Being alternative doesn't always pay...

Literally.

With the relief teaching and some casual shifts at my old arts centre job, ends should finally be meeting. New Zealand is slightly odd in charging you higher income tax on whatever job you take in addition to your main job. Working for the Ministry of Education (who pays all teachers in New Zealand) is considered my first job and taxed at the appropriate level for my income generated while the arts centre job is taxed at 33%. Still, as a couple we can still manage.
Unless I don't get paid.
Approached in the staff room today by the Payroll Officer of High School #1, I was told that she had forgotten to submit all relievers' pay. Ergo, a full week worked at said high school would not be paid next pay day (I worked at High School #2 the following week for three days and get paid fortnightly) and was that okay?
I don't like to make people feel bad, but I had to tell her that it was not okay. I have to make my half of the rent, my half of the bills, my half of the groceries. My parents have been generous to me up to now but are having to help my sister out with payment for her car as well as having car problems of their own. As SB and I are only in a dating relationship (not engaged, married, etc) I feel uncomfortable about asking him to shoulder any extra costs. It's not okay... I need the money and I need to be paid it when it was meant to be paid.
I try not to pity myself - I know there are parts of being a teacher that I miss out on due to the path I have taken. Being paid automatically is only a very small perk. I miss out on getting to plan my own classes. I miss out on being able to build relationships with students and having the same influence over them that their classroom teacher has. But when I made the resolution for February that I was going to be more proactive, I made the decision that relief teaching was better than no teaching.
The school has petty cash that may be able to cover this... but now, we wait.

2 comments:

  1. Working casually can certainly be tough. I usually send through my timesheet every fortnight and get paid the Thursday afterwards. Last week I was told that since I run a business I no longer have a casual contract with my company so will need to send a GST invoice etc ... news to me, as I don't have a business and didn't know my contract had supposedly ended! While I've been assured I will eventually get paid, I could have done with the money now, and not in a few weeks' time. All the best with tracking down the cash - and if all else fails, look forward to a bigger lump sum.

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  2. Ugh, the tax on second jobs is ridiculous. Don't get me started....

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