Teaching is not an easy job. Among teaching several different classes, each with individualized material, and mentoring hundreds of students, teachers must also find time for grading and creating lesson plans, while still taking care of themselves and their families. And this is just inside the classroom. Most teachers also serve in other positions, as coaches, mentors, supervisors, and more.

But the reality is that despite their strenuous efforts, many teachers’ positions are not enough to support them. As a result, these teachers seek second or even third or fourth jobs to support themselves and their families and to cover expenses.

English teacher and assistant track coach Jacob Bergmeier is one of these teachers, holding three positions outside of teaching. Outside of school, he works at Pitch Pizzeria, as an insurance agent at State Farm, and at a restaurant and catering service called Beacon Hill.

“Normally, when we’re not in track season, I’ll work either a Friday night or a Sunday night at Pitch. During the summer, my schedule shifts again. I focus on my classroom work and getting prepared for next year about two or three days a week, and I work at Pitch for four or five days,” Bergmeier said.

Biology and human physiology teacher Christina Preuss is another teacher who works a second job outside of teaching and being a mom, working as a water fitness instructor at Genesis Health Clubs.

“I started in college and then got certified as an instructor by the Aquatic Exercise Association. I enjoy writing unique workouts that are also physically challenging. It also keeps me active and on my toes,” Preuss said.

She thinks that working both jobs has allowed her to enhance her teaching skills and enabled her to perform better in both environments.

“My skills as a classroom teacher really lend themselves into [water fitness instructing] as well. There are times when I have a lesson plan for my [fitness] class, and I can tell that they’re very chatty, so I switch it to something totally different, like a partner workout. Both skill sets flow together really well,” Preuss said.

Social studies teacher Emily Ruda, who is a flex worker at Hy-Vee, also believes that having similar responsibilities in both positions has helped her greatly enhance her skills.

“I think that [working in my second job] has helped me as a teacher because I’ve gained a lot of customer service experience. Honestly, dealing with students and customers is a very similar experience. I also think that [my second job] helps with developing classroom management skills as well,” Ruda said.

However, it is difficult to juggle so many different roles, which is a pressure that Bergmeier has dealt with.

“The hardest thing is having free time because all of my jobs are largely in the public eye. It was difficult to find that balance. I had to make sure that I was doing my due diligence for all my jobs, but I also had to make sure that I wasn’t putting myself in the ground,” Bergmeier said.

Despite the hardships he has gone through, Bergemeier thinks that other teachers could have an even more difficult job, with them also supporting significant others and children.

“I’m lucky; I’m single and I don’t have kids. There are teachers here who have to balance their families’ schedules along with their own. I can’t imagine having that extra responsibility and weight and still coming in every day, doing the best that they can. It’s honestly amazing what a lot of the teachers here do,” Bergmeier said.

But what the teachers enjoy most about their other jobs is the novelty that they provide them, as a new experience outside of the classroom.

“[My favorite part of my other jobs] is the diversity and the experience. We get into routines here at school, so I love being able to see people that I haven’t seen in a while. I can interact with people and hear their stories. You get to know people personally, on a level beyond small talk. Their kids, their pets, and their families,” Bergmeier said.

Though he greatly enjoys his other jobs and has gained valuable experience while working in those positions, Bergemeier still believes that teachers should not be put into a position in which they need to work other jobs just to live a comfortable life.

“When I go to focus on what I’m doing in the classroom, I have this nagging thought in the back of my head, that I have the rent paid, that I have food in my fridge. It divides my attention, and as someone who likes to do the best for my students, I don’t like to have my attention divided,” Bergmeier said.

While jobs outside of teaching can enable teachers to enhance their skills and pursue passions outside the classroom, they can also increase their burden and divide their attention. So the next time you meet a teacher, say ‘thank you’. You never know what they could be going through to survive.