David Recine
For many people, the student teaching requirement is a big financial obstacle. Student teaching can last for months, and it’s usually unpaid. And it’s a full time job. More than full-time really, because you have the responsibilities of a full-time teacher and some academic responsibilities to boot!
While you’re teaching, you’ll need to turn in assignments related to your student teaching experience. You may even need to take a few supplemental classes, either on campus or online.
So you won’t have much time to do other work that pays. Any extra work you do take on will need to be flexible. Here are a few options for financially surviving your student teaching.
Work as a Tutor
This is what I did during my own teaching fieldwork. It’s great, because it’s so flexible. One-on-one tutoring is seldom done on a fixed schedule. Instead, you and the students you tutor arrange individual meetings one at a time, scheduling session times that work for both of you.
You may be able to get a job doing this at your university’s academic tutoring center. You can also put up an ad on your campus (or in a local publication/website) advertising your services as a tutor.
I’m especially fond of online tutoring. Web tutoring services like Chegg and Tutor.com love to hire university students to tutor online for them. Online tutoring is especially good for busy student teachers, because you don’t have to go to campus or another meeting place to see your students — just log in and instantly work with your tutees.
Work as a Classroom Aide at Your Student Teaching Site
Teacher’s aide positions usually only require a high school level of education, and aide work doesn’t require any out-of-class prep time. You just show up to class and support the full teacher while he or she teaches.
Like tutoring work, aide positions can also be part-time. Once you know where you’ll student teach, ask your school if they have any openings for part-time classroom aide. It may be possible for you to work a couple of hours a day at your school as an aide while you student teach.
Work in an After-School Program
Nonprofit organizations like the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club sponsor after-school activity and learning programs for kids. It’s actually quite common for teachers-in-training to work at these programs, which take place outside of normal teaching hours.
Find a Paid Student-Teaching Position
It is sometimes possible to get paid for your student teaching. Some schools may be willing to hire you on before you actually graduate. In cases like this, your job can double as your student teaching, if your university permits it. And alternative certification programs nearly always offer paid student teaching.
