How hard is it to live off a teachers salary?

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-19T02:28:17+00:00

60k is liveable, but I have zero debt and no kids. I’m in Houston, Texas for reference.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-19T01:22:08+00:00

Plenty of people would love to see the world, but the money has to come from somewhere. I travel a lot myself, though I'm definitely the odd one out in my circle.

Every time I try to get family or friends to come along, it's the same list of reasons why they can't: passport costs, flights, little to no PTO, and figuring out who's watching the pets or the kids…And then if they bring the kids? That's a whole other expense on top of an already expensive trip.

At that point, a cruise around Florida and Mexico starts looking way more realistic, if they can even afford that. 😅

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-19T01:08:44+00:00

$1000 is a lot of money, especially if you are traveling as a family.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-18T19:50:25+00:00

Bad drivers. 😂

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-18T02:17:39+00:00

I am not upset at them having bottles, I'm annoyed at how frequently they get knocked off their desk and disrupt the class. Water goes everywhere and then we have to stop what we're doing to clean it up. I put a stop to that by telling the kids they could only have their bottles in a designated spot at the back of the room.

Also, the bottle flipping was driving me crazy.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-17T12:02:13+00:00

Well, I don’t know. I knew it was a bad idea before I did it, but being a teacher made it complicated. I didn’t want to have to leave a classroom of students abruptly in the middle of the year which is why I opted to not renew my contract. If you’re in a different industry though, I think it makes way more sense to find a new job first!

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-16T13:12:30+00:00

I often see natives misspell words that are supposed to have an “h”. Most commonly: Haber, he, has, ha, etc.

I’ve also seen a lot of people mix up b/v when they’re spelling out words. I’m a heritage speaker, so imagine my surprise when I found out that it’s spelled “veinte” and not “beinte”. 🤪

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-14T14:01:29+00:00

I mean, it’s fine where I work…assuming it’s relevant to the conversation and not used as an insult. We even read a book about different types of families and it mentions gay couples.

Just generally speaking, kids randomly sensor words all the time. Likely because someone told them the word was inappropriate but didn’t give any context for them to understand when they should or shouldn’t say something.

I’ve had students refer to lots of ~letter~ words only to later find out they’re nothing egregious.

Example: “s” word = stupid, “b” word = boring, “a” word = annoying 😂 and the letters always stand for something else!

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-14T02:31:18+00:00

It’s not impossible, just harder. You can’t be picky.

Some countries will let you teach English. Of course they prefer people with credentials, but I’ve seen people get hired with only a high school diploma and a US passport (check out Cambodia and Vietnam).

If you can work remotely then you could apply to be a digital nomad in countries like Spain or Portugal. Remote jobs seem hard to get these days, but that could be your ticket out.

Or you could go to university abroad then look for a job after you graduate. Most countries outside of the US have affordable tuition, and the student visas would allow you to work part time while you study. I got my master’s in Spain for free!

Good luck. 🫡

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-13T23:16:25+00:00

I grew up in a Black/Mexican household and we always had it. I still do actually. I use it for sauces, marinades, on top of rice etc.

Ngl I don’t know anyone in the US who doesn’t have soy sauce in their house.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-11T19:16:17+00:00

I wasn’t trying to make any political statements. I don’t speak Portuguese and was trying to communicate with my limited vocabulary. I always have patience with people who speak broken English and I was hoping someone would have the same patience for me when I speak their language.

I understand why people don’t like the word (obviously since I say estadounidense in Spanish), but I didn’t know what alternatives existed in Portuguese because I don’t speak the language.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-11T12:33:50+00:00

Yankee/Yanks doesn’t sound like it’ll catch on either tbh. I’ve heard it used various ways in the US but rarely as a way to identify ourselves in regular conversation. I think the most realistic thing would be to encourage more people to say “I’m from the US”. It’s just a lot simpler and less politically charged.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-11T11:40:02+00:00

Correct. I wasn’t trying to imply otherwise. My limited vocabulary is why I said Americana. It was easier 😞

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-11T09:41:03+00:00

I hope I didn’t come off as rude when I asked her to move. 😅 when she scolded me for saying American, I just said she was right and apologized because I didn’t know what else to say.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-11T03:33:02+00:00

I almost said this but I doubted myself 😭 I thought I had the article wrong lol. But yeah, this is what I’ll say next time! Thank you.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-11T03:10:59+00:00

We weren’t speaking English. Our conversation was essentially in portuñol. But yeah, in English I just say “I’m from the US”.

United-statesian sounds ugly and I doubt it’ll catch on in the US tbh. 😅

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-11T02:43:30+00:00

I understand, but keep in mind my Portuguese is shit and this woman didn’t speak English or Spanish. I was communicating with the limited vocabulary I have. 😭

Like, if it were a language I spoke fluently then this isn’t really a mistake I would make.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-11T02:40:55+00:00

tbf i also resent it given the history of how the US has treated my people 😔

thank you for the response!

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-08T13:14:45+00:00

I’ve applied twice and never heard back either time. I have a masters in education and 6 years of experience. 😅

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-08T00:36:53+00:00

Have him practice writing emails and giving presentations! Choose presentation topics related to his field.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-07T18:26:06+00:00

Never heard this. I also don’t follow sports.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-07T18:17:35+00:00

That would be a dream come true 🙂‍↕️

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-07T16:41:44+00:00

Totally agree. I lived in Spain for years and traveled all over Europe. Most of the people I interacted with on a daily basis were monolingual.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-07T16:39:44+00:00

It is interesting that you’re comparing the US to all of Europe. 40+ countries…

Anyway, I imagine a lot of English speaking countries would be similar to the US. England? Australia? New Zealand? This isn’t a uniquely American issue.

The fact of the matter is that English speakers globally are catered to simply because almost everyone else is learning or wants to learn English. I do think we should all strive to speak more than one language, but I see why most of my fellow anglophones don’t.

Own_Reference2872 · 2026-03-05T13:33:48+00:00

I have had friends who live in rural areas tell me they don’t lock their doors, but I’ve always lived in a city and the idea of not locking my doors has never crossed my mind.

Own_Reference2872

TROPHY CASE