Teaching by Day, Moonlighting by Night: Moonlighting as a Response to Low Teacher Pay

Scott Klungseth¹ and Katie Anderson^1,

¹College of Education at Dakota State University

Cite this paper:
Scott Klungseth and Katie Anderson. Teaching by Day, Moonlighting by Night: Moonlighting as a Response to Low Teacher Pay. American Journal of Educational Research. 2024; 12(2):38-43. doi: 10.12691/education-12-2-2

Abstract

This study explored the prevalence of moonlighting amongst teachers in South Dakota and the reasons for moonlighting. Teachers, who are members of the #sdeducators Facebook group, provided data about their salary and shared their perceptions that moonlighting had on their teaching. The data showed that the majority of teachers would stop moonlighting if they received a higher salary. Additionally, teachers felt their teaching was negatively impacted by moonlighting at various jobs. Understanding teacher moonlighting may inform education policies and teacher compensation strategies to attract and retain qualified educators.

Keywords:
teachers moonlighting salary education

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