Side Jobs for Teachers – How to Earn Extra Cash in Education
Let’s talk about side jobs for teachers!
When it comes to earning extra money as teachers, many of us want to stay within education, not doing jobs outside of it. This helps us grow our resume, hone our skills and stay connected to those we love – KIDS! There are several ed-related ways for teachers to earn extra money! Each of these can be added to your resume and will definitely grow your skill set as an educator.
Check out this list of side jobs for teachers and be sure to add more in the comments below! How do you rack up extra cash as an educator?
Start a Teacher Website or Blog
My most successful teacher side hustle has been start a website. I’m passionate about sharing my experiences as an educator, helping other teachers, and earning money while I do it. I set out to supplement my income and have been surprised with the outcome!
For my fellow teachers, I’ve written a FREE step-by-step guide to create a teacher website. I earn through website advertising, sponsored content and CPM traffic.
Look around you! There are millions of teachers who are starting websites and blogs, too. What would you share if you had a website? 🙂
Leadership Opportunities
Many schools and districts have gone to models of teacher leadership where being a department chair or a teacher leader comes with added bonuses: financial bonuses! That’s because these roles often require additional time commitments, and your time is very limited and valuable. These groups will often meet weekly or bi-weekly. They often have a direct hand in shaping initiatives within a school, and provide teachers with excellent opportunities to advance their leadership skills.
Our teacher leadership group designed a teacher-led cell phone policy that WORKS! Read our high school’s story here.
What leadership opportunities exist at your school or within your district? Are there needs within your organization that are unfilled and have financial incentives? Your principal or HR department can tell you more!
This side job for teachers is awesome – I hope you’ll consider it!
Roles with Stipends
Believe it or not, there are many roles in schools that have stipends attached! Band directors, choir directors, student leadership staff, and Class Advisors all might be eligible for annual stipends. Check in with your principal (or HR department) to see what options exist.
Lots of side jobs for teachers happen right after school in the form of club advisors, after school program developers and tutoring. Keep an open mind, put those feelers out and see what’s available!
Perhaps there are no stipend roles at your school right now. Reach out to the other schools in your district or region to see what’s out there. It never hurts to ask!
Tutoring
Tutoring jobs are great side jobs for teachers, and the options come in many forms. First, I can’t tell you how many parents stop by schools and ask about tutoring options for their students who struggle with a subject areas. Leave your name and number in local schools’ counseling offices for just this reason; better yet, leave a small stack of ads or business cards for the school to share (as they see fit). Are you a math teacher who is available to tutor math students in the afternoon or evening? Are you willing to help high schoolers organize scholarships and college applications? These are all side hustles for teachers that are great for outside of contract hours.
Another route is to officially tutor for the school districts. Each district I’ve encountered hires licensed teachers to home-tutor students who, for many reasons, can’t attend school. The schedules are very flexible, usually based on hours-per-week and are perfect for teachers with 8-4 jobs. Contact your district’s Student Services or HR department to see if they have a need or list of available tutors.
Providing Lessons
Whether you’re a musician, singer, or linguist, consider offering your skills to students, colleagues or the community for some extra money! For example, I am a busy professional who is itching to learn Spanish! I can’t commit to classes at a local college, but would definitely pay someone to do conversational Spanish with me weekly. Are you a music teacher who will provide singing lessons? A PE teacher who gives pitching lessons?
What skills do you have (recreational or professional) that could be marketed to others? Try posting an ad on Craigslist, or in the mailroom at your school or surrounding areas. Be sure to charge a competitive rate, and don’t sell yourself short on how much your time is truly worth!
Coaching (Clubs or Athletics)
Coaching is one of the most common side jobs for teachers. Ask any athlete to name someone who has made a major impact on their lives, and they’ll likely name a coach. There’s no doubt that the lessons students learn in athletics and from mentors are often remembered for a lifetime. Fortunately for teacher coaches, not only are they rewarded by impacting the lives of young people; the roles often come with a stipend.
Were you, yourself, also an athlete? A runner? Do you have athletic skills to share with young athletes?
How about other skills that could be shared with a club full of students, such as an interest in cultural diversity, literature or writing, or astronomy?
Perhaps not every club comes with a stipend…yet! Ask your principal to consider providing a stipend for your role, and be ready to make a compelling case as to why you deserve it. Talk about your time commitment and how it positively supports your school’s greater mission.
Perhaps your school doesn’t have any money for additional stipends. Don’t be shy about reaching out to other schools in your district or region to see if they have opportunities! All it takes is one person to say “yes,” and you’re on your way to more dollars.
Selling Materials
Teachers are creative, inventive and very talented! Turn your awesome ideas into cash by selling your ideas on the side.
Websites like Teachers Pay Teachers and Etsy have been providing educators cash on the side for years. Turn your amazing units into dollars; flip your classroom ideas for other teachers to discover.
These websites are very easy to navigate and there are tons of resources online (including Pinterest) to help you get started! Check it out. Neither are ‘get rich quick’ schemes, but will allow you to make a little cash on the side for what you already do.
More Education Yourself
A straightforward way to make more money in education is to work your way across the steps and lanes of your pay scale! That means you’ll need more education and more experience. Have you considered getting into school administration (which is a different pay scale all together)? How about getting an advanced degree to better serve your students? Or Nationally Board Certified?
Many school districts offer tuition reimbursements (although not 100% covered, it’s a nice touch to even get a few hundred bucks toward education). Reach out to your HR department and ask about their tuition reimbursement. Talk to an HR specialist to get clear: what would be an ideal degree to help me earn more money? Keep in mind that just adding more endorsements may or may not get your more cash; talk to your employer before signing up with a university. That way there are no surprises when you’ve finished your program. Make sure your studies will equate to more pay before you sign the dotted line!
Finally, if you’re serious about trying to make some extra cash in education, get on the job update email list from your local school district(s). You’ll receive weekly (or immediate) email updates whenever they post a job, and never miss the opportunity to know when one exists! I also recommend getting on state-wide lists, so you always have an idea what types of opportunities are out there.
What About Jobs That Aren’t School-Related?
I know lots of educators who have teacher side hustles throughout the year, and especially during the summer!
Here’s a few common side jobs for teachers I hear about often:
Lyft/Uber Drivers
Digital Marketplaces (like TeachersPayTeachers or Etsy)
Online Surveys and Influencing: The top companies I have heard of are Survey Junkie and Unique Rewards.
Flipping Products Online (like Ebay) – I know someone who shop shop shops! Then sell sell sells ALL summer.
Share some ideas below of how you or others make some extra cash in the summer or on the side!
Take care!
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