A second teacher at a high school in Missouri was put on leave after administrators discovered her OnlyFans side hustle.

Megan Gaither, 31, said during an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she was placed on leave from her English teaching and varsity cheerleading coach position on Oct. 27 after district officials found out about her account on the OnlyFans platform.

  • TechyDad@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    My wife was a teacher. I’ve seen what teachers get paid and what they need to pay for (supplies for their room that are essential but that the districts refuse to pay for). It’s actually very likely that this teacher was barely scraping by on her teacher salary.

    Edit: From the article:

    According to the report, Gaither’s pay, which includes a stipend for coaching the school’s cheerleading squad, was around $47,500.

    The article also mentions that she had $125,000 in student loans. She wasn’t living a life of luxury on that salary. Opening an OnlyFans was a means of making ends meet.

    • BaardFigur@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      47.500 $ is definitely enough to live on. I’m not trying to say it’s a fantastic pay, but come on. 125.000 $ in student loans sure is a lot though.

      • TechyDad@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It depends on where you live. This teacher wasn’t in NYC, but a salary of $47,500 might not get you much there. Your rent alone could take all of your post-tax salary.

        And don’t forget that teachers also often have to pay for classroom supplies (including things like tissues which should just be given to them by the district). So their expenses can be higher than other people’s. They are also expected to continue learning - often on their dime.

        But setting all that aside, $47,500 would be about $36,000 after taxes which is $3,000 a month. A $125,000 student loan at 6% interest to be paid off in 7 years would cost $1,826 a month. That leaves her $1,174 to live off of.

        This page gives cost of living numbers for Missouri. Even the low figures are over $2,000. So she’d have a $800+ shortfall.

        There are a lot of people who go into the teaching profession and quickly leave it once they realize that they can’t survive on a teacher’s income. Teachers deserve more.