Low Salaries Push Private School Teachers to Side Hustles, Jobs Outside Teaching

Many teachers in Nigeria’s private schools continue to struggle with low pay, forcing some to seek additional sources of income or leave the profession entirely. Despite the national minimum wage being raised to N70,000 in 2024 for organisations with 25 employees and above, some private school teachers still earn as little as N20,000 to N35,000 monthly, well below legal standards.

Teachers are increasingly turning to side businesses or part-time work to survive. Mr. David Ogbebor, a private school teacher, revealed that he now combines teaching with a tailoring business because his salary “can hardly purchase a fraction of [his] needs.” Others sell biscuits, groundnuts, and sweets in classrooms or give extra lessons to supplement their incomes.

The low salaries, coupled with poor treatment by some school proprietors, have driven teachers away from the profession. Mrs. Lilian Osakpamwan, a former teacher, recounted long working hours without timely pay, harassment from school management, and the collapse of her love for teaching, prompting her to seek employment in a better-paying organisation.

Miss Judith Uweni, who left teaching to start a Point-of-Sale business, described her frustration when asked to provide a Bank Verification Number for tax deductions on her N30,000 salary. She noted that some schools pay teachers as little as N8,000 to N15,000 despite large student populations.

An anonymous corps member highlighted the extreme workload in understaffed schools, teaching students from JSS1 to SS3 alone. He noted that better salaries would encourage more people to enter and remain in teaching.

The ongoing low pay crisis underscores the challenges private school teachers face amid rising living costs, calling for urgent reforms to ensure fair compensation and preserve the teaching profession in Nigeria.