Teaching is undoubtedly a noble profession that contributes to the shaping of young minds and the future.
However, with the complex economic landscape ahead, it’s hard for everyone to tackle all financial challenges, and teachers aren’t an exception.
So, how can you find teacher side hustles? And what are the best job options? And how can you balance between the two roles?
Those are a few of the questions we’re determined to answer in this article.
At a Glance
- Tutoring gigs – Leveraging your skills
- Online teaching – Convenient use of skills
- Curriculum development – Your job at a larger scope
- Freelance writing and editing – Best for language teachers
- Coaching and mentoring – Addressing the humanitarian side of teaching
- Educational consulting – Mixing teaching with business
- Online content creation – Integrating fun with experience
- Virtual assistant – Branching out and exploring new options
Getting Started with Teacher Side Hustles
What Are Teacher Side Hustles?
There are plenty of side job opportunities that could work well, as a teacher can leverage skills they probably already have.
These include tutoring, online teaching, curriculum development, freelance writing and editing, coaching and mentoring, educational consulting, online content creation, arts and crafts, virtual assistance, and pet or house sitting.
Why Should You Consider a Teacher Side Hustle?
The examples mentioned earlier are excellent choices for a teacher because the skills and requirements necessary for them probably already exist in a teacher.
Tutors, online classes, educational consulting, and coaching and mentoring all need someone who can convey information well, which is why they’re popular side hustles for teachers.
On the other hand, translation, online content creation, and writing require fluency and a good command of languages, which is also something a teacher would be good at, especially if they teach the language they’ll translate to or write in.
The Best Teacher Side Hustles at a Glance
What Is the Best Side Hustle for a Teacher Year-Round?
Anything online, like tutoring, online teaching, freelance writing, educational consulting, and virtual assistance, would be viable choices.
Accordingly, the best side hustle for a teacher all year round would ideally be working where you only dedicate part-time hours, fit the schedule according to the school day, don’t require a lot of investment, and match a teacher’s skill set.
Contrarily, arts and crafts will require a lot of time on the pieces as well as time to customize the art.
What Is the Best Side Hustle for a Teacher In the Summer?
Since you can dedicate a lot more time during the summer, arts and crafts would be a suitable summer project.
Alternatively, you can look into pet and house sitting, which isn’t as doable during schooling season and are perfect summer jobs for teachers.
The Best Teacher Side Hustles
Without further ado, here’s a list of side hustle ideas with an overview of the cost to start and where to find each of them.
1. Tutoring Gigs
One of the most viable options for a lucrative side hustle for a teacher is being a tutor. The subject you teach would be an easy way to land tutoring gigs, but you can still explore other subjects to tutor.
Costs of Tutoring Gigs
Being a teacher saves you the need to get certification for your qualifications or expertise. However, if you’re going to stray from your teaching subject or want to be more extensive in your tutoring, think about getting certified.
You’ll also need resources and materials to use as references. Another aspect to think about is whether you’ll rent a venue to give your lessons or whether you’ll offer at-home lessons.
The first scenario means additional rental costs, while the second means transportation costs.
Marketing and advertising are two of the most crucial necessities for the success of your tutoring gigs as well.
Finally, you should invest some money into preparing equipment and technology. This includes software for online preparation, tracking, and grading assignments.
Where to Find Tutoring Gigs
There are a couple of channels and platforms that can help you find tutoring gigs, especially online ones, as they make it easier to link tutors and students.
Those include local schools, educational institutions, personal networking, and or an online platform like Tutor.com, Wyzant, Chegg Tutors, and Varsity Tutors.
You can also explore opportunities at local community centers and libraries, social media and online communities, school bulletins and newsletters, tutoring agencies, and online classifieds and job boards like Indeed and Craigslist.
2. Selling Online Courses
With the rise of e-learning platforms, you can explore the opportunity of teaching online courses, webinars, or workshops.
Since you already have knowledge on the subject, you can share it with a global audience and make some money in your free time while sitting at home.
Cost of Selling Online Courses
Much like the tutoring gigs, you’ll need to prepare with some resources, materials, and strong marketing to reach a wide base of people and convert them into customers.
You do save on the cost of transportation, but you’ll need to spend more on technology as your students will only be able to reach you virtually.
Invest in a good platform with multiple options for managing educational materials, such as lessons, references, quizzes, final tests, and assignments.
Where to Sell Online Courses
There are plenty of digital platforms where you can sell your courses online. These include Udemy, Teachable, Skillshare, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Thinkific, Podia, and Kajabi.
