Being a teacher can be a demanding profession. Most teachers work an average of 50 hours per week and some estimates overtime averages at around 400 hours a year.
Add to this the fact that the average teacher dips into their own pocket routinely for school supplies at an estimated total of $500 per year then its not surprising that many academic professionals turn their talents into money-spinning ideas to make and an extra bit of cash.
So what are some of the best side hustles that teachers can do to get some extra cash in their pockets?
Using teaching talents can be a lucrative side earner for many teachers. There is an increasing number of parents that see the value in having special private one-on-one teaching sessions for their children and with the global private tutoring market currently worth over $96 million dollars it is a lucrative business.
This means that private tutors can demand a nice hourly rate and its a job that can be scheduled outside of normal school hours. Depending on your teaching specialty rates can vary but Math, English, and the Science subjects are always in high demand for private tuition.
Do a good job and you may find you get more customers from word of mouth (school mums and dads talk!) or from the younger siblings of your current clients.
It’s a flexible schedule. The ability to set this around normal school hours make it a viable side earning prospect. There are little to no start-up overheads, just an ad in the local paper or word of mouth referrals may be enough to get you up and running.
Another nice factor is that if you are tutoring the subjects that you normally teach there is no learning curve or training to worry about making this an easy transition.
Depending on the school that you currently teach for they may view coaching students outside of the academic establishment as a conflict of interest. While this can be a good money-making prospect you also need to consider how much time you want to devote.
Teaching comes with extracurricular activities such as grading homework, and you want to make sure you are leaving yourself enough time to effectively manage your day job.
Also, word of mouth works both ways, keep your clients happy or you can bet news of a dissatisfied parent or child will spread quickly and may damage your earning potential.
Knowledge is power. Now there is a growing repository of books, teaching, training courses and almost everything else you can think of available to purchase online. As a teacher, you can cash in on some of this money by turning your talents to ePublishing.
It’s a hot prospect too, in the USA over 75% of all online books were sold via Amazon’s Kindle book store, so the numbers are large.
Perhaps you have unique insights on the subjects you teach, or perhaps you have developed foolproof techniques for holding your class’s attention. Whatever your skills you can turn them into ebooks and sell them online for a profit.
There is no set length for eBooks, it has to be long enough for people to feel that it has value but there is no minimum word count that you need to hit. It is also a flexible way to make money, you can set the price of your eBook and adjust it depending on how well it sells. Also, you can write eBooks in your own time so there is no pressure to meet any kind of editorial deadline.
It can be time-consuming if you are attempting to write 30,000 words on your given subject that can eat away at your free hours, not to mention the time it may take to do any research or fact-checking needed. Competition may also be stiff, you are not the only one to hit on this idea for a side hustle so you will want to think about an angle that sets you apart from the crowd.
If you have local Universities, Colleges and Private Institutes in your area then they may be on the lookout for good course lecturers. As lecturing is a proven method of teaching you can cash in and get paid for delivering talks on your area of teaching and help to educate a wider audience.
Depending on the requirements many lectures may take place in the evenings or on the weekends giving you the chance to schedule a few sessions and earn some good money for providing lectures.
There is a huge number of establishments that could use your services. Everywhere from established and traditional academic organizations to private or professional training companies. It is also flexible with many options for when to perform lectures.
It may be perceived as a conflict of interest by your current employer if it is a school. Also, you may find it overkill to teach a subject all day then lecture about it at night.
Using the knowledge that you already have in your specialized field can be quite easily turned in to a great side hustle and opportunity to make extra cash. Many teaching establishments will pay top dollar for course development by an expert.
Not to be confused with course design.
As you already understand how the world of academia works behind the scenes this will stand you in good stead. Knowing how to structure courses to achieve learning objectives and map to predefined outcomes is a sought after skill and can pay high dividends.
The nice part about course development is that the syllabus or course modules are usually laid out for you. You simply have to generate content that satisfies the learning objectives and course requirements. Usually, there will be a deadline to have the course completed for review meaning that this is something you can do entirely on your schedule.
While it is helpful to be able to do this on your own time you don’t want to have it take up ALL of your free time. It is easy to commit to the development of a course and then find out it is a lot more involved than you thought. Make sure you know what you are getting in to.
If you have been a teacher that’s been providing educational services for several years then you may want to establish yourself as a teacher trainer. This process involves the training and mentorship of newly qualified teachers to get them quickly up to speed.
Usually performed to provide skills and ensure competency levels of teachers this can be a convenient method for seasoned educators to boost their income. As new teachers are qualifying or working towards achieving their qualifications all the time teacher training can be a crucial part of education to enhance their abilities and performance.
As this is a sought after function in the world of education you may be able to side hustle this within your own day job. If the institution you teach for has a need for teacher trainers you could offer your services.
The flip side of the above is that if there is a need for teacher trainers within your own place of work you may be expected to undertake the training as part of your normal responsibilities, and for no extra money. Ugh!
Use your knowledge and academic skills to earn money on the side by attending focus groups. A quick online search will reveal focus group sessions taking place in your area and if the organizers require someone with your area of expertise you can cash in.
