A teacher has revealed she works three different jobs to pay her bills and still can’t afford her rent.
Lexie Firment, 22, from Cleveland, OhioShe is a first-year middle school teacher who, like many other teachers, was forced to work multiple jobs to cover her expenses because her teacher’s salary was insufficient.
Lexie gained weight tick tock to share her “teacher-to-server second job pipeline story,” in which she posted a video of her dancing with overlaid text that read, “Today two tables didn’t tip me, I have $1,600 in rent in 15 days due and I cried in the middle of the shift today. I can’t wait to play restaurant and bust teachers again tomorrow.
Lexie Firment, 22, of Cleveland, Ohio, revealed she works three different jobs to pay her bills and still can’t afford her rent on a teacher’s salary
The middle school teacher shared in a viral TikTok that she often has to “play restaurant and bust the teacher” because her salary was so low
Lexie revealed that she worked three jobs, which is common for entry-level Ohio teachers who make about $25,000 a year
The middle school teacher pleaded for help in her caption, and sadly, “Y’all I just can’t today. My Venmo is lexiefirmat.’
In a second video, Lexie shared that in addition to teaching and serving, she works for Instacart, a grocery delivery company, to earn some extra cash.
The text overlay read, “I go straight from duty to Instacarting all night because I refuse to settle for anything less than what I want for my teacher’s salary.”
The middle school teacher went on to reveal that she sacrificed her sleep schedule to meet her expenses, adding that she was “tired” but “rent” was due.
Noting that after getting a job as a teacher, Lexie got a “second job” because she “couldn’t afford living on a teacher’s salary,” and even made another video in which she confronted other teachers advised being “Instacart or Nanny” just to make ends meet Meat.
And with rent prices soaring at an all-time high, Lexie isn’t the only teacher sacrificing her sleep just to be able to afford her lifestyle.
According to that Ohio Education AssociationFor example, a teacher’s starting salary can range from $25,671 to $31,715, which is $20,182 less than Ohio’s annual living wage of $45,853.
The housing crisis has caused monthly rents in Ohio to rise 12.3 percent over the past year, bringing the typical rent for a one-bedroom apartment to $1,219.
In a video, Lexie shared that as soon as she got a job as a teacher, she got a second job, adding that she couldn’t afford “living on a teacher’s salary.”
Many users shared their experiences in the comments of Lexie’s video, and one even said that he taught during the day and became a janitor at night
If Lexie made $25,671, or $2,139 per month before taxes, which is the average starting salary for a teacher, she would have just over $500 left after paying her $1,600 rent to afford groceries, gas, and other necessary expenses be able.
inflation has sent prices of staple foods soaring, including meat and poultry, which rose 10.4 percent, grains 15.1 percent, and fruits and vegetables 8.1 percent.
Gasoline prices are another pressure point for many people across the country, up nearly 60 percent over the past year, with airfares up more than 34 percent and used car prices up more than 7 percent.
Clothing costs are up 5.2 percent, total accommodation costs are up 5.5 percent and delivery services are up 14.4 percent.
And although Ohio is reportedly one of the states with the lowest cost of living, the state has suffered the effects of the housing crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to that United States Interagency Council on HomelessnessOhio has an average of 10,655 people who are homeless on any given day.
To avoid the effects of the housing crisis, many teachers like Lexie have also taken on multiple jobs.
In a survey of 1,200 teachers conducted by the teacher salary project82 percent of teachers said they had to juggle multiple jobs just to make ends meet, and at the time of the survey, 53 percent of teachers said they held multiple jobs.
And although comments were disabled on her original video, TikTok users shared their similar experiences working in education, and one user even shared what he thinks is a harsh reality for Lexie.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, but I’m scared of the money,” said one user.
Another user added, “I have two other jobs besides teaching, including being the night watchman at my school.”
“Girl you don’t have a lifestyle because you only work lol pick a job,” commented a third user.
