Ohio teacher quits his job after he found out working at Walmart paid $12,000 more

A  teacher from Ohio quit his teaching job after six years to work at Walmart. Back in 2022, Seth Goshorn shared the update on TikTok. In the 6-second clip, Goshorn held up the blue Walmart uniform like an athlete proudly announcing his new job. After he went viral, Goshorn was interviewed by "Good Morning America" where he revealed that even though he loved his teaching job, he switched careers for a higher salary.

Why Walmart?

In the video, Goshorn shared that he worked as a reading tutor and second-grade teacher for six years. However, he ultimately made the decision to quit because he needed higher pay as he hoped to start a family with his fiancée in the future.

Speaking about the inadequate pay of teachers, Goshorn said that he had to work two jobs to make a decent income. “Think about how good our teachers can be if they could focus on just teaching, and not have to work a second job on the weekends,” Goshorn said. Thus, when he found a role at Walmart that paid much more than his teaching job, Goshorn took it with both hands.

Apart from the higher pay, he also saw a greater opportunity for growth at Walmart. He said he didn't need any more degrees or initials or letters to climb up the ladder at the company.

Furthermore, Goshorn explained that there is a misconception that teachers only work six or nine months in a year.  He added that they often spend several extra hours outside their classroom to create lesson plans, check assignments, and more.

However, Goshorn clarified that he doesn't want fellow teachers to quit their jobs and follow his path.  “That’s not the case. I just want my teacher friends to be paid as they should be," he told the news outlet.

He said that he plans to keep his teaching license and renew it every year.

How much does Gosham make at Walmart?

Goshorn shared that he works as manager and a stocking 2 coach at Walmart. He shared that he would be making $55,000 per year before bonuses (back in 2022), which was way more than his $43,000 teaching job at Plain Local Schools in Ohio's Stark County.

Walmart's groundbreaking pay structure for managers

Earlier this year, Walmart announced that the company's high-performing managers could earn over $400,000 a year, with the help of added bonuses. In a post on LinkedIn, Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner announced that the company was offering managers the ability to earn an extra $20,000 in stock options.

The company also increased its average pay for managers from $117,000 per year to $128,000 per year. On top of that, managers who hit all their performance targets could earn up to 200% of their salary in bonuses. Thus, as per CNBC's calculations, a Walmart manager could essentially earn as much as $404,000 a year.