Pros and Cons of Adding a Second Job

Updated on January 10, 2015
J.B. asks from Broken Arrow, OK
11 answers

Hey! You guys have helped me before and I really need some thoughts on this.
When we moved to Tulsa in June I knew I wanted a job after being home foe eight years. In the fall I became a substitute teacher only at the school where my girls attend. My girls are almost seven and ten.
I don't have to deal with dropping off and picking up because I'm only there. I can and often have lunch with them. I have worked every day for two weeks straight, three times, the teachers request me and admin is happy with me too.
But there have been days when I've only worked one or two days.
I interviewed at a child care facility to work there after 3 pm. The good thing is my girls could go with me for free, it's less than two miles from my home. I can still sub during the day. When I'm not working, I'll do what I do now, sleep.I can work 25 hours a week.
The bad thing is it's minimum wage.
Still I could use the money! I have a spare bedroom that I would love to turn into my library/guest room. It takes money. I could use it to drive to B'ham for spring break and see mom who left our house after 50 years for a senior apartment.
Hubby says it's not worth my time but if I'm home, like now, I'm making nothing.
What do you think?
Please help me work through this, thanks J..

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So What Happened?

I have a college degree.
I wad blessed to work in my field for 20 years, I was a print journalist and I loved it. I freelanced a little bit in the past eight years. I have no desire to go back to school. I worked four days last week and I worked today and I'm working tomorrow. I know I am blessed to be working so much ad a sub.
My husband is an environmental engineer making more than $40 an hour but I still desire a little more for savings and doing sone fun things outside of the budget. My hubby gets off every day at 4 p.m. So he can pick my girls at 4:30 pm every day and take them home for homework and dinner.
I can make dinner on the days I'm not subbing and have it ready for when they get home. So my girls won't have to be stuck there until I am off from work.
I just saw an add for openings after school at other facility two miles in the opposite direction and their starting pay is $9.25 an hour, it has my name written all over it!
Thanks for the thoughts!!

Featured Answers

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

sounds to me like just the solution. there just aren't any real downsides to taking the job.
khairete
S.

2 moms found this helpful

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O.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

Minimum wage is minimum wage more than nothing.

You go girl!
I'm a believer in " the sure fire cure for B-R-O-K-E is a J-O-B. (Not saying you're "broke" lol)
I don't see how earning ANY money toward what you want is a waste of time, do you? What do you have to lose?

The thought that after flu season is over so no subs will be needed is utterly ridiculous. There are illnesses, pregnancy/maternity leave, seminars, FMLA leaves, etc.

In my experience, there are very few things in life that are 100% free. Especially career training.

Our schools have "super subs" that are on site daily.

5 moms found this helpful
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L.Z.

answers from Seattle on

I think I'd go for it. At least take the job and try it out. If it's not a good fit, give your notice and go back to the way it is now. Your kids would probably love hanging out there after school and playing with the other kids. The fact that you can work and have your kids around is ideal. Congrats!

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J.B.

answers from Boston on

Sounds like a pretty good set up - you get paid, your girls get to be with you and other kids, it doesn't interfere with your other work, and it's nearby. Sure the pay isn't great, but if your other option is be at home not making any money, then I don't see the downside of giving it a try.

When most people are weighing the pros and cons of work you're measuring the pay vs. increased expenses like childcare, clothing, transportation and meals. Given that you won't have any of those extra expenses, why not take the job?

4 moms found this helpful
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M.P.

answers from Grand Forks on

I don't see any cons actually...unless y'all don't *need* money I don't see it as a waste of time or anything negative. Sounds great! gd luck! :)

2 moms found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Des Moines on

The big red flag for this change is you are used to a school schedule. When your kids our out of school, you don't work. I know this still may work because they can come with you...but snow days, winter break, summer break, other holidays you may be really questioning your decision! If that is OK with you...it seems like a good opportunity.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.T.

answers from Rochester on

I didn't have kids at the time and I was single, but for about a year and a half I subbed and worked at a day care with their school age program. It was great. If I didn't get called to sub I would call the daycare center and see if they needed me. I often filled in there if I wasn't subbing.

The things to consider:
You would be "losing" the time that you have with your daughters after school.
What time does the center close? Would it have a big impact on dinner, homework, bedtime?
What about no school days? Are you willing to give up a whole day at home with the girls to go in and work a few hours?
How do your girls feel about going to daycare after school everyday including no school days?
Would you continue working at the daycare through the summer? Would your girls go with you? Would you be able to take time off if you wanted?

The extra money is tempting. I currently teach 1/2 time and I've considered picking up something part time. But I've decided it isn't worth it for the time I would lose with my kids and husband. Or the me time I wouldn't get.

I don't know what the best choice is for you. But be sure you consider all the ways that the 2nd job will affect your family. Sometimes the extra money isn't worth it.

1 mom found this helpful

C.V.

answers from Columbia on

It sounds like a great fill-in for when you aren't subbing! Love the idea.

1 mom found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I'd quit all of it and find a full time job. You are likely to not work much the rest of the year. Once spring is here and the flu season is over and teachers need to be in the classroom every day to get their kids through this year, they aren't going to be calling in and taking off days.

I'd not count subbing as any sort of income so basically you're saying you want to work 3-6 M-F and hopefully get a few days of subbing in there.

Why not try to get on as a full time sub, that way they have to find something for you to do out of a classroom when there isn't a teacher gone.

