As Travis Brennan steps out of the BART station and onto Mission Street, he heads into Tacolicious, a Mexican food restaurant, punches in, and ties a black apron around his waist, preparing himself for a day of catering and having fun with his fellow coworkers.
Teaching students, coaching sports, tutoring, waiting tables, are second jobs that a handful of teachers at Piedmont have. Travis Brennan, the Health Science teacher at PHS and MHS, works at Tacolicious during the summer.
“It was just kind of a way to do a couple of different things while I was taking some time off from teaching,” Brennan said.
Brennan said being in an environment where you can really be yourself with the people around you is really important.
“For me, the reason I decided to continue working wasn’t for the money actually, it was because of the friends I had made there,” Brennan said.
Having friends who you can laugh with and being able to express yourself in a way that’s authentic can create a workplace that starts to feel like home, Brennan said.
“At this Mexican restaurant I feel like I can express myself in that way, and it’s super fun for me,” Brennan said.
Similarly to Brennan, Para Educator Carole Frascati James is the manager at a restaurant in the Montclair Village.
“I started working there when our youngest was two years old and, eventually, I became a manager just before starting my job here at PHS and MHS,” Frascati James said.
She said initially she took the job to make new friends and have a new experience.
“It was a way for me to make a little more money and to branch out and meet new people at the same time,” Frascati James said. “We were new to the area so I didn’t know anyone yet.”
Frascati James said having this job has allowed her to earn more money in addition to her job at Piedmont.
Apart from working at restaurants, other second jobs, such as coaching and tutoring are most common. Chemistry teacher John Savage does both tutoring and coaching.
“I tutor kids at Bishop O’Dowd and other schools in the Bay Area,” Savage said.
Savage said that he has been coaching and tutoring for the entirety of his 12 years at Piedmont.
“When I was younger I got paid less so I got these second jobs to pay rent, make my car payments, stuff like that. Also to have money to travel over the summer,” Savage said.
Savage participates in triathlons in his free time, so he also coaches runners and others who are preparing for upcoming triathlons.
“I help train people for events they are running in. This helps me make a little more money, especially when I was first starting out as a teacher,” Savage said.
Keeping track of all the money he is making is something Savage said was very important to him.
“I would keep a spreadsheet of how much everything would cost, and I would use my tutoring and coaching money to fund the things I needed or anything extra,” Savage said.
Although having these second jobs can be fun, Savage said they tire him out.
“Having a second job mainly just means I don’t have enough free time,” Savage said.
Along with Savage, Frascati James said having a second job can be extremely tiring.
