Savings vs. Time: WWYD?

Dacey · July 2013

Hi everyone, I'm kinda new. LO is 11 months old, and I'll be working almost-full-time this fall, teaching ESL in an elementary school. For the last three years, I have taught a few ESL classes each semester at the community college.

Here is my predicament. I will be working M-F, 7:45-2:45 at an elementary school. I also have the option of continuing teaching at the college in the evening, 2 days a week. If I teach those days, I would see my son for maybe an hour before bedtime those two days. However, I would earn an extra $2,000 per semester to put into savings. Our savings account is lower than we'd like, but we are making reasonable monthly contributions to it. This would be an opportunity to fluff up our savings quickly, but at the cost of time with my son. WWYD?

mexicolombiana · July 2013

Hmmmmmmmmm I think I would do it.

itsmevkb · July 2013

If it were me, assuming my husband would be home with our child during that time, I would work the extra time.

2chatter · July 2013

I would do it now, as when they are school aged, it gets harder with evening activities and "missing out" on things.

Dacey · July 2013

My husband would be home those evenings.

More reasons to do it: I would be keeping a "foot in the door" at the college in case I don't like the elementary school job, and once we build our savings back up, I could keep teaching evenings for "fun money"

More reasons not to do it: There would be a lot of grading and planning for the college class, so it would take up a lot of my weekend/evenings, and it involves about an hour of driving for an hour and a half of class time.

StephanieLove10 · July 2013

Based on the additional information, I wouldn't do it. It seems really time consuming, and once you figure in the cost of gas and wear and tear on your car, you're not really bringing home $2000 per semester. You can always make more money, but you can't make up time with your LO.

jf198400 · July 2013

Personally I probably would not do it. I already feel like life is too crazy with kids and working FT. Unless we badly needed the money I wouldn't want to work any extra.

skyejo · July 2013

I would skip it unless I was in dire need of the money. I work full time and that's enough for me. I really enjoy my evenings and wouldn't want to sacrifice that for a second job. Plus after taxes and gas, $2000 for a four-ish month semester doesn't seem like a whole lot for what you get out of it--less time with your LO, extra hours on top of a full day, etc.

traveltheworld · July 2013

$2,000 a semester, so that's around $700 a month? I would do it. For one, like you said, it keeps your foot in the door and maybe you can parlay that into a better job later on - like day-time classes at the college where you'd get more flexible hours. And secondly, I'd do it now while your LO is still young. At that age, they go to bed early and aren't all that exciting yet. So I'd rather miss out on time now and save up $ now rather than doing it later when he is older and more fun.

traveltheworld · July 2013

Oh I assumed a semester at a college is 3 months. Also, you could use that extra money for stuff like hiring a cleaning lady etc. so that you have more time with LO when you are home - personally I'd much rather spend a few hours teaching vs. cleaning.

SoMoNY · July 2013

If your savings aren't at a good level I'd do it.

jnealet · July 2013

Can you defer this semester and see how things go with the new job? And then if all goes well, pick it back up in the winter or spring semester?

mommymegan831 · July 2013

I teach 7:45-2:25, it may not technically be 40 hours, but I definitely count it as full-time. I would love to work part time and have thought about teaching at a college, if that was your plan it would be a great idea, other than that I would have no interest in doing it. I want to spend as much time as possible with my kids. It kind of sounds like you're new to teaching, at my school there are so many opportunities to earn extra money and you're still out by 3:30, maybe your district will offering tutoring or study groups

MirandaHobbes · July 2013

I probably wouldn't do it because it just isn't worth your time in general. I'm assuming $2000 is pretax? It just doesn't seem like enough to justify the additional headache (commuting, grading, lesson plans, etc).

Mjmksb04 · July 2013

Given that I would probably have to in turn sacrifice some of my "me" time (running, socializing with friends, etc.) due to the extra evenings, 2,000 wouldn't be worth it to me.

KL777 · July 2013

I wouldn't do it. You said you do have an account and are contributing to it.

bithy75 · July 2013

I am an ESL teacher at the college level and have taught full-time with benefits and part-time as an adjunct (no benefits). Based on what you're describing, I wouldn't do it. When I taught part-time, I commuted about 45 minutes each way, and the extra time planning lessons and grading papers in the evenings and on weekends was really not worth it. When I broke down how many hours I actually worked (in the class, preparing and grading at home), I was making less than $10 per hour. However, if keeping your foot in the door would really help you professionally, you might want to make the sacrifice.

TMWarren85 · July 2013

Depending on what your typical saving habits are, I would do it-

For example, if you're saving for an awesome new big screen tv then for me personally, it's not worth it.

If it's savings to pad yourself in case someone loses their job, emergencies, retirement/investing, kids college fund, buying a house, blah blah blah then absolutely yes. These decisions can be hard but it's better in the long run. In our house my husband just decided to go back for his MBA (online). Though it's a big time commitment now (two years) it will put us in a better position later down the road.

Dacey · July 2013

Thanks for all the replies mamas!

Every time I saw someone say "Do it!", my heart sank, and I got excited counting the "I wouldn'ts". So, this tells me that deep down, I already knew the answer - it's just not worth it.

My Division Head is also a mom, with two toddlers, so I am hoping she'll understand my decision. Not to say any other boss wouldn't understand... but she was likely having to make similar decisions not too long ago. I plan to approach it as "taking a semester off" so we can reassess our situation in the Spring.

Dacey · July 2013

@bithy75 That sounds like my position exactly! I'm not sure if your institution has been affected by the Affordable Care Act the same way ours has. According to the ACA, an employer must provide affordable health insurance to employees who work 29+ hours per week. Understandably, our college simply cannot afford to offer insurance to all of its adjuncts. So, to be safe, they're limiting our course loads. However, no one is exactly sure how the adjuncts' "hours per week" will be calculated, so they're taking the most conservative approach possible, and limiting us to nine credit hours per semester, and seven in the summer! They implemented these limits last semester. So, it sucks to be an adjunct right now... I was so grateful to be offered the job in the Elementary School! Consistency, better pay, and benefits!

laurakaz13 · July 2013

Knowing that your husband would be home at that time with LO, I would definitely do it.

ccam · July 2013

With the extra information you posted (the drive, time to grade, etc.), $2000 isn't worth it to me. I would pass on that.

ljanette85 · July 2013

Just two days a week, go for it!

bithy75 · July 2013

The last time I was an adjunct was back in 2010, and I'm really thankful to have a full-time position again now. At least I feel that the evening and weekend prep time for teaching is worth it when I am paid a decent salary with benefits. I didn't know about course limits due the Affordable Care Act. It's a tough world out there for adjuncts, and just not worth doing in my opinion. Good luck with the elementary school job!

SunAndRain · July 2013

I would do it. I give up one even per week with DD so that I can go horseback riding. This is her one on one time with dad. And my "me" time.

Yes life is hectic. But quality versus quantity is what I strive for.

Earkarm the money for something very important to you - you will have earned it!

kmpls · July 2013

Nope. Your kids are only little once. Unless you really need the money give yourself a break.

JWSchwarz · July 2013

Maybe it will lead to a full time job at the university? Would that be better than the elementary school you are at? I just think it might open a lot of doors.

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