Over Qualified for a Job/duties

Updated on March 29, 2012
R.H. asks from Fayetteville, AR
14 answers

I am way over qualified for the dance job that I teach 4 days a week. I am not a substitute. I have a bachelors degree in dance, two masters degrees and loads of dance experience from performance, to choregraphic to cheering with NFL and CFL.

I took this low paying job to be able to have flexibility to care for dying parent. I am not new to the teahcing field.

My dilemma is that my take home pay of $18 an hour (no benefits, no paid school holidays) is way low for what I deliver. I am fine with that. My issue is that the school leaders try to put extra things on my plate like lunch duty, after school monitoring, etc. I say that the other Arts teachers are on salary so of course they should do these duties-- but its squeezing blood from a turnip for me to be asked to do extra duties as them with my pay. Am I right? How should I approach this with the school leaders?

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T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

When I worked as a classroom aide EVERYONE was required to do two lunch duties and one carpool duty each week, whether you were hourly or salaried, it didn't matter. Of course that was made clear when I was hired, sounds like maybe you didn't know that would be part of the job? Just ask your supervisor for clarification :)

7 moms found this helpful

N.G.

answers from Dallas on

Ummm.... is this for serious or are you hitting the sauce?

If this is seriously a question, I think you need to stop at your local homeless shelter and learn some thankfulness for the things that you are blessed with.

$18/hour is NOT a low-paying job, my dear, and even if it was, be grateful that you are fortunate enough to have one.

6 moms found this helpful
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S.W.

answers from Amarillo on

Wow, you are in the school system not a dance company. There is a big difference in the two regardless how many degress and experience you have.

I feel under utlilized in the job that I have but I do do things that are not written out in the contract. It is under the "all other duties as needed/assigned" portion of the description. You have a job doing what you love. Not many mommas can say that. They do have jobs but not in what they may love.

Sorry if I am a bit blunt but in this day and age we have to do a lot of regrouping in what we think we are worth in salary. As for $18 an hour that is a lot more than I make with benefits. So please do count your blessings.

The other S.

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B..

answers from Dallas on

I just had to chuckle...
My husband makes less then that with no benefits either. No time off, because he is the only one who does his job. Eats while he's working, because he's the only one that can do what he does. Works overtime, but gets no overtime pay. Has degrees from a prestigious university, and has all the experience one could ask for. He USED to have 2 other people sharing his job, now does his job, plus the other two by himself. Not that I'm complaining. His pay is NOT low. We are realistic about that. Do you really not know that $18 is GREAT pay, for Texas?? For a job with flexibility, that makes the pay even more ideal. Seriously, no...this is NOT a low paying job. Not even close.

Moving on, I know many teachers. This is part of the job. Even the adjunct teachers, and subs (hourly)...have to do lunch duty and other various duties. Why? It's part of the job. What does salary have to do with it? You're a teacher, they are a teacher. It's the job. Salary vs. hourly is not an argument. If ONE teacher does it, then ALL teachers do it. You took the job. Qualifications don't make you above or below doing what every other teacher does. Neither does salary. Sorry. You could speak with the school leaders, but I'm sure they will tell you it's an expectation of your job.

5 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

As long as they are not putting it ALL on you (it's divided up among all the teachers?), I think the sharing of the lunch and after school monitoring is just something everyone has to do.
Your qualifications have nothing to do with it and neither does any differences in salary between you and other teachers.
Once you no longer need the flexibility in your schedule, you can leave this job and work elsewhere.

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K.W.

answers from Seattle on

I assume they are not asking you to volunteer your time. If they are paying you for your time and asking you to do what they ask of the other teachers, it doesn't seem inappropriate.

Now, if you are doing way more off the clock that you are not getting paid for, that is an issue you should bring up with the district. However, asking any school district these days for more money is like asking for blood from a rock. It's even more difficult than getting blood from a turnip.

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T.F.

answers from Dallas on

I substitute teach and it is for the most part a volunteer job because I sure don't do it for the tiny check I get.

However, when I sub, I am expected to to the duties of the teacher I am subbing for which is either lunch duty/recess/work completion and car pool/bus/daycare/traffic duty.

It is part of the job. I am way overqualified as well... I run our multi million dollar company from home and I just sub because I love the children.

