“I usually work closing shifts at Starbucks, and this is how it goes,” said Jenna Hall, who shared the video to her TikTok account @miss_hall_, where it was viewed more than 260,000 times.
She proceeded to share what was typically expected of her during her shift as a barista with viewers, many of whom took to the comments section to express their thoughts about the teacher working a second job. This comes at a time when teachers across the nation are fighting for higher pay. Both salary and pandemic burnout has been cited as major reasons for teachers leaving the field early.
In fact, the Pew Research Center reported in 2019 that one in six teachers in the United States worked a second job outside of the classroom, and that job extended beyond working during the summer.
“I’m a preschool teacher and a restaurant server, so nice to see someone going through the same thing,” a viewer commented on the TikTok.
The report stated that certain groups of teachers are more likely than others to work a summer job, like those who have less teaching experience, as well as younger teachers with a lower salary.
About 18 percent of teachers took a second job during the school year, and there were no major differences between those who took a second job in terms of age or teaching experience.
However, about 26 percent of male teachers had a second job while 15 percent of female teachers took one themselves.
In her video, Hall shows herself cleaning some dishes, taking orders and making drinks.
“Best part about working at Starbucks is free food,” she said, showing herself while on break.
Hall continued the video and showed herself preparing various ingredients and orders before she said it was time to count up the tips.
“No, I don’t know how much money we got in tips,” she said. “That’s divided among everyone based off of how many hours you work.”
Before concluding the TikTok, Hall showed the routine of closing up with shots of her mopping and cleaning the food display case.
She told Newsweek she has worked at Starbucks since December 2020. In addition to working at Starbucks, Hall also tutors two to four times each week after school. She also makes wedding and party cakes and sells quilted goods to earn additional money.
Hall said she believes most teachers work a second job for two reasons: money and mental health.
She explained that teachers are underpaid and there is little room for them to advance in their career unless they want to work in administration.
“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,” Hall said. “At most, they will get an email from administration and a gift card. Then with inflation, a teacher’s paycheck is being spread thinner and thinner.”
Hall said teaching can also be emotionally draining.
“I got a second job to keep me from spiraling every night, to give me some kind of social life and to earn a little extra money,” she said.
Although it can be exhausting, Hall said she has since gotten used to it and enjoys working with her coworkers that are her age.
“Even though working 70+ hours a week total is exhausting, working at Starbucks has actually helped bring me out of my severe depression,” Hall said.
Many viewers were stunned by the fact that Hall was working a second job and shared that teachers should be paid more.
“How do you stand up?” one viewer asked. “Seriously. After 9-12000 steps during school, I just couldn’t do a second job.”
“Teachers shouldn’t have to work a second job,” another said.
Wrote another viewer, “This breaks my heart! Teachers should be resting after a full day of work.”
“I’m a teacher too,” one wrote. “Yall we should not ever have to survive off a second job.”
However, the video resonated with other commenters who said they are teachers themselves.
“Fellow teacher here and I spend my afternoons weekends cleaning houses,” another wrote. “Felt this from the bottom of my heart.”
Update 03/11/22 3:19 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional statements from Hall.
