The long-awaited summer break is finally on the horizon.
After a long year of teaching, you’re probably ready for a break.
Warm weather, long days at the beach, and time with your family sounds great in April, but how long can you really stay home without getting bored?
Many teachers take time off for a few weeks and then opt to find a seasonal job in the summer.
This leaves just enough time to go on a vacation or spend time with your family but you won’t feel like you wasted your time.
Summer vacation is a great time to find part-time work doing something you enjoy.
Whether you want to continue teaching, spend your days outside in the warm summer sun, or work from the comfort of your home, you’re bound to find a perfect fit.
The Best Summer Jobs for Teachers (Overview)
We’ve included an overview of our top picks below. For detailed information on each pick, scroll down.
- Educate
- Tutor
- ESL
- Test Prep
- Community Courses
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
- Camp Counselor
- Sports Coach
- Babysitter
- Lifeguard
- Pet Sitter
Work from Home
- Turn Your Hobby Into a Business
- Sell Your Stuff
- Try Data Entry
- Become a Proofreader
- Work as a Virtual Assistant
- Drive With Rideshare Services
- Deliver Food for Local Restaurants
Summer Jobs for Teachers
So, what can you do in the summer?
The options are endless.
Use this list to find your ideal summer job.
Educate
If the thought of taking eight whole weeks off of teaching is too much, you can find a job that allows you to continue to teach.
There are plenty of teacher jobs available in the summer.
Most of these allow you to use your own skill set and set your own schedule.
The best part about a teaching job is that you can try out different subjects, ages, and formats
To top it all off, most of these options are indoors.
Take a break from the summer heat and spend some time in the air conditioning.
Here are a few teaching opportunities to try out this summer:
Tutor
Tutoring is a perfect option if you’re looking for something flexible.
You can choose to work a few hours a week or full-time.
This option truly allows you to create your own schedule.
After the summer, you may even find that you would like to continue tutoring as a second job.
Additionally, you can choose to tutor in the subject and age group that you teach all year, or you can try something new.
Maybe you want to work with older kids who need extra help with math or you want to help out younger kids who are struggling with learning to read.
Whatever your academic interests are, you can find a way to use them to help out kids and still earn money. It’s a win-win.
Resource:
Companies Hiring Tutors:
ESL
Why not spend your summer teaching English?
Helping kids who are learning English as a second language is a great option.
Often times, these children can benefit from continuing their education throughout the summer.
There are plenty of opportunities to make an impact teaching ESL.
Resource:
Companies Hiring ESL Teachers:
Test Prep
It’s never too early to start preparing for standardized tests.
These big exams tend to cause a lot of anxiety, so why not help ease some of that by helping students study?
There are a host of tests to choose from, like the SAT, ACT, IB, and AP.
Spending a few hours a week teaching students how to tackle standardized tests, manage anxiety, and prepare for the big day is invaluable.
A lot of parents would love to hire an experienced teacher through Care.com to help their son or daughter prepare for standardized tests.
Resource:
Companies Hiring Teachers for Test Prep:
Community Courses
If you want to try something different, why not teach a class at the library?
Planning a class or workshop at your local library is a great way to connect with your town this summer.
There are endless topics you can cover from teaching adults how to use computers to teaching a foreign language.
Choose something you enjoy and meet new people in your local community.
Resource:
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Do you want to spend your summer outside, but you still want to work?
Take a break from lesson plans and soak up the sun with these outdoorsy jobs.
Camp Counselor
This is a fun option if you want to feel like a kid again.
Continue working with kids and spend some time outside as a camp counselor.
This is a popular option for teachers who want to break up their year by teaching kids to swim, play sports, and other do fun activities.
You can find opportunities online or in your local community.
Sports Coach
Did you play a sport when you were younger?
Check your local town or school teams for opportunities to lead a camp session or coach a team.
Spend the summer coaching baseball, lacrosse, soccer, or any other sport that your town offers to kids.
Another bonus is that practice is typically only a few times a week, so you still have plenty of free time.
