Teaching is a noble, rewarding profession that forms the backbone of our society. But it's not always the best-paying job. As such, many teachers turn to side hustles to meet their financial needs. Fortunately, there are numerous opportunities to choose from.
Are you looking to bring in a little extra cash as a teacher? We explore 30 different side hustle opportunities waiting for you.
How Many Teachers Have Second Jobs?
A 2024 survey revealed that 49% of teachers are working a second job this summer as a way to supplement their primary source of income.
However, working all year to then switch to a second job to work all summer is not an appealing prospect, and can lead to exhaustion and burnout. Thankfully, there is another way.
Side hustles give teachers more flexibility and additional financing options, so they can continue doing what they love. After all, nothing can feel more emotionally and mentally draining than feeling overworked and underpaid, and ultimately starting to resent doing something you're passionate about.
How Difficult is it to Start a Side Hustle?
Starting a side hustle is easier than ever these days and you don't have to invest a huge amount of time or resources. There are plenty of ways that you can turn your skills or hobbies into profitable ventures.
With their diverse skill sets and structured schedules, teachers are especially well-positioned to succeed and make decent amounts from various side hustles.
30 Side Hustles That Are Perfect for Teachers
After-School Side Hustles
This first set of side-hustles are flexible and can be done with just a few hours, making them perfect to fit in after school hours end.
1. Dog Walking
As a teacher, you can extend your nurturing nature beyond your classroom and into the world of pet care. Fortunately, many platforms like Rover now allow you to channel your love for pets into a rewarding side hustle as a dog walker or pet sitter.
Dog walking earnings can vary depending on the number of dogs you're looking after and the number of hours you commit to this side gig. On average, a dog walking side job can earn you $15 an hour.
2. Delivery Driving
Getting into the delivery driver business offers a flexible way to earn extra income outside your classroom. These earnings can also vary based on the delivery distance, tips and peak delivery times. Signing up for most delivery driver services, such as DoorDash, Instacart, or Uber Eats, is also relatively straightforward.
This side hustle can make you an average of $19 an hour, excluding potential earning tips. However, you must have a reliable vehicle, a valid driver's license, and meet other eligibility criteria set by the delivery service.
3. Babysitting
As a teacher, you're likely already tuned to the behaviors and needs of children. Therefore, babysitting should feel more natural as it allows you to leverage your caregiving skills and experience. Many platforms like Care.com and Sittercity are great places to connect with families looking for babysitters to look after their children.
The pay for babysitting usually depends on the number of children you're looking after, their ages, and the going rate in your area. On average, babysitting can make you around $15 an hour per child.
4. House Sitting
House sitting is probably one of the simpler side hustles you can take on. You can earn extra income watching other people's homes while they're away.
However, house sitting is a big responsibility and few people entrust their homes to strangers. But it's a side hustle you can start easily on platforms like Care.com, with the going rate of about $16 an hour.
5. Tutoring
As a teacher, this side gig is one of the most rewarding ways to earn extra income, especially during summer breaks. The pay for tutoring typically depends on your school district, but beyond its financial advantages, it provides teachers with a unique opportunity to engage with their students in a more laid-back, less formal setting.
One of the best ways to kickstart your tutoring side hustle is to check with your school or nearby centers to identify available opportunities. This side gig can make you an average of $25 an hour.
6. Rideshare Driver
This side hustle is better suited to teachers with free hours on weeknights and weekends. Ridesharing platforms like Uber and Lyft are great places to start.
However, you must have a reliable vehicle, a valid driver's license, and a spotless driving record to qualify as a driver for most ridesharing platforms.
The average rideshare driver can make about $18 an hour before tips and bonuses for exceptional service.
7. Reselling Goods
If you like shopping and get great deals on your purchases, you can turn this into a hustle. Reselling your rare finds for a profit is a great way to earn extra income. You can hunt for cheap items at thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace, then resell your finds locally or online for a profit.
Reselling goods can be very lucrative, especially if you're an expert in finding highly sought-after items, such as vintage lamps or wool sweaters. You can also refurbish or repair items before listing them for more profit.
Weekend Side Hustles
The following side hustles can't be completed before or after school, but are a great way for teachers to make extra income on the weekend.
8. Yard Work
Got a bit of a green thumb? There's a big market for yard work services, with the average price for lawn mowing between $40 and $50. This means you can earn up to $500 per week mowing 5 to 6 lawns on the weekends.
You can also offer additional services, such as landscaping, gardening, and seasonal cleanups, to boost your income. Providing package deals or discounts for returning customers can also attract regular clientele.
9. Teach Yoga
If you love working out, then why not turn this into a side gig? You can sign up to teach yoga classes at your local gym or start online yoga classes. Fitness teaching is convenient because you follow set schedules, meaning you'll know when you'll be working out and for how long. Teaching Yoga can net you on average $31 an hour.