Typically these groups are compiled of 4 to 10 attendees and amount to not much more than attending a discussion or watching a video then offering your thoughts and insights. It can be a low-stress way to make a few extra bucks.
It is super easy. As you simply are offering your thoughts and opinions on a subject or product this side hustle really takes nothing other than time. Also, there are no real qualifications needed other than a good all-round general education.
Some of the topics for discussion or debate can be well, boring, to say the least. The investment you will make is purely time but that time can seem long when you are being expected to contribute to a subject that is just plain tedious.
If your educational experience is combined with a little technical knowledge then you could consider starting an online blog that offers educational services to visitors for a fee. Many blogs have gated content or member areas that are only accessible to paying customers.
Education blogs have seen an increase in numbers and there are several that have become quite well known.
Along with charging for lessons, there are also other options to monetize your webpages. You can incorporate things like subscription-based services, Amazon FBA, paid ads, Google ads, product sales, and various other affiliate programs and monetization methods.
You will be drawing on the experience that you have already gathered during your qualification as a teaching professional. It is also flexible allowing you to dedicate as much or as little time to improving your website and writing blogs
There may be a bit of a learning curve to get to grips with all the technical aspects of setting up a blog. If you are not very well versed in technology you could always think about using a dedicated service like Blogger that helps you set up your blog pages step by step in a guided manner.
Using your already established teaching talents can become a nice sideline for you to make money and perhaps eventually establish your own business if you have any leanings in that direction. Sites like My Tutoring will help you get started.
Similar to in-home tuition online teaching has become highly sought after in recent years. Parents enjoy the ability to sit their child in front of a computer to attend educational classes. This makes sense on a couple of levels.
If the area of teaching is specialized there may not be a suitably qualifies tutor in the local area. Using the internet allows for out of area teachers to perform educational services. It also means not having to physically invite a stranger into their home so it can have perceived advantages from a safety standpoint.
Teaching or online tutoring is not only a good way to generate income but there should be a minimal learning curve as you are basically teaching the same subjects as your day job. Taking the knowledge you already have and using it for this sideline can prove to be quite lucrative.
Depending on where your clients are based you may run into some scheduling conflicts. If your clients want to have the lesson while you are already out at work, or when its 3am in the morning your time this can lead to problems. Make sure you are clear on schedules and availability.
Knowing a thing or two about education and teaching can be turned easily into a life coaching business. People are often on the lookout for professionals to give them guidance, career coaching or generally give them advice and support as they make their way through life.
Life coaching doesn’t even have to be done in the traditional office setting anymore. There are plenty of sites online that pair life coaching candidates with suitably qualified professionals. Typically these sites take a fee but have the bonus of bringing clients to you and holding payments in escrow so you never have to worry about receiving funds for your services.
This differs from counseling where the expert helps their patient through issues or trauma. Rather this is more of a mentoring and supportive relationship advising the clients of their options, or determining goals and then making a plan to help them achieve those goals.
There is a feel-good factor in helping people and its even nicer to get paid for it. Using your expertise you can help guide a person through life and help them to achieve goals and milestones. You get to share in their success and get credit for it which may help you gain more clients.
You will need to find deep resources of tact and patience when dealing with the public at large. People have different challenges and obstacles that you will need to overcome and your clients may get upset or angry from time to time if they don’t like what you’re telling them so you need to have relatively thick skin.
As an academic person, you will no doubt have certain knowledge and insights of what potential employers are looking for. Turn this into a nice sideline for yourself by offering to compose professional resumes and cover letters for job applicants.
You can market your services by simple word of mouth, advertising, or there are several websites that you can take advantage of to offer your expertise. Places like Upwork or Freelancer have entire sections that are dedicated to CV writing for potential job seekers.
It is a relatively easy way to make yourself a side income. You already have the industry knowledge and teaching skills that are relevant to your field and presumably, you keep up with industry changes and requirements during the course of your teaching. This can be easily applied to creating professional resumes for job seekers. It is also flexible and can be done entirely on your own schedule.
If you have a dissatisfied customer you may find that you have to rewrite the entire resume from scratch effectively negating any profit you might have made. Make sure you have some kind of checklist to ensure that you are providing exactly what your client wants.
Being a trusted professional has its perks and if you are a people person that would like an occasional break from books then working as a caregiver might be what you are looking for. The caregiving services you provide may range from helping the elderly to minding small children. There are websites dedicated to providing care services available online.
Duties can be doing a school run, doctor visits, or simply just sitting and keeping an old or young person company until their primary caregiver or parent comes home. Once you have established a trusted relationship with the family these positions can often last for many years.
The ease of acquiring caregiving positions should be relatively easy. Given that you network with people, parents, kids, other teachers all the time some word of mouth advertising could be effective.
It’s a bit tying. Usually, caregiving is on a set schedule and once you agree to undertake the role you’re stuck with it. It can also be difficult to extract yourself from a caregiving position if you had a prior relationship with the client or their family.
