Hi everyone! Basically, I’ve wanted to be a vet most of my life. However I recently completed an internship with a 5th grade teacher for the last 5 weeks of my senior year of high school. Now I’m really considering being a teacher, I’m just not sure that I would be able to afford to keep my horse and continue riding/lessoning/showing if I live off of a teacher salary. Are there any teachers out there that ride and how do you manage the finances and paying bills? Or are there any vets that could tell me about their riding life? Thank you!
Vets have a lot of debt. But then, so do most people leaving college these days. My mom is a teacher, she told me not to be a teacher, I probably should have heeded but alas teaching is very much a part of who I am. You can certainly pursue a teaching degree in a stem field which will really make you very much in demand.
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I am a teacher. I have ten years in a public school system. I augmented my salary with coaching and sponsoring extracurriculars, as most teachers do, until I started having children about six years into my career. Riding took a back seat when I was a young teacher, still establishing myself and my reputation. I didn’t have financial support from my parents, in life or in horses, after earning my BA. I paid for my MA with loans, which further limited the disposable income I had available for horsey things. You’ll find that most districts don’t assist teachers significantly with the pursuit of their masters, though earning upper-level degrees and spending time in the system are, in most cases, the only way an individual can improve his or her take-home. When I took leave last year to stay home with my kids, I was making high-70’s.
Can horses be done? Yes. Are there other careers that will earn you more money? Of course, but they won’t leave your summers free to pursue other work and may well present their own logistical problems. Some thoughts:
-Go to the university that will give you the most money in aid so you can emerge with as little debt as possible. Most public school districts care very little where you went for your undergrad, only that you did well there and have great recommendations and a strong portfolio. Less debt=more $ for other things
-Know the pay scale and teaching contract in a school district before you apply for a position there. Know, too, where you can ride and/or keep a horse affordably near home and school, and time is at a premium for a young teacher (every lesson plan is new, written from scratch).
-Be willing to find a no-frills program that might allow you to do some of your own work, or maybe choose to meet up with a trainer at shows and board at a more affordable, (less show-oriented) place and trailer yourself, if practical.
-Acknowledge early that you likely won’t be able to do all the shows you might like to. Consider whether stepping down a circuit (or focusing more on clinics and personal growth) might be useful as you are building a young career.
-Be willing to table horses almost entirely at the beginning of your new career to give yourself a fair shot at being truly excellent at your new career. Do more than what is required at school. Never leave at the end-of-day bell. Show up early. Consider leasing out your horse while you get your feet under you if you feel like you might not be able to do your very best at work.
-Make sure you love working with kids the age of the students you’ll be teaching. Like, all the time. If I didn’t absolutely love the company of high school kids, I would not only hate my job, but I’d be terrible at it, too. Will there be tough kids, tough parents, and tough days? Yes, but that’s true of any job. You have to enjoy to work to push through the crap, and in teaching, the “work” is kids. No amount of loving the subject matter will ever trump loving the kids.
-Assume that you will earn a masters degree or likely more. You’ll need to in order to make more money. Know that this will impact your riding life as well. Look for cohort programs that allow for maximum schedule flexibility or state schools at which tuition is generally lower. Because nearly all teachers pursue advanced degrees, don’t expect to find much in the way of grant or scholarship assistance beyond your BA, and understand that a loan is a loan and must be repaid. Take only what you need, and pay as much as is feasible up front.
-If marriage and children are part of the future you want, know that just as you feel like you’re getting your financial and career house in order, the demands of a young family (time, money, activities) may make you reevaluate both your career goals AND your riding.
-Get a roommate. OR roommates.
-Insure your horse if he’s not already. Not because you expect reimbursement for his value if he dies, necessarily, but because you don’t want your tight budget to force your hand in a tough-but-treatable medical situation.
-Save money as much as you can while you’re on your parents’ dole (if you are). Work through undergrad. You will need a rainy day fund when you graduate.
None of this is meant to make you feel like it’s impossible-- it’s not. I really don’t think teaching is much different than any early career would be; if you want to do well, you need to give it your all early on. You may need to prepare yourself for the fact that no matter what career you pursue, the horse show life may need to wane before it waxes. I’d work really hard to be okay with this. Don’t expect that you’ll be able to maintain the same lifestyle and horse show calendar, lesson schedule, etc. that your parent(s) careers have afforded you up to this point. Presumably, they worked for years to get where they are and earn what they do; this will be true for you, too. Be patient, and give yourself the time to get there.
Side note: I sat next to a vet at the warmup ring at Land Rover Kentucky this year. Her father was also a vet. I overheard her telling a friend that, if she had it to do over again, she’d never have become a vet. She said that the hours were murderous, the clientele increasingly demanding and unwilling to acknowledge her need for any sort of non-work life, and she was swimming in debt. She considered her position better than most because she was employed in a government job, but she said that her own father had repeatedly told her that, knowing what he knows now, he never would have encouraged her to pursue vet school. Totally anecdotal, and many likely don’t feel the same, but it’s one person’s story.