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

At least you get to work while caring for a dying parent. I spent 8 months homebound with mine.
You consider $18/hour low pay?????? I would be trhrilled to find a job that paid $10/hour. You have benefits and a retirement plan. So I can't feel too sorry for you on that.
Now as far as the other duties go it's called 'paying your dues' I take it you are fairly new to teaching at a school that makes you low man on the totem pole.
I really get sick and tired of people who have a graduate degree and think they don't need to start at the bottom in their profession.

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S.B.

answers from Houston on

You are making $37,440 a year. That is NOT a low paying job. It might not have been what you were making before but you KNEW what the salary was going to be when you accepted the position.

You may say you are alright with the "way low for what I deliver" job but you aren't. If they are paying you for your time, that is the amount you agreed to. I don't know how long you have been there, perhaps when you have your review you can request an increase.

You have a decision to make. Stay or go. The pay is $18 an hour, take it or leave it but please don't act like $18 an hour is chump change. Its not!

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I.W.

answers from Portland on

I make $13 an hour with no benefits & I am thrilled to have it! I'd love to be making $18 an hour.

I say, deal with it or find another job.

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T.C.

answers from Austin on

Are you getting paid for the extra time? Do you get a lunch break?

If they are just paying you for a certain number of hours but didn't specify in writing what you'd be doing, then there's probably nothing you can do. They choose to waste a talented person on lunch duty, that's their loss.

2 moms found this helpful

M.L.

answers from Houston on

You accepted a lower paying job... you fit your abilities to their needs, they have no obligation to offer more just because you are more qualified... that's how it is these days. There are people with doctorate degrees taking entry level positions just so they can have a job. As for the extra duties, there should be some kind of rotation. Bring that up with the supervisor if you are the only one stuck with doing those things, otherwise, those are typical parts of a teaching job description. Also, I know many people who would be thrilled to work for $18 a hour.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

Rhonda, you have given up so much in the past few years. It has to be really hard right now. I would say make it through this school year and start right now looking at teaching on a college level.

The owners daughter of the dance studio I work in just finished a national tour of Shrek and she came home and went right to work at a nearby junior college teaching dance. She is making good money and also adding even more to her job experience. She is not tenured of course since she is new but they plan to stay in this area for many years. She could of course decide to move up and teach at someplace like OU or OSU at a later time.

I would recommend you take a breath. It is 9 weeks until the last day of school. It is not forever. BUT start tomorrow looking at nearby universities or colleges at the employment opportunities. They may have the perfect job for you.

There are also other options if you are willing to start an personal business. There are so many moms putting their kids in beauty pageants and other stuff. They are chomping at the bit for a professional winner to take their child and mold them into some beauty queen winner.

You could advertise your services as a stage coach to help the girls learn stage presence, how to walk, how to wear makeup, hair design, routines, etc...there are so many options in the industry you have left for your family.

I am so sorry for all that you have gone through this past few months and even the years leading up to that. You have every right to be unhappy but you do not need to complain about making $18 per hour when some of us are nearly starving for lack of finding jobs or for sacrificing everything for ourselves so the kids in our family can have simple things.

If our dance/gymnastics studio did not allow me to work in the clothing store I would not be able to send the kids to any classes there. I have told them over and over that I would still be grateful even if the asked me to clean the public restrooms with a toothbrush. I am very grateful they allow me to help out in exchange for class time for the kids. I have a tumbling fool for a granddaughter and she loves her hip hop dance class and hates ballet and tap but goes anyway. The boy loves both tumbling and gymnastics.

I think making that much money is the central USA is quite good. It is more than a lot of other people make. I know it's not what you are used to. I think that finding a better work environment and with that a better pay scale would help you feel better about a lot of things.

1 mom found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from New York on

What's in your contract?

I'm I understanding that you are on a different level than the Arts Teachers and that you're the only hourly employee that is being asked to do these duties?

It doesn't matter what qualifications you have or how much you're being paid. What matters is are you being asked to perform duties that you were not hired to do? Are you expected to do these duties, while other teachers who are on the same level as you aren't?

If you are being treated unfairly then request to have a meeting. During the meeting point out that you were hired to do xyz and you enjoy doing that, however, you were not hired to do abc and feel uncomfortable in performing the abc duties.

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