Babysitter
Spend some time with younger kids this summer.
Babysitting is a great way to make extra money.
Look for babysitting opportunities online through websites like Care.com, or ask around in your neighborhood or among friends.
This is a great way to spend time with just one or two kids instead of a group.
This job tends to be lower stress, but still fun.
As a bonus, parents are more likely to trust teachers like you with their children.
Companies Hiring Babysitters:
Lifeguard
If you’re a certified lifeguard, why not spend the summer at the beach?
Get paid to spend your days in the sun.
You can do this at a community pool, camp, or even the beach depending on your qualifications and experience.
Alternatively, swim instructors are always in demand during the summer.
These are great summer jobs for anyone who loves to swim and teach.
Check online job listings, local camps, and your community beaches or pools for opportunities.
Pet Sitter
Do you want to spend more time with animals this summer?
Plenty of busy people need others to help walk their furry friend for them.
If you love dogs, cats, or other animals, pet sitting could be a joyful summer job.
As a dog walker you can control your hours and adjust your schedule as needed.
Resource:
Comapnies Hiring Pet Sitters
Work from Home
Do you just want to stay home this summer?
Sometimes you just need an excuse to spend a little time at home.
Alternatively, maybe you’re traveling to visit relatives or taking a vacation this summer.
While there are tons of travel jobs available, we’ll leave that topic for another post.
But just because you can’t commit to a traditional part-time job doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the chance to earn extra cash.
Most of these only require a computer and internet access.
As long as you have those two things, you can take your work anywhere.
You can check job boards online for remote or freelance job listings.
Here are a few ideas:
Turn Your Hobby Into a Business
What do you enjoy doing?
If you like writing, painting, photography, or almost any other creative hobby you might be able to turn it into a business.
The great thing about the digital age is that you can create your own business or side hustle at home.
You can start a blog to write about your hobbies or become a freelancer.
There are thousands of opportunities online for freelance writing, graphic design, web design, and other in-demand skills.
Resource:
Our Favorite Hobbies Turned Side Hustle:
Sell Your Stuff
If you have clothes, books, or really any items that are in good condition, you can try selling them online.
Sell your clothes on apps like Poshmark. Post your used books on Amazon or have a yard sale.
You can even sell old furniture on Facebook Marketplace.
Why leave unused items sitting around your house if you can use them to make extra money?
Our Favorite Ways to Sell Stuff:
Try Data Entry
Data entry is a great option if you want to make money without starting a business.
If you have an eye for accuracy and love doing detail-oriented work, check out online job boards for data entry gigs.
Most of these opportunities allow you to put in as many hours as you want.
Keep your schedule flexible while still earning money.
Resource:
Become a Proofreader
Do you find great joy in taking a fresh red pen to an essay?
As a teacher, you are more than qualified to work as a proofreader.
You can proofread and edit college admissions essays, find work on Craigslist or Upwork, or work with authors who self-publish their work.
Resource:
Work as a Virtual Assistant
If you can manage schedules, send emails, and take phone calls you are qualified to work as a virtual assistant.
This is an easy way to make someone else’s life simpler and earn money.
You can find these opportunities on job boards or even Craigslist.
Resource:
Companies Hiring Virtual Assistants:
Do you love to drive?
Why not work for Uber or Lyft?
All you need to get started is a car that meets the criteria set by the company and a license.
Depending on where you live, you can earn a decent amount of money while setting your own hours.
Companies Hiring Rideshare Drivers:
Deliver Food for Local Restaurants
Just like the last option, delivering for on-demand delivery services is a great way to create your own schedule and spend some time out of the house.
Online food delivery services are in huge demand right now, and the demand should only get stronger as time goes on.
Companies Hiring Delivery Drivers:
Find Fun Summer Jobs That Fit Your Personality
You worked hard all school year molding young minds — don’t resort to a summer job that makes you miserable.
If a fun summer job on this list catches your interest, get a head start on applying.
Your time off from your normal job can be even more fun than your other nine months of the year, and you can pocket enough cash to get you through the long summer months.
