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in Jobs and TEFL Cert

Side Gigs for Teachers: Ways to Actually Make Money

Do you want a bit of extra cash in your pocket at the end of the month? Who doesn’t, right? If you’re a teacher looking to make some extra money in your spare time, then you’re certainly in the right place. Stay tuned for all the ways to make extra money as a teacher that you might want to consider. We have all the side gigs and hustles for teachers to have a look at, along with some ideas for side gigs for language teachers.

side gigs for teachers

Side Gigs for Teachers

Keep on reading for everything you need to know about side hustles and gigs that are especially well-suited to teachers. Oh yeah, if you’re an English teacher looking to make some serious cash, you’ll want to check this article out: Teaching abroad salaries.

What are some of the Best Ways for Teachers to Make Extra Money?

If you’re a teacher who wants to get your side hustle on in your spare time, here are the best ways to make a bit of cash:

  • Tutoring
  • Coaching
  • Babysitting
  • Camps during summer vacation
  • Selling lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers
  • Tour guide
  • Freelance writer
  • Editing
  • Online courses
  • YouTuber
  • Develop curriculum
  • Write textbooks or other materials
  • Coach youth sports

Language Teacher Side Gigs: Some Top Ideas

If you’re a language teacher, chances are that you might not have a steady source of income like you would if you worked in the public education system. You might have to piece together work from a variety of places in order to make a living! That’s why you might want to consider some language teacher side gigs. Here are some of my best ideas.

Online Tutoring

An obvious language teacher side gig is as an online tutor. Instead of being limited by finding students in your immediate area, the world is your oyster! Join one of the popular online teaching platforms and get to work. It will take a bit of time to build up a client base but once you do, you’ll have a nice side income that can happen even when classes aren’t in session.

Start a Blog

If you make impressive lesson plans, have some creative ideas for classes, or have some unique hobby, start a blog. While you might not be able to monetize it right away, patience pays off! In time, you’ll figure out a way to make some money from it, whether through ads, an ebook, or a course.

Editing and Writing as a Side Gig

Language teachers are generally quite good at the language they teach and really know their grammar! This makes them a natural fit for editing or writing jobs. Look on a marketplace like Fiverr or Upwork to get started and find some gigs.

Virtual Assistant

Teachers are generally pretty organized people, having to grade work, come up with lesson plans and do all the admin that goes along with a class. Why not take advantage of this? Become a virtual assistant and put these skills to work. It can be a great language teacher side gig because it can usually fit around your course schedule.

Examiner for Language Proficiency Exams

There are some English exams like the IELTS, TOEFL, and TOEIC that require people to grade and administer the speaking and writing portions. Have a quick Google search for the area where you live and you’ll likely be able to find someone who is hiring