Plus, becoming a part-time Yoga teacher offers up even more opportunities to make money, like selling Yoga programs, one-on-one lessons, and even starting a Yoga community.
10. Try Café Work
Most teachers turn to coffee for the energy boost they need to get through the day. So, the chances are you know all the best café shops in your area. If you love the cafe environment, why not spend a couple of hours on a weekend serving customers and earning cash?
Take an early shift and work until midday and you can still have the whole weekend ahead of you. You can earn on average $15 an hour as a cafe employee.
11. Sell Your Home Baking
People love cakes, pies, cookies, and all the sweet goods. This can be a great side hustle if you enjoy baking and trying different recipes. Start making gorgeous cakes or cookies, post them online, and get people talking about them.
You can harness the power of social media and word of mouth to spread your business. Over time, you'll have many repeat customers who won't stop singing your praises. However, we advise you to look up local laws for baking and selling baked goodies out of your home before starting this side hustle.
12. Lead Kids' Extracurricular Activities
Many schools nationwide have extracurricular activities, such as sports, speech decathlons, science Olympiads, and other after-school clubs. The good news is that most schools prefer sourcing staff members internally to oversee these.
You can lead and guide students in their extracurricular activities. And while it may vary from school to school, most positions are often entitled to extra pay beyond what you'll already be making.
13. Sell Goods at the Markets
Do you have a knack for sewing? Like creating things? Good at building? One of the best ways to make some money is by selling things at your local markets.
Simply rent a booth, lay out your merchandise, and wait for customers. Also, don't forget to take photos if you're considering tapping into the online market.
Passive Ways to Earn Money
14. Rent Out Your House
Rather than work during the summer, you can rent out your entire house on Airbnb or Vrbo for extra income if you're planning to travel during summer breaks. You'll be making money while off somewhere else spending it.
Many house-renting platforms, such as Airbnb, also offer insurance, charge guests directly, and are easy to set up.
15. Rent Out a Spare Room
Don't have a whole house to spare? That's fine, you can also rent out a spare room. Even a storage shed or empty garage can make for a great renting space. Platforms like Neighbor let clients rent out unused spaces for extra money and are backed by an insurance policy. Simply sign up on your preferred platform and list your available spare room.
Always check the approval process before renting your space. You must know what to expect when renting spare rooms to other people and how to manage bookings effectively.
16. Rent Out Your Car
By now you see where we are going with this - renting out what you aren't using. Renting out your car is another great side hustle to make extra money. Of course, it pays to be careful when letting strangers drive your car around, so use a service like Turo or Zipcar to facilitate the car-sharing process.
17. Sell Digital Products
Selling digital products is an ideal side gig for teachers looking to channel their creative skills. Digital products may include graphic design elements, printables, eBooks, templates, or online courses.
However, before you start selling digital products, you must thoroughly research your competition and product niche and identify your unique selling point.
Online Side Hustles
This final group of side hustles is the best of the bunch - these are all money-making opportunities that you can do entirely online, so you don't even have to leave your house!
18. Freelance Writing
As a teacher, your extensive knowledge of specific subjects is invaluable when it comes to turning your expertise into content. Freelance writing allows you to create various written materials, including blog posts, web content, articles and copy for advertisements.
You'll need to research diverse topics to ensure accuracy and adapt your writing style to fit your target audiences or platforms. Platforms like Upwork allow writers to leverage their expertise, especially in academic and subject-based content. Hourly rate depends on experience, from $15 to beginners up to $150 for expert writers.
19. Proofreading
Got an eye for detail? This side hustle requires an in-depth understanding of grammar and is perfect for teachers. As a proofreader, you'll be required to meticulously review text to correct grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors.
Proofreading is about precision. Therefore, you must have a solid grasp of style conventions and use a meticulous approach that guarantees error-free content. On average, you can expect to earn somewhere around $28-$32 an hour.
20. Sell Lesson Plans
As a teacher, you likely already have a standout lesson plan from one of your classes. Platforms like Upwork and Teachers Pay Teachers are great avenues to monetize your unique lesson plans. The earnings potential of lesson plans hinges on the quality and popularity of the content, and of course you set the price of your product. The beauty of this side hustle is that your plans can be sold over and over again, meaning you create it once and keep earning.
Using this side hustle, you can generate passive income even long after the initial work is done. To maximize your earnings, you can sell lesson plans on Whop - we take only a 3% cut of your sales, and there are no fees to join or use the platform.
21. Podcasting
Starting a podcast is a natural step for teachers to share their insights or passions with others, and it can be done with just a few hours a week. However, the amount you make can vary widely. Most people who start podcasts don't end up making any money from this side hustle, while others can make as much as $500 to $900 per episode.
It all comes down to you how monetize. If you rely on sponsorships or ad revenue then you may earn very little to start. But if you sell access to a paid community centred around your podcast, paid premium content, and even merch, you can really turn this side hustle into a big opportunity.
