NEA and Airbnb partnership aims to help teachers supplement their income

Diving brief:

  • US-based teachers who share accommodation through Airbnb will earn special privileges and additional incomeaccording to a new partnership announced today between the online home-sharing market and the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’ union.
  • NEA member teachers and first-time Airbnb hosts will receive a one-time $100 stipend, a hosting program written by and for educators, and a 10% discount on Airbnb Experiences, which are adventures and activities in person and online, according to Christophe Nulty, director of corporate communications and public affairs at Airbnb.
  • Amid a national teacher shortage crisis, as well as a movement to improve historic low wages For teachers, the Airbnb-NEA partnership aims to financially empower teachers and encourage curiosity through travel, NEA and Airbnb executives said. The move comes as school districts across the country work to retain teachers and raise salaries.

Overview of the dive:

The Airbnb-NEA partnership is unique, marking the first time the 15-year-old home-sharing company has worked closely with a specific group of hosts, Nulty said.

“This is a really special population,” Nulty said. “When you step back and think about it, it makes sense that teachers are great hosts.”

For one thing, Nulty said, many teachers have free summers when they might want to travel and could rent their homes while they’re away.

Guests can also rent rooms in their homes during their stay through Airbnb. Teachers and anyone else have the ability to share their home through other apps like VRBO and Homestay.

One in five Airbnb hosts who are otherwise employed are either educators or healthcare workers, according to data the company collected through hosts’ self-reported online profiles. In 2020, educators who hosted through Airbnb collectively earned more than $180 million, including more than $61 million during the summer months, Nulty said.

In the 2017-2018 school year, 17.8% of teachers received an income of one non-salaried source outside the school system, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. In the summer of 2015, 16% of teachers earned income from non-academic employment, earn an average of $4,060NCES reports.

Many teachers accept a second job to support themselves financiallysaid a 2018 NEA article. A statement from Leona Linder, director of marketing for NEA Member Benefits, said the NEA-Airbnb partnership will give educators tools to “turn their home into a tool for connecting and learning. ‘financial empowerment’.

Money was not on Marie Escriba’s mind when she rented a room for a week in an apartment in Gainesville, Florida in 2011 while completing her master’s degree in art education. She found that she enjoyed the experience, especially getting to know her temporary roommates.

When Escriba, then teaching art in the public library system, returned home to Jacksonville, Florida, she began welcoming visitors to her home. The extra income she earned – $20,000 a year – significantly increased her salary by $30,000 and enabled her to make several renovations to her single-family home.

Today, she is an elementary art teacher at Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville and earns $42,000 a year. She’s an Airbnb co-host, which means she helps other hosts with properties manage their roommates. She also earned Airbnb Superhost status for her responsiveness to guest needs and positive reviews.

“I personally think if people are outgoing, social, they’re going to love being housed in their homes,” Escriba said.

She earned $7,800 last year from co-hosting and other referral stipends, she said. She’s using the extra income to save for retirement and travel — she’s heading to Montreal and Nova Scotia in Canada this summer.

“I’m kind of like traveling for free,” Escriba said. “It’s kind of nice to be able to do that.”

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