months, when teachers use the holidays to update their curriculum or take courses to upskill themselves.

With all the lesson planning and grading behind the scenes, do educators get compensated for their extra hours? The short answer is no; teachers are ineligible to receive overtime pay.

Because school teachers are salaried workers, their income is not calculated per hour. As a result of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), teachers are exempt from overtime protection as they have enough responsibility and sufficient earnings. According to the FLSA, employees are not entitled to overtime if they meet the following criterion:

Salary basis test: Workers are paid a fixed salary regardless of the number of hours worked.
Salary level test: The salary received is above a predetermined threshold.
Duties test: Employment involves executive, administrative, or professional duties.

Federal regulations stipulate that as long as teachers pass the duties test, they will not be paid by the hour, similar to other professionals such as lawyers and doctors.

However, some schools pay their teachers for additional duties outside the classroom. Extracurricular activities such as after-school tutoring or club sponsoring can sometimes add to a teacher’s salary. Ultimately, school and district regulations determine what type of activity warrants extra income for the teacher.

What Can Teachers Do During the Summer?

With school being out for the summer, teachers have a lot of time to do what they want. Many teachers use this time to take on part-time or summer jobs to increase their incomes.

Survey results published by the National Center for Education Studies indicate that 47.3% of elementary teachers had a side income supplementing their base salary. Out of that statistic, 12.4% of elementary educators earned, on average, $4700 from jobs outside the school system. So teachers maintaining a second job is relatively common.

While teachers can get jobs in other part-time professions, being a certified teacher opens doors to various educational opportunities. It’s no surprise that most side jobs involve some form of tutoring since this is what teachers are good at.

Below, you’ll get to learn more about some popular summer job options for teachers.

Tutoring

Becoming a tutor is one of the quickest and easiest ways for teachers to earn more during the summer. Providing remedial classes or private tutoring can generate a fair amount of income, and you receive 100% of your student’s fees without administrative interference.

Tutoring is popular because there are kids out there with different learning methods who need extra help. Parents enlist private tutors over the summer for help when they are worried their child is having difficulties in school. Going over past lessons or getting ready for new material helps students reinforce what they learn in school.

Additionally, with online lessons becoming commonplace, teachers can offer extra lessons on platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. That way, they can provide sessions to a worldwide clientele.

Selling Curriculum Designs

Ever heard of college students selling their notes online? You can do that as a teacher, too. However, instead of lecture notes, you’ll be putting up lesson and syllabus plans for sale.

Selling lesson plans can help beginner teachers with getting started in curriculum design. It also provides a reference point for teachers who are unclear about syllabus aims. Since lesson plans are subject-specific, they can be used by anyone teaching the same subject as the teacher selling them.

Teachers Pay Teachers is one of the websites dedicated to allowing educators to share and buy classroom resources from one another. Over seven million teachers have benefited from the website in the past year, making it a large marketplace for curriculum material.

Summer Camps

Becoming a camp counselor at summer camps is another popular option teachers can consider. Most kids sign up for summer camps when school is out, but parents can’t be home all the time due to work.

There are two types of summer camps: day camps and sleep-away camps. The difference between the two is that counselors are only needed for the day’s activities, while the latter requires overnight commitment.

Typically, camp counselors are in charge of planning activities and events for kids of all ages. These can include arts and crafts, sports, or being involved in a short musical or play. Counselors also act as mentors for happy campers, so it helps build organizational and emotional intelligence capabilities.

Working at a camp is also a great way to meet other teachers since most camps hire based on having prior experience leading and managing children.

Other Professions

When teachers need a break from teaching, picking up a part-time job in a different industry may not be a bad idea. Some school workers work part-time in retail or enjoy freelance work opportunities.

Some of these jobs can include:

Bartending
Working at seasonal venues
Freelance writing

Starting a small business
Becoming a sports coach
Childcare

While it won’t contribute towards an education portfolio, picking up other jobs helps teachers work on various soft skills. Exploring side jobs unrelated to education can support their aspirations if they’re looking to make a career switch.

Most of these part-time jobs don’t require long-term commitment, so teachers can stop working when school reopens. Additionally, working at seasonal venues can be especially fruitful during the summer when many visitors visit amusement parks or tourist attractions.

Getting involved with children, such as coaching a sports team, can lead to many employment opportunities. With coaching, physically active teachers can get involved with local youth clubs.

Conclusion

Most teachers do not get paid in the summer, as is the case with all K-12 teachers. As salaried employees, teachers are paid a fixed income based on the number of days they’re active in the classroom. This excludes the summer vacation weeks since there are no students in school.

However, teachers can get paid during the summer months if they’re on a 12-month payroll. This means that their annual income is spread out across 12 months instead of only being paid for the months they’re working in school.

Sources

Economic Policy Institute: Expanding Overtime Protection for Teachers Under the Fair Labor Standards Act

YouTube: 17 Summer Jobs for Teachers | Is VIPKid Right for You?