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Last Updated on February 17, 2022 by Daniella
Looking for side hustles for teachers? Being a teacher is a rewarding, well-respected profession. As a teacher you’re teaching our youth, helping mold them into educated adults that will run the world.
Teachers are so important to society but unfortunately, it’s not the highest paid job.
As a teacher, starting out you might be working on a lower salary. According to Payscale, the average teacher’s salary is just under $50,000 per year. This is in line with the average starting salary in Houston, Texas of around $53,000/year though this amount will vary based on where you teach.
If you feel like you want to grow your income, there are plenty of side hustles for teachers that will work. Keep reading to discover these 8 side hustles that I think are a great fit for educators.
Table of Contents
8 Side Hustles for Teachers
1. Online Instructor
An online instructor is someone who teaches a subject online. This could be related to the subject you teach in your job or it could be on a totally different subject based on your expertise, passions, and interests.
Working as an online instructor is desirable because:
- The hours are flexible
- You’re the boss
- Unlimited income potential
You start by picking a niche. This is where you’ll discover what subject you’ll teach. It can be on anything from watercolor painting to knitting, meal prepping for a large family, budgeting for families, piano, French, etc.
Next, begin to develop your curriculum. Pick a platform to set up your online course like:
Some of these online platforms will cost you to join. Others will be free but they’ll take a percentage of your sales from each course you sell.
Teachable and Thinkific are good if you want a lot of control in how you sell your online courses. You’ll be able to set your own prices, run your own promotions, design your sales page the way you want, etc.
Thinkific has a basic free plan to test drive their platform. The paid monthly membership will get you access to more features and services, starting at around $29 to $79 per month, depending on the platform you pick, Thinkific or Teachable.
Udemy and Skillshare are both marketplaces. You can join them both for free, upload your course, and start making money as students begin discovering your course and taking it online.
Udemy pays you a portion of each course sale you get and Skillshare pays you based on the number of minutes that students consume from your course. You’ll have restrictions on pricing, design, and other things but, if you have a limited budget, you won’t have to pay any upfront costs on either of these marketplaces.
There’s a big market for online education and you could discover a passion that will be both rewarding and fruitful teaching online. Not to mention, this a passive income opportunity for you so after you create your course, little to no maintenance will be required in the future.
2. Tutoring
Tutoring is about helping students excel in subjects like math, history, science, etc. This is a good part-time opportunity that will be closely in line with the work you do teaching.
You can teach in person or online and earn an average of $25/hour, according to this source. Some tutors earn as much as $7,500 per month tutoring online for places like this.
Another good place to find tutoring jobs is Wyzant. They connect students with tutors. Head to Wyzant to learn more about their tutoring opportunities and get started.
3. Digital Products
Selling digital products is a way to add an extra income stream passively while serving your audience. You start by picking a niche, figuring out what audience you’ll serve and what products you can create for them.
The goal is for your products to be a solution to your audience’s pain point.
For example, for moms struggling to stay organized you can create a digital planner. Or, for business owners who don’t know how to post to Instagram, you can make Instagram post templates.
Here are some other examples of digital products you can sell:
- Sales page templates
- Social media templates
- Website themes
- Printables for organization, meal prepping, cleaning, etc.
- Courses
- Ebooks
- Digital calendars
- Digital art
You can create many of these products using a free tool like Canva and sell your digital products on your own website powered by a platform like Shopify. You can also look to sell your products on marketplaces like Etsy or Creative Market.
Making one or multiple digital products gives you a chance to serve your audience in many ways and grow your income.
4. Sell Your Skill
Another side hustle for teachers is through selling your skills. This will be based on what you teach in school.
If you’re an English teacher, sell English teaching-related products. If you teach math, science, or other subjects, do the same.
Here are some examples:
- Math teachers could sell math flash cards they create
- Sell lesson plans or syllabus templates to all teachers
- Science teachers can sell science project educational materials
You can make products to help other teachers. This can even include stamps, buttons, pins, tumblers, signs, lanyards, etc.
