In 2009, during my pregnancy with my second child, I worked part-time at a medical facility while finishing up my Associate’s degree and my husband worked full-time. The extra money I brought in made it possible for me to afford a good preschool program for my daughter and add more money to our savings account. After work, I still had enough energy to make dinner, perform other household duties, run errands, and I was able to schedule appointments without taking off work.
Following the birth of my son, I enjoyed a six-week maternity leave then continued working part-time. My mother-in-law’s schedule as a nurse made it possible for her to babysit for me. I worked for about 8 months before my husband and I started considering me leaving my job.
Due to short staffing, my work hours increased. Making a little more money was great considering the added baby expenses, however, I started to feel like a burden to my mother-in-law. My husband and I did some calculations and decided that becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom would be more affordable for our family than paying childcare fees at a professional facility for a newborn and a 3-year-old. I gave my job a two-weeks notice.
Two years following the birth of my second child, my youngest child was born.
I stayed home full-time with my children for a total of seven years making extra money through graphic design, photography, babysitting, and blogging. It was great being able to do what I love with a lot of flexibility, but freelancing didn’t offer me much stability considering I didn’t have a wide client base and I didn’t get accepted to every blog opportunity I applied for. It also didn’t help that I lacked the discipline necessary to sustain a daily or even two times per week blog schedule. My plan was that once all three of my kids were in elementary school I would find a part-time at a job that offered some stability.
The year before my youngest child started kindergarten I had begun attending college courses toward becoming a teacher. During that time, a family member approached me, encouraging me to become a substitute teacher. We went over the qualifications (a college degree is not necessary), and within a week I began the process to earn certification for substitute teaching. I submitted my application to Kelly’s Educational Services (Kelly’s hires teachers for multiple districts) and a local district that hires directly, without the use of a staffing agency.
Three main reasons why substitute teaching was a great fit for my family, other than my career path, are:
- Flexibility. I literally created my own schedule. Most weeks I would only work one or two days. There were many times I worked a half day schedule. I could choose which schools and grades I wanted to teach. There is one stipulation- each employee has to work a certain amount of hours or days each month depending on the district, but it’s very minimal.
- Extra income. I earned anywhere from $90 to $120 per [full] day, depending on the district. There’s a lot to do with extra income- pay off debt, increase savings, put money away for family outings or date nights, use it for Christmas shopping, etc.
- Day-to-day variety. I can get bored with the same repetitive daily routines. I really enjoyed visiting different classrooms with different schedules and lessons and working with students in different grade levels on a daily basis. I also had the experience of substituting for the same class for a couple weeks and that was good, too.
- Many opportunities. Working through Kelly’s Educational Services with numerous districts and schools there were so many opportunities available daily. Many positions went unfilled because of the shortage of substitute teachers.
I had the opportunity of teaching in districts all over the Kansas City metro area. I was able to supplement my husband’s income and after spending most of my time at home with my children, substituting gave me the chance to interact with other adults from time to time during recess or on lunch breaks.
If you’re interested in earning extra money and you think you would enjoy substitute teaching, I recommend giving substitute teaching a try. I shared tips that helped me earn great reviews from teachers during my first year here. If you have any questions, share them in the comment section below, and I’ll gladly respond.
