Teachers Are Going Hungry on $20 Monthly Salaries in Venezuela

“A teacher with a poor salary isn’t going to teach with love,” said Díaz. “There are many people teaching in schools now who aren’t actually teachers.”

During the first months of the pandemic, Andreina Díaz began teaching children at her home in Petare, the largest neighborhood in Venezuela, located in Caracas. Within a couple of months, she had 12 students. When the number grew to 20, she had to ask other colleagues for help. Today, they support 50 students every afternoon, from young children to teenagers.

Happy with the growth of her “little school” project, Díaz quit her job this year as a teacher at the Alberto Ravell public school, leaving behind 30 children. Three colleagues joined her. The one who earns the least makes in one week what she would have earned in a month working at a public school — better, but still not enough to cover basic expenses.

“If we are educators, why do we have to look for something else? We are professionals — no one gave us our degrees for free. There are many teachers doing side jobs for the same reason: their salaries just aren’t enough.”

Assignment for Bloomberg