Each platform has its pros and cons as well as various pricing strategies, so make sure you understand how it works and whether it’ll suit your teaching style and budget.
3. Curriculum Development
If you’ve been working as a teacher for some time, you’re probably good at understanding the importance of the flow of a curriculum and tying certain information and chapters together.
This is especially true if you’ve taught multiple grades at once or put together lesson plans getting more exposure to various levels of the same information.
You can use this knowledge and make money from curriculum development. It’s a great option for retired teachers too.
Cost of Becoming a Curriculum Developer
While curriculum development comes off as intuitive for someone who has taught for many years, it’s still crucial to have the foundations of the craft locked and demonstrable.
That’s why you need to get a degree or certificate to show clients that you can develop a curriculum properly. Ideally, you can get certified for curriculum development, and many organizations offer the course, including BCSP, Microsoft, NAUI, RID, IWA, and PMI.
You’ll also need to improve your abilities to land better and higher-paying jobs, which will incur extra costs.
Finally, joining a professional organization to help you with your curriculum development, instructional design, and education can help you expedite your processes.
Joining an organization gives you the chance to network, access more resources, and attend professional development events.
These organizations do require a membership fee, which is another cost you should take into consideration.
Where to Find Curriculum Development Jobs
Curriculum development jobs interestingly come from the same channels you learn about them—universities, professional organizations, and communities.
You can find a couple of options online and through communities on Facebook. Still, the easiest way to land a curriculum developer job is through networking and live communities.
4. Freelance Writing and Editing
If you’re a language teacher, you can use that in your favor and land a side gig as a writer or even an editor.
There are plenty of writing and editing jobs available in the gig market, as writing has plenty of one-time projects.
You can specialize in writing website bios, product reviews and recommendations, magazine articles, blog posts, or social media posts.
Cost of Becoming a Freelance Writer or Editor
The best thing about freelance writing or editing jobs is that you can start without any kind of investment—all you need is to demonstrate language skills.
You can easily do that by sharing things you’ve written with the person hiring, and you can do that through blog posts you’ve previously written or a free portfolio profile on Contently.com.
You can even send them a Word document or a link to a Google Doc of an article you’ve written.
Of course, you can land higher-paying jobs if you’re certified to write about certain topics, like medical, legal, or financial ones, but you can still start basically for free.
Where to Find Freelance Writing or Editing Jobs
Since there’s an abundance of writing jobs, you’ll find plenty of editing jobs, too. You can find both on freelance websites like Fiverr.com, Freelancer.com, and Upwork.
You can also check out content marketplaces such as Constant Content and Textbroker. Finally, ProBlogger Job Board and BloggingPro Job Board list some viable options in various industries, while LinkedIn and Facebook Groups have communities to help you land a job.
5. Coaching and Mentoring
Teachers can become coaches or mentors to provide guidance to educators at various career stages.
As a teacher, you can use development workshops, group sessions, or one-on-one coaching sessions when it comes to offering education and training services.
Cost of Becoming a Coach or Mentor
It’s true that coaching and mentoring don’t require formal education, but you can still get certified to showcase your skills and credibility, and that certification costs $900 on average.
Coaching and mentorship are some of those jobs where you’ll shine the most when you integrate into communities, and those include professional memberships.
Joining an organization will help you access new resources, network with others, and develop your professional skills.
Yet, the membership fees can range from a few tens to several hundred dollars.
Where to Find Coaching or Mentoring Jobs
Joining organizations is your best bet to find a coaching or mentoring job, as they typically maintain a roster that helps you find opportunities within your niche.
You can also seek out corporations or organizations that are looking for coaches or mentors to support their employees. While this job hunt route is harder, it’s fruitful as these jobs tend to pay higher.
Finally, networking through coaching and mentoring platforms helps you land jobs as well, whether through word-of-mouth recommendations or through creating an appealing profile.
6. Educational Consulting
One of the best ways to leverage your expertise as a teacher is to provide consultation to schools, educational organizations, and even businesses.
This can involve curriculum development advice, educational program evaluation, and instructional strategies.
Cost of Becoming an Educational Consultant
While it’s not necessary to have a degree to become an educational consultant, having one in education, educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, or a related field will get you further.
This will include the cost of books, tuition, and any additional expenses related to getting a degree.
It also helps if you showcase that you’re up-to-speed regarding the field, which means you’ll have to attend conferences, webinars, workshops, or specialized training programs.