One of my friends did that and she worked every day until they had a class come open. She went in as a teacher full time. Unless you don't have any sort of degree though, if you can only sub occasionally that won't work for you.

So they need any paraprofessionals in any classrooms? Any special needs kids that need an aid? Any 504 plan kids need an aid with them all day?

If you want to work in the school system you need to find a place for yourself where you can move forward.

If you don't have a degree consider taking some classes and work towards an associates degree. Then if that goes well you can transfer to a full university and take higher level classes to obtain a full degree. You can go full time plus work in child care.

You'll have to work on your CDA credentials anyway. The first 20 hour class you have to do for the state will show you a lot of the things you'll need to do. As you build your CDA file you will be able to progress in child care too.

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Cecpd is the authority in Oklahoma that keeps track of your classes and professional connections in child care. This is an important site for you to know about and read thoroughly.

https://www.cecpd.org/

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The other main site can be the state licensing book. All the required training to be able to hold your job is in the back section. Start on page 54 to see the professional training you'll be required to take.

Working on your CDA credential should be free. I've never paid for a single class in any way. You go and take a module such as planning a curriculum for toddlers and might have class for 2 weeks on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6-9pm. You don't get the credit for taking it if you don't make all the classes. You'll have to take the classes until you have your file built with all the required stuff then one of the CDA class teachers will come and observe you for a certain amount of hours. They will either pass you and you have your CDA or they recommend you do some extra work then they observe you again.

You'll still have to do a certain number of continuing education hours every single year.

Only works in Internet Explorer...

http://www.okdhs.org/NR/rdonlyres/C###-###-####-C005-45D1...

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This site has a lot of absolute information. But cecpd is the final authority and has the right to say yes training counts or training doesn't count.

http://www.okhighered.org/scholars/cda-tip-sheet.pdf

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If you have any desires to work full time with children I'm going to suggest this to you.

I owned my own center. I walked into a situation where a woman had married a guy that grew up in his mom's home child care. It grew to have over 50 kids enrolled and moved to a full child care facility.

This woman finally retired and closed the business. It was sitting there gathering dust. Her husband found out I had over 12 years in child care and a degree so he and I went into business.

I'm going to link the Oklahoma child care site that will show you how much money YOU can bring into a business each day. I'd suggest you budget about 60%-75% if your income for staffing and supplies. Then another percentage for utilities and food. In Oklahoma you can get on the child care food program and receive a huge chunk of money back, reimbursed from the state, for the groceries you buy. It's sort of like the reduced lunches for low income kids. If the kids in your center fall in the lower income area you get almost everything you spend on food back. Your cook or staff that does snacks, plans the menu, cleans the kitchen, all can be claimed, well, some programs do it more than others but still....

Only works in IE, Internet Explorer

http://www.okdhs.org/NR/rdonlyres/2E81F###-###-####-487B-...

Starting a home child care business can bring in a chunk of money and they you get to claim wear and tear on your home, your utilities and phone, time for paperwork and other business expenditures, etc...

You can make a good income if you run a home child care business like it should be run.

THEN THEN THEN you apply to move into a large child care home and start looking for a small building that will work for you to build a center. You'll need a playground for each age group or make one playground for all ages. You'll need to see if there is a need but I bet if you are a good provider you'll have people lined up.

You do need to do a state contract in my opinion. The states pays you ever week. Parents sometimes don't pay. You can have a license and not take state pay for those who need child care assistance. That money is the staple that allows you to pay staff and buy groceries and keep the building working. The cash the parents pay for co-payments is icing. If it comes in then you have extra for other stuff like buying a storm shelter for your future center.

I think you have an opportunity here to build something for your kids and your family. If you build up your center where you have 50 kids enrolled you can semi retire and hire a part time director that works under your direction and you still pull in the directors pay. You can write of tons of stuff and still have a good income.

If you are managing the classes and staffing issues you could easily pull in $60K per year for just yourself.

Seriously, a child care center brings in good money.

STAR's are your friend. Working toward a 3 STAR facility is a great thing but it's not absolutely necessary. You can have a stellar 2 STAR facility with an excellent record and reputation and have kids on a waiting list a mile long.

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R.B.

answers from Dallas on

I don't think you'll like the after school hours. Its going to cut into HW tine dinner time all for very little money. you might as well get a full tine job that pays better st that point. What about a Para position at your kids school or you could you sub at a nearby school as well to pick up more days?

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J.T.

answers from New York on

Sounds like it's worth trying. Only thing to consider is if you are really not doing anything impt from 3-6. If you sub last minute and have this job, how will you get dinner? You don't want to work just to pay for take out... And do you sometimes help your kids with homework? You will be working so can't pay as much attention. How does your 10 year old feel? This is after care or a daycare for young kids? If the latter, my kids wouldn't want to go and the money wouldn't be worth it to make them. I know my kids like coming home after school. They don't want to go to aftercare. Some kids like it and some people have no choice but to send their kids. Since you have a choice and the trade off is losing minimum wage, I'd make sure the kids will be happy. Not sure what imcome tax bracket you're in but that minimum wage will be taxed at the highest percentage you fall into. Those last incremental dollars get hit. So calculate what your take home really will be using that tax bracket, not what a paystub says. The payroll people likely will withhold as if your entire family's income is around min wage. So I'd be careful of that too. Also, what if one of your kids is sick? And don't they ever go to activities? No team sport for maybe the 10 yr old? Could you register to sub at another school to increase odds of being called?

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