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Keep your options open. Right now you have the childhood dream of being a vet and the one internship with a teacher. There are thousands of other careers out there and you don’t need to specialize in your first couple of years of university. Often children and teens feel they have to choose between the jobs the know about through dsily life: teacher, nurse, doctor, vet, fireman.
If you have good science marks you should also consider the human health care fields which tend to pay much more than anything to do with animals.
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Teachers have much better hours than vets.
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I am a teacher. If I was on my own I would not be able to afford an apartment in our area, let alone food and any horse related activities. I am extremely fortunate to have an attorney husband and we were lucky with our real estate investments. As as a result, I am a full time teacher with a farm and two personal horses.
My husband did not work for the last year and a half and my income alone was not sustainable to pay our standing bills (mortgage, health insurance, utilities, food). The horses are a neutral financial drain now as I run a small boarding/training business that functionally earns enough to pay all the horse related bills.
I think in many ways, your area’s cost of living will factor into this decision. We were spending around $1000 a month on board and horse expenses (vet, farrier, etc) not including training or showing prior to buying our farm. With an average apartment in our area going for $1800 a month, a starting teaching salary in this area is not big enough to pay for a horse and an apartment without a significant sacrifice (large # of roomies, pasture board, etc).
I will say that a teacher’s schedule makes riding feasible, which being a vet might make challenging. I have summers off to work with a non-profit and to horse show and can easily ride in the evenings before dinner if I choose.
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As neither a teacher nor a vet, I can’t recommend either, but my advice for you is something a mentor of mine shared with me when I was younger and having a similar dilemma: think about the things you like about teaching - can you still do those things in other jobs as well? Likewise, think about those aspects as a vet too. If the answer is yes, you should broaden your horizons.
For me, I abandoned law school due to the debt/cost issue and went a more private sector route to still get the types of experiences I wanted outside of “being a lawyer.” I’ve found ways to add those skills into my career while being debt free (finally) and being able to do the horse thing and career thing while still in my 20s. You’d be surprised how many jobs out there include teaching/training/development!
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I want to reiterate what Scribbler said- keep your options open. I ended up going in a totally different direction than I planned to when I was a senior in high school, then changed directions again mid-college, then changed again my senior year of college. I remember feeling like I had to lock in a decision during my freshman year, but you absolutely have time to explore different options as you learn about them!
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Another voice for keeping your options open. One of my biggest regrets about my undergraduate college experience is that I started college hellbent on a particular career. All my coursework focused on that career. If I had taken a wider variety of classes early on, I may have figured out before I graduated instead of after that I had a real passion for an entirely different field. My tunnel vision kept me from learning about other options.
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There are also ways you can combine teaching and being a veterinarian, especially if it is actually the teaching that you enjoy and not just the kids. Vets can be professors and teach at universities and also in vet tech programs, etc. Of course you will likely need clinical experience, and sometimes another graduate degree, before you can do it, but it’s an option that provides a different lifestyle from a typical clinical veterinarian. Also, a large part of practice involves education… of your employees and clients. The debt associated with becoming a veterinarian is not trivial.
Agree with others that a strong science background will give you the flexibility to go into medicine (human or vet) or teaching in fields that are very much in demand.
There is some amazing advice here!
I will just chime in to mention that depending on your specific interest in education, you may want to consider some “education-adjacent” careers other than teaching.
Administration is something many teachers go into later in their careers, which can have a better salary progression than straight teaching.
My mother is a school psychologist, which has a better starting salary than teaching in many districts, and also is sometimes easier to find a position in (it is a field that some parts of the country are in need of) if you have an interest in special education, careers in occupational or speech therapy may align with some of your medical interests as well.
Having summers off or part time is a great benefit, but salaries and benefits can vary a lot in different regions (and cost-of-living is definitely a factor that determines whether a teacher’s salary can support a horse habit).
And it is also worth mentioning that four years of college may completely change where you want to go with your career! As others have said, you may not even have heard of the career you end up pursuing after four years of college, or you may switch tracks after some time in one field to go an entirely different direction.
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I am a career teacher(25+ years) and I have had horses and ridden for all of that time. A couple of directions: I spent the early years of my career teaching boarding school, including a couple of years at a horsey boarding school. This enabled me to work on my teaching skills in a supportive environment with low class sizes. The pay was terrible, but I got housing and food, cheap board and training, and easy access to showing. I also got certified as an undergrad, so when I went to graduate school, I got an academic degree rather than a teaching degree, which meant I could get a fellowship and cover my tuition and living expenses TA-ing undergrad classes(one has to pay for M.Eds and MATs, but it’s not that hard to get a fellowship for humanities or STEM degrees), so I never had much debt. I rented a little apartment on a farm and kept my horse there while I was in grad school.
