NYC Teacher Quits Job to Work at Hooters: Earning $1K Every Two Days
A NYC teacher made headlines recently for leaving her stressful job in education to pursue a new career at Hooters, where she now earns an impressive $1000 in just two days. Allinson Chavez, a curvy native of Queens, decided to make the leap from teaching at a grammar school to slinging chicken wings at the popular restaurant chain. The 32-year-old single mother of one shared her reasons for the career change with The Post, revealing that she was tired of the low pay she received as an educator. “I was making $1,000 twice a month as a teacher,” Chavez explained. “Now, I can make $1,000 in just two days.”
Reasons for Leaving the Teaching Profession
Chavez is not alone in her decision to leave the teaching profession due to issues such as low pay and burnout. Many educators across the country are facing similar challenges and are opting to pursue alternative career paths for financial stability and well-being. Janelle Schuurman, an elementary school teacher in Michigan with 11 years of experience, recently left her job to work at Costco, citing similar concerns about the teaching profession.
According to the American Educational Research Association, teachers are more likely to experience anxiety than workers in other professions, including healthcare, office work, the military, law, and agriculture. This increased stress is often a result of safety risks faced in the classroom, including the threat of student violence. Recent incidents, such as the shooting of Virginia teacher Abby Zwerner by a 6-year-old student, highlight the dangers that educators can face on a daily basis.
Stacey Sawyer, a former eighth-grade teacher from Florida with 30 years of experience, shared her own struggles with the job, citing frequent fights and assaults in her school as the reason for her resignation. “The stress of it was just too much,” Sawyer admitted. “I even hated just driving down the road to school. I didn’t want to go anymore.” These traumatic experiences are pushing many teachers to reevaluate their career choices and seek out more fulfilling and less stressful opportunities.
Challenges Faced by Educators
In addition to the safety risks and mental health concerns, educators are also grappling with the challenges brought on by the rapidly changing landscape of education, including the impact of AI on the profession. Figures like Bill Gates have expressed concerns about the potential for artificial intelligence to replace human educators, adding to the job insecurity faced by many in the field.
Allinson Chavez, who worked as a special education teaching assistant for ten years before leaving her job, shared her own struggles with the demands of the profession. She revealed that helping students catch up after remote learning during the pandemic was a significant challenge, as was dealing with behavioral issues such as verbal and physical abuse. Living paycheck to paycheck and feeling mentally drained, Chavez ultimately made the decision to pursue a new career path.
Transition to Hooters
Last spring, Chavez left her job at the Department of Education with the intention of becoming a software engineer. Despite completing a boot camp in user experience design and applying for over 500 positions in the field, she was unable to secure a job in her desired field. In September, Chavez decided to try her luck at Hooters, encouraged by her sister who was a former employee of the restaurant chain.
Applying for a job at the Fresh Meadows location, Chavez was hired on the spot and quickly found success in her new role. She shared that she earned $100 in tips within her first ten minutes on the job and now makes between $5,000 and $10,000 more annually than she did as a teacher. Chavez attributes her success to her genuine care for her customers and her dedication to providing excellent service. “One customer gave me $300 and only ordered a few beers, which are like $8 each,” she recalled. “It’s rewarding to be able to make a difference in someone’s day.”
While Chavez misses the benefits of being a teacher, such as healthcare and summer vacations, she appreciates the flexibility and fulfillment that her new job at Hooters provides. She remains hopeful about her future and dreams of eventually pursuing entrepreneurship. As she continues to thrive in her new role, Chavez’s story serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by educators and the importance of finding a career path that brings both financial stability and personal fulfillment.