22. Become a Virtual Assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant may be a great fit for teachers with organizational and administrative skills. Virtual assistants help clients by performing tasks like handling emails, scheduling appointments, and maintaining databases.
Having proficiency in digital tools, strong organizational skills, excellent time management, and excellent communication skills is a must for this gig. You can earn between $15-30 an hour as a virtual assistant.
23. Start Online Tutoring
You should consider taking your teaching skills online to reach a much wider paying audience. As an online tutor, you provide educational support to students and deliver individualized lessons, explain complex concepts, and answer questions.
A conducive teaching environment and steady internet connection is critical to successful online tutoring sessions. Although earnings for online tutoring may vary depending on the number of students you engage and the hours you dedicate to each session, they usually average $28 an hour.
24. Affiliate Marketing
You may have heard of this side hustle before. Affiliate marketing allows you to make extra money by promoting products you love to interested buyers. It's as simple as sharing your favorite items on your social media or blog and earning a commission when others buy those products through your link.
The amount you can make through affiliate marketing depends heavily on your target audience, the products they buy using your link, and the commission structure.
25. Write and Sell an eBook
If you have specialized knowledge about specific topics from the classroom, you can put it in an eBook and sell it. Topics can range from how to teach older students and keep them engaged, to tips for managing a room of fifth graders.
You can publish your eBook on Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing and start earning from day one. Or, to keep more of your revenue, sell your eBook with Whop. Whereas Amazon KDP keeps 40% of your earnings, Whop only keeps 3%.
26. Educational Consulting
You can share your skills in educational technology integration, curriculum development, and educational product sales with interested people online.
Some platforms, like Sunburst, look for teachers to act as their 'ambassadors' to introduce schools and other educational products to its offerings. Or you can go it alone - you just need a place to host your online coaching calls, message participants, and share downloadable files (a place like Whop!). As a consultant, you can charge anywhere from $50 to $250 an hour.
27. Sell Courses Online
You're already crafting lesson plans, teaching students and working through a curriculum. Why not sell courses?
Creating courses online involves creating digital educational content that students can access remotely. Online courses allow teachers to share their skills and expertise with broader audiences beyond the traditional classroom setting. This is another side hustle that once created is truly passive - create once and sell again and again.
28. Create Webinars (and sell access to them)
Like courses and consulting, webinars are another way that you can share your knowledge and get paid for it. Hosting webinars allows teachers to share their expertise in various topics like classroom management techniques, teaching strategies, and new educational trends with a broader audience beyond the classroom.
Webinars also offer a networking platform with other teachers and professionals worldwide, creating more opportunities to make money online.
29. Create an Online Community
If you're an experienced teacher who loves what you do, then you can create a community sharing how you forged your career path and teaching others how they can do the same.
Online communities offer a way for people to get the information and guidance they need first-hand from those with lived experience. For example, those studying to become a teacher will benefit from the knowledge and advice that you can give to them to ace their exams. Alternatively, other experienced teachers may pay to join your community to share advice on lesson plans, managing students, and work-life balance.
However, your online community doesn't have to be teacher-centric. You can create a community on any topic that you enjoy and have experience in.
30. Start a Paid Newsletter
Starting a newsletter allows you to pick a specific audience and help them achieve a set of goals. For instance, you may teach homeowners how to build and maintain a sustainable garden or help women with meditation. There are several ways to monetize your newsletter, such as:
- Affiliate Programs
- Sponsorships
- Membership
- Digital Products
- Physical Products
It may take a while to start earning with this side hustle, but eventually this could turn into a significant income stream.
What is the Best Side Hustle for Me?
Now that you have read through 30 different side hustle options you're probably wondering which is right for you. As a teacher looking for a side hustle, the best one for you depends on your schedule, interests and skills.
If you're prepared to invest some time and energy upfront then creating and selling digital products can be incredibly rewarding and profitable. By leveraging your expertise and creating valuable content, you can build a sustainable source of passive income that complements your teaching career.
Another significant advantage is that digital products have a global reach. You can sell to anyone, anywhere, at any time. This means you can make money while you sleep. After you've put in the initial effort, these products can generate passive income with little ongoing work.
Start Your Online Side Hustle With Whop
There is no reason teachers shouldn't be able to earn a little extra on the side - you just need to get creative.
Need a little help? Whop is a social commerce platform that helps you create and sell digital products and services. With Whop, you can create your own whop, an online hub that is the space for your business . Here you can sell whatever kind digital products you want, from ebooks to online communities, pdfs, courses, and more. Choose what you want to sell and how, and let Whop take care of processing payments and fulfilling orders.
Best of all, there are no platform fees to use Whop, just a 3% commission when you make a sale. So if you're just starting out, you don't need to worry about upfront costs.
Start making money without spreading yourself thin. Sign up with Whop and start selling today.
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