Teachers taking up second jobs as delivery drivers to make ends meet – union

Scottish teachers are taking up second jobs as delivery drivers to make ends meet, a teaching union has found.

NASUWT said a survey of its teachers in the country found 14% have worked a second job to supplement their income. This is up from 11% last year.

This includes working as counsellors, delivery drivers, and bar and shop staff, alongside tutoring and exam marking.

The union said the poll showed the “startling economic” issues facing the profession with teachers reporting decreased personal spending and an increase in financial worries compared to the same poll last year.

It found that 31% of teachers are very worried about their financial situation, up from 27% last year.

Nearly three quarters (72%) said they had cut back on buying food due – up from 54% in 2024.

More than half (53%) said they have increased their use of credit cards, up from 36%, while 45% said they have cut back on essential household items – up from 36% last year.

Two thirds of teachers polled said they have now stopped saving, an increase of 5%.

The number of teachers saying they found it difficult to cover their energy bills has also increased, from 28.8% to 37%.

NASUWT said some teachers reported spending their own money on food and school trips in order to support disadvantaged pupils “adding further pressure to their personal finances”.

Matt Wrack, NASUWT general secretary, said: “The Scottish Government needs to face facts: the cost-of-living crisis is only getting worse.

“We have one of the most developed economies in the world, yet our teachers – who already work long hours – are taking on second jobs to cover the basics. This is a shameful state of affairs.

“We’re asking the Scottish Government and Cosla (the local authorities body) to stop dragging their heels in agreeing the 2025-26 pay award for teachers. We need full pay restoration and a long-term, sustainable package that allows teachers to focus on the essential work of educati​ng children.

“Right now, we have too many teachers worried about putting food on the table and keeping the lights on.”

Mike Corbett, NASUWT national official for Scotland, added: “Teachers in Scotland face unique challenges that demand unique solutions.

“We have an unstable job market that fails to produce permanent roles for a high number of teachers, especially those earlier in their careers.

“Then we have violent and abusive behaviour in classrooms, skyrocketing workloads, and when teachers want to support their pupils with ASN, we’re not able to give them the resources they need. It feels like we’re setting Scottish teachers up to fail.

“Time is running out to offer teachers basic job security, safety in the classroom, and a salary to match their skills and workload.

“If the Scottish Government wants to keep teachers in the profession, they need to do better – and they need to do it now.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Scotland’s classroom teachers are currently the best paid in the UK. Furthermore, the top of the main grade scale for classroom teachers has increased from £37,575 in April 2018 to £50,589 in August 2024.

“The Scottish Government values the hard work of teachers, and the current offer represents a fair and affordable deal.

“We would urge teaching unions to put this offer to their membership, so that the pay increase can be made timeously to Scotland’s hard working teaching profession.”

Cosla has been approached for comment.