Once I was ready to pursue teaching at an urban public school, which was my long-term goal, I had enough years and degrees to be paid decently(I also live in a state that values education and pays accordingly); I still lived with roommates and taught lessons after school and in the summer to support the horse(and get reduced board). I did rough board for a while as well. Now, down the line, I have a small farm and a few horses; I drive an hour each way to work to make that happen.
I will say that the schedule cannot be beaten for riding. Having the summers and afternoons free is terrific. While you will spend A LOT of time planning in your early years, you will get better and better at it and it will become second nature, which makes the schedule better. And once you are established, many schools are very supportive of interests - I took an unpaid leave for a semester to spend the winter in Aiken and I’ve been able to take a few days for shows during the year. It helps that I now event, which is more summer focused and generally less expensive.
If you like teaching and kids, it can work. I went through the same decision as you(also considered vet school) and realized that I liked kids and teaching more, plus all the vets I knew never had time to ride!
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I’m a 3rd year vet student, so not a real person yet, but wondering if you’ve actually shadowed any vets or just always had the childhood dream of being a vet?
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I am a teacher (well, was…I just retired) and feel qualified to chime in.
Teaching was great for having summers off and afternoons to ride, but I never earned enough to be in full training or show. I never bought an expensive horse. Having a horse meant I drove a compact car and didn’t travel much.
I’m very lucky to have bought a house in the late 90’s when they were affordable. I feel financially secure now with a pension and equity, but depending on where you live, teaching may not pay enough for you to afford those things on your own. You may not qualify for a pension, and your district might not pay for healthcare (mine does and that makes a huge difference.)
I agree with supershorty that a few days of ride along with a vet this summer will help you decide. I only know one vet who rides and shows. Unless you own your practice, you might not make as much money as you hope to. Being a large animal vet is physically taxing. My vet has seen associate after associate quit to switch to small animals. So get as realistic a picture as you can of what you’re getting into.
Teachers salaries in the districts where you want to teach are publicly available.
Whatever you do, have your eyes open as well as your mind. Good luck!
being a vet does not mean you have to only work in clinical
I work with a number of amazing vet pathologists and they are key in getting our drugs to market, helping patients. They all have amazing private lives filled with travel , horses , small farms and diverse interests. It will not happen instantly, all worked hard for advance certification and had many different experiences.
One has retired in his 40s and works from home as a consulting pathologist. The best of both worlds as he enjoys his beach cabin.
all are well paid, I suspect far beyond what a vet in clinical makes. Plus excellent benefits, which are hard to find in private practice.
Most teachers these days are severely underpaid . They are expected to carry stunning work loads. be teacher and parent and , on their own, get a masters degree simply to get a nominal pay raise. Many spend their summers doing private tutoring and not larking about at horse shows or traveling the world.
You are very young. I would settle in to college life, focus on STEM courses and see where you are at in 4 years
There is nothing that says you cannot be a teacher and mentor in any career. Many of the best co-workers are because they are also great role models teachers and mentors. No matter what you do, you can always be that special tutor /mentor at the library , after school program or other services agency.
you do not have to choose right out of high school. The best clinical vet I worked with went back to get her degree in her late 30s
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A teacher can afford a horse in the backyard in Oklahoma. The scene takes a bit to find, and I don’t think we’ve got anything that feeds into the upper levels, but it’s cheap here.
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A good friend is an equine vet and a sole practitioner which means she frequently works long hours 7 days a week but she loves it. She also competes on the AA show circuit maybe a dozen or more shows each season including Florida. Vets make big incomes in our area to go along with the high cost of living here but she makes more than enough to have a very nice lifestyle, with a well funded retirement and debt free. I know because I used to do her books.
Teachers in this area do very well too. I think the average is $140,000+ but many make lots more especially with double masters, and school superintendents can make more than $500k in the best districts. Teaching allows lots of time for riding and showing, we had quite a few teachers where I rode although most of them also had high income husbands as well.
OP you are really young (a good thing). For either career that you are interested in you will be going to college. Consider taking a career interest inventory- some are free on line, some cost a little. I think most colleges can recommend good career interest inventories. You basically answer numerous questions about yourself and then get suggestions on occupations that are a good fit for you. Who knows, you might discover something that you had never thought of before or didn’t even know existed. I also strongly recommend researching careers that seem interesting to you- not only online but get out there and talk to people who work in the field at various stages of their careers. One reason that I chose the college that I attended was because I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do and there were so many general ed requirements that you didn’t really need to decide on your major until the start of your junior year! Best of luck to you. What an exciting time in your life!
Hoopoe, our teachers are required to have a masters degree within five years of when they first start teaching, otherwise they cannot continue to teach. Are you saying the teachers in your area only get a masters in order to increase their earning ability but that it’s not a requirement? Just curious.
No it is not a uniform requirement to get a masters to teach in public schools.