Typically, these events require signing-up fees, especially if they’re going to give you any sort of certification.
You can’t forget the cost of marketing and advertising as well. To land any job as an educational consultant, you’re going to have to spread the word about yourself effectively.
This can include Facebook promotional posts, whose cost can range from $0.26 to $3.00 for every thousand impressions or clicks.
Where to Find Educational Consulting Jobs
You can opt for online job boards such as Indeed, LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, or Monster.
An alternative would be education consulting websites, including Independent Educational Consultants Associations (IECA) or the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) job boards.
Finally, networking or recommendations would be an effective way to land an educational consulting job.
7. Online Content Creation
If you’re social media savvy, you can start an education channel on YouTube or TikTok. By sharing teaching methods, tips, and resources, you can appeal to a large audience.
The further you expand your audience, the more money you’ll be able to make, especially through ad revenue or sponsored content.
Cost of Becoming an Online Content Creator
Like writing and translation, you can break into online content creation without spending any money except whatever you spend on your internet connection.
If you’re going to provide your services to an entity instead of creating your own content, you’ll need to showcase your skills, which doesn’t require a lot of investment, but you’ll have to spend time creating a proper portfolio.
Where to Find Online Content Creation Jobs
Content creation, such as blog posts, YouTube videos, or Facebook videos, merely requires creating this content and marketing it.
Contrarily, if you’re going to provide content creation for someone else, you can find some solid gigs on Fiverr.com, Freelancer.com, and Upwork.com.
8. Virtual Assistant
As a teacher, you’ve probably worked on numberless schedules and managed to take on multiple tasks at once.
These skills would make you an excellent virtual assistant, as you’ll be able to provide administrative support, scheduling, and communication assistance to businesses or individuals.
Cost of Becoming a Virtual Assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant requires some training and education, and there are plenty of online courses and programs to teach you the skills. These courses can range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars.
You’ll also need software that helps you manage your tasks. Apart from a computer or phone and internet access, you’ll need one or two productivity software programs that keep you on top of your tasks.
Don’t forget about the cost of marketing, as you’ll need your potential clients to find you through promotional content and paid ads.
Where to Find Virtual Assistant Jobs
You can look for virtual assistant jobs through online job boards or specific websites for virtual assistants, such as the Virtual Assistant Directory.
You’ll also find gigs on freelancing websites such as Fiverr.com and Freelancer.com.
Social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are also good options. Finally, word-of-mouth and networking are your best bets.
How to Start a Side Hustle as a Teacher
Starting a side hustle as a teacher can be a great way to explore your passion in a different way that grants you extra income. Here are a couple of aspects to keep in mind:
1. Choose a side hustle that fits your skills and interests
What aspects of teaching are you best at? Which ones pique your interest the most? What skills and knowledge can you benefit others with? Once you have a good idea of what you want to do, you can start looking for appropriate side hustles that suit it.
2. Set realistic goals
Don’t expect to make a fortune from your side job overnight. It takes time to build a name for yourself and your business. Think about a certain amount of money you aim to make each month or a number of hours you’re willing to put in per week.
3. Create a business plan
Your business plan should include your milestones, plans, and financial aspirations. Doing so helps you stay on track and make informed decisions regarding your side hustle.
4. Market yourself
Let potential customers know that you have a side hustle! You can do so by networking with friends and family or through your presence on social media and websites.
5. Educate yourself on legal considerations
Depending on the side hustle you pick, there will be legal and tax implications involved. Stay ahead of trouble, and educate yourself on these matters before working on your side business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Can Teachers Save the Most Money?
According to Teach Away, the best places to save money teaching abroad are the United Arab Emirates, China, Kuwait, South Korea, and Kazakhstan.
As for the best places to save money teaching English, those would be Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, and the Czech Republic, according to CIEE.
What Sells Well on Teachers Pay Teachers?
This marketplace for PreK–12 resources is highly interested in teacher planners, classroom decor, printable task cards, morning work, and sub-plans.
Generally speaking, you can see the “Popular Now” section in the search bar to help you decide what you’ll be offering to sell next.
Wrapping Up
Beyond the classroom, a teacher would have a wealth of skills and talents that could be used to make some extra income.
Whether you’re seeking a second job, a side hustle for more money, or to pursue your favorite passion, working two jobs will definitely broaden your horizons while making you better off financially.
However, you still have to do your due diligence to be able to get started and keep going.
Yet, with ample preparation and enough passion, you can strike a balance between your full-time teaching job and whatever side hustle you end up doing.