Guess what? There is an influx of people arriving in the country every single day. Many of them from non-English speaking countries who have no grasp of our language at all but would like to learn. That’s where you come in.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language or TEFL as it is commonly known has become a sought after skill recently. There are many options around this sideline, you could partner with a company, teach online, or offer one on one session for clients. For a range of English teaching positions take a look at this website.
You already know English – easy win! Many of the TEFL classes are around the basic understanding of English similar to the level that you may teach in primary schools so this should be a breeze for you. Plus is you are an effective teacher this will be a stable gig for you, organizations are usually on the lookout for quality teachers.
You may need to have some basics in another few languages. The students that you will teach could come from anywhere in the world and while your grasp of English may be excellent, theirs isn’t, and you need to be able to communicate with your students.
If you fancy switching off your brain for a while and taking a break from all that cerebral activity then why not consider driving to make some extra money? There are several services out there looking for drivers, some require your own vehicle, some will provide one, but overall its a nice easy way to earn some extra cash.
Services like Uber or Lyft even do deals where you can rent a car from them to avoid putting wear and tear on your own vehicle. Or you could partner with a local taxi or courier service doing local deliveries. There are several options available to you around this side hustle.
Probably about one of the easiest ways to make a side income. No skills or special qualifications are required other than a driving license and many services like Uber allow their drivers to work when they choose. When you want to make some cash switch on the app, when you’ve had enough turn it off again. Easy.
You will lose roughly 20-25% of your earnings after the company takes its cut. This can eat into your profits. Also, you will need to keep paperwork of things like mileage, repairs, services.
This is another area where you can take advantage of your teaching qualifications and use them to your advantage. Experienced and qualified teachers are highly sought after as camp counselors and this can be a great way for you to earn money. Places like Campleaders are regularly recruiting top talent.
During the summer holidays when all the summer camps are in operation you should be able to pick and choose the ones that appeal to you or that offer a range of activities in areas that you would be interested in teaching or supervising.
The nice thing about this sideline is that its an annual proposition and once you have worked for a summer camp no doubt they will ask you back for the following years.
Here is another area where you can cash in on your already established profession as a teacher. The transition to a camp counselor should be an easy one and if you have specialized qualifications you may be able to receive higher payment rates for your services.
If you are attending local camps you may not relish the thought of spending your summer holidays with the kids that you teach all year round. It could also be detrimental when you get back to the classroom now they know that Mr. Walker is ‘Bill the Camp Counselor’.
No doubt as a teacher you have some organizational ability. Why not use that to make some extra money? People’s busy lives do not allow them time to go through their junk room or rearrange the house after they just moved.
If you don’t mind digging through people’s stuff and sorting out the trash from the treasure then you can make extra money by performing these services.
The need for Professional Organizers has risen over the past decade as people are responding to increased work requirements to make a good salary and then finding out they have more money than time. Services like Takl allow people to sign up as organizers and see jobs in their local area.
Other than the time it takes to organize someone’s mess and throw out their garbage this option requires no specialized skill at all. You can also have relative flexibility with this side hustle arranging a mutually convenient time for you and your client.
It’s messy and dirty. You may run into situations where people have been hoarding items for years and your job is to clear it up. You may get covered in dust, grease, assailed by nasty smells, or worse depending on how bad the situation is.
Your administrative talents as a teacher are most likely quite well-honed. You can use those skills to assist others with their daily administrative and organizational tasks for a fee. Depending on your skills you can actually make quite good money doing this especially if the person you’re working for is someone of some stature.
Fees vary dramatically but by positioning yourself correctly and being selective you can actually turn this into a very profitable sideline. Try finding work at sites like Guru.
If you have any areas of specialty you can turn this into a moneymaker. Maybe you are an expert at Excel or can design a Powerpoint Presentation like no other. Anything that can be translated into business skills will be beneficial and allow you to charge higher rates.
On the flip side of that everyone wants something for nothing so you may find yourself battling to receive fair compensation for your talents. It can also be perceived that as you are a ‘virtual’ assistant that your work should be somehow cheaper than your office-based counterparts.
If your tech talents are quite good then you could set yourself up as a small business Social Media Manager, charging a fee to local businesses for creating and setting up their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest accounts.
Many people are great at operating their business but don’t have the first clue about how to market it so you can make quite a tidy sum by getting their services advertised online and generating a content calendar for them. You can charge for things like content creation or the number of posts.
Easily done from home with a computer and an internet connection. Once you have a few clients managing their Social Media can be a lucrative way to earn yourself some extra cash. If you have an eye for detail and keep to a schedule this may work well for you.
It may require more technical ability than you though. Many people think that Social Media Management is simply about putting up a few posts on Instagram but depending on the nature of the business you may find yourself talking about things like competitive research, facebook, pixels or pay per click advertising.
As you can see from this list there are multiple ways teachers find a side hustle to boost their income. Many of these ideas are flexible and can be worked from home at your own pace. If there are any others that you would like to see included on this list then add a comment below,
Which side hustle have you found that works best for you?
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