This is an opportunity to get crafty and sell stuff that would benefit other teachers like you. Go to marketplaces like Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers to list and sell your products.
5. Teaching English Online
Join an ESL program like VIPKID and make money teaching English online to students. You’ll work part-time from home, teaching small classes, earning up to $26 per hour for your time.
These companies usually require a bachelor’s degree or teaching certificate so it’s the perfect fit for teachers!
For more on this, read these 10 companies that will pay you to teach and work from anywhere.
6. Freelance Writing
Freelance writers get paid to write for others. You could do ghostwriting, copywriting, direct response writing, content writing, etc.
There are a ton of companies that are always on the hunt to find writers. Typically no specific educational requirements or writing background is required. If you’re a strong writer then this job might be just what you’re looking for!
You can find writing jobs that pay you up to $100 to $1,000 per project! Head to these places to start finding writing work:
Check out the 5 best freelance writing jobs to explore today.
7. Online Panels and Focus Groups
Paid research studies like online panels, focus groups are an opportunity to make money remotely, sharing your personal opinion. It’s similar to survey-taking where you share your opinion and make money but, panels and focus groups are higher paying and more time-intensive.
They’re a good side hustle to check out because they’re flexible, part-time and can make you money with little work.
You can earn up to $50 to $400 for each panel or focus group you participate in. Studies range from testing out software to giving feedback, completing an action, interviews about a certain subject or expertise, clinical studies, sleep studies, and more.
Here are some companies that you can join for free to get started:
8. Blogging
Blogging is a fun side hustle that lets you express yourself, share your story, and connect with an audience online.
First, you pick a niche that you want to blog about like parenting, homeschooling, baking, finance, travel, etc.
Next, build your blog.
Lastly, create content!
For an easy step-by-step guide on how to start a blog, click here.
Blogging can be part-time or full-time. It’s flexible and lets you work from home on a fun and fulfilling project for yourself.
Here are some ways you can monetize your blog:
- Affiliate marketing
- Advertising
- Sponsorships
- Your own products and services
Blogging is a slow and steady race so be prepared that you might not make money your first month or your first year.
But, a lot of bloggers do make money and some even earn a substantial living, raking in six to seven figures per year!
A lot of bloggers even start making a six figure income within their first year, like this blogger.
Check out how these 13 bloggers make money from their blogs.
Start a Money Making Blog Free Email Course
In this free 5 day email course, I show you everything from creating your blog from scratch, to SEO keyword research strategies, basic branding, creating an email list, social media strategies and monetization strategies to start building a profitable blog.
Sign up for the newsletter to receive regular updates and get instant access to the free course.
Requirements for Starting a Side Hustle
Starting a side hustle can be an exciting venture. Most of the side hustles for teachers on our list only require your time and a computer to get started.
Some may require you join a website or platform like Etsy, Udemy, or others.
If you’re starting a side hustle alongside your day job, here are some best practices that can help:
- Take action
- Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself
- Delegate duties outside your scope of expertise
- Balance your day job and side hustle
- Go slow and try not to get burnt out
- Practice work/life balance
How to Get Started with a Side Hustle?
Begin by evaluating your interests and passions. Think about things you enjoy doing, areas that you’re an expert in, and how you can help others with your knowledge.
Then, prepare for the long haul.
Making money with a side hustle doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re looking for a side job with a more stable income that can start as soon as you begin, focus on side hustles where you’ll be employed by a company like tutoring or ESL teaching.
Others on the list may come with more income potential but a slower startup so just be prepared for that when you begin.
Above all, just start.
If you’re ready for this, take action and move toward starting your side hustle!
Final Thoughts on Side Hustles for Teachers
That wraps up our roundup on 8 side hustles for teachers. What do you think? Share your comments below on which side hustle you’re leaning toward.
Related:
- Side Hustle Statistics 2021: The Increasing Number of People Starting Side Hustles
- How My Side Hustle Income Helped Me Buy My First House
- 5 Reasons Your Doctor Has a Side Hustle
- Should You Tell Your Employer About Your Side Hustle?
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