The Best Side Hustles and Summer Jobs for Teachers

The Best Side Hustles and Summer Jobs for Teachers The Best Side Hustles and Summer Jobs for Teachers When school is out for summer, that means an extended break for most teachers. Unfortunately, while the break does  indeed mean a break from work, it can also mean a break from a paycheck. Teachers often find a side hustle or temporary job for the summer to supplement their income. Many employers look to hire teachers, as they are typically some of the hardest-working, best-educated employees available. Teachers can also find a niche as a freelancer and turn it into a profitable, low-maintenance side business. The great news is that as a teacher, you have a unique set of skills that lend themselves to getting some great side hustles and jobs- both during the summer and in any spare time you might have during the school year.  If you’re not  sure how to start your side hustle or find a summer job, here are some of the best opportunities for teachers. 8  Best Side Gigs and Summer Jobs for Teachers 1. Tutor You’re already great at educating. Instead of starting your own school, you could move from teaching a classroom full of kids to mentoring students one-on-one as a tutor. Many students need extra help over the summer, and experienced teachers are often the best people to help. Ideally, its  best  to pick a specialty, specific  subject  or age-group, etc., and  then  you  can begin to market yourself with the best prospects. It is important to let your community know that you are available through social media and networking. You can also use sites like Tutor.com to get started. As a tutor, you usually get to set your own rates. Experienced tutors make up to $40 per hour or more. 2. Camp Counselor Another favorite temporary summer job for teachers is camp counseling. While kids are out of school and parents are at work, camps tend to be full and short-staffed over the summer. Here,  you can put your educating and mentoring skills to good use as a counselor. Often, camps need adults capable of managing groups or leading workshops. As a bonus, you’ll probably get to participate in fun field trips and outdoor adventures. It is important that you apply early so you have your pick of open positions and have a temporary job lined up as the school year comes to a close. Check out your local YMCA, church, and local community organizations to see whether there are any  openings. Though being a camp counselor is fun, the pay may not be significant. You may start out at minimum wage or slightly above, although you may be able to negotiate more given your experience. There are often more opportunities to negotiate for better-paying positions the longer you work with the organization that is hosting or leading the camps. 3. Tour Guide If you want a break from working with kids but enjoy educating people, being a tour guide could be a good fit for you. As a tour guide, you lead tourists around a notable area in or near your city and experience where you live with a fresh, new perspective. Being a tour guide is a great way to get paid to do  public  speaking  and  to exercise, see your city, and meet new people.  To get started, look up local tour companies or a nearby visitor’s center to check for opportunities. As a tour guide, you can make between $9 and $20 per hour, with the opportunity to earn more with tips. 4. Freelance Writer One of the more lucrative side hustles for teachers is freelance writing. Teachers make good freelance writers owing to their skills in logical thinking and written communication. As it happens, employers find it exhaustingly difficult to hire good writers.  It is best that you pick one or a few topics/industries in which you feel you are especially knowledgeable. For example, education is itself a big topic for agencies looking to hire good writers. You can get started by applying for jobs on Upwork.com, finding work on FreelanceWriting.com?,  and more. Most of the available  work  is for website content writing and journalism. Accomplished writers can make upwards of $100  per  hour or more. What’s even better is that you may want to hang on to a few clients during the school year, since your writing schedule will be especially flexible. 5. Babysitter Another uniquely flexible summer job for teachers is babysitting. If you tend to miss your interaction with students, this will certainly fulfill that part of your life. While most of your work would fall  within  the  hours  of the parents’ workday or on weekend evenings, you more or less get to choose the days on  which you want to work.  To get started, let your friends and local community know that youre looking for some babysitting work. Mention frequently that you’d be happy to help with babysitting duties. Additionally, you can also use sites like SitterCity.com and Care.com to find open babysitting positions. How much you earn as a babysitter depends a lot on location, the extent of your duties, etc., but you could earn $15  per  hour or more. 6. TESL/TEFL  Tutor One of the most in-demand teaching positions available today is teaching English as a second/foreign language (TESL or TEFL) online. Most teachers only need to be able to supply their own computer and have  reliable internet access. It is among the most flexible remote-location jobs available.  Popular online teaching sites like VIPKID, Alo7, and Qkids will only take native English speakers that are citizens of the United  States or Canada. Additionally, few TESL employers require certification (although certifications in TESL are encouraged). Experienced English teachers make over $20  per  hour working  from  a computer anywhere in the world. 7. Online Course Instructor If you enjoy putting together presentations and technology, you might consider creating your own online course through a site like Udemy or Coursera. One of the best parts of creating online courses (or MOOCs) is that once you have  built the course, the work is essentially done, and you can enjoy year-round  residual income.  Even though you might already feel tech savvy, you may  benefit  from taking an online course that teaches you how  to build an online course! This will help  you  understand  how  it  feels to  be a student in that environment, and  will  help  you  learn the ropes of creating your own course. 8. Translator If you are multilingual, then you could make decent money in translation. This job is increasingly being done remotely from a computer with internet access. Because of the fast growth of international business, companies need more literary and localizing translators. Literary translation refers to translation of technical communication, particularly in the arena of technology, healthcare, and academic  works. If you decide that you would prefer to do literary translation, it is usually best to focus on a set of topics or a  particular industry. Most of this work is written-word translation.Localization in translation refers to a more informal, vernacular form of spoken language. You need to be familiar with expressions and lingo in a particular culture before translating into the  required language. While you may often be translating into the  written word, you might also be converting one website’s content into another language, or captioning video content into another language. More Side Hustles For more side hustles that might be a good fit for teachers, here is an extended list: Website TesterPackage or Food DelivererFreelance Computer ProgrammerFreelance Website DeveloperSearch Engine EvaluatorAdjunct Faculty at a Nearby or Online CollegeRideshare DriverSTEM InstructorWilderness Course Instructor Key Takeaways Check Out a Variety of Summer Gigs: If you don’t know what to do with your extra time this summer or need to earn a little more money, you can feel confident as a highly  educated, competent candidate for a host of open positions and side gigs.Search Online: In today’s “gig economy,” more and more side jobs are easy to find online. Use  the top job sites to help line  up a summer position. Also check out the best sites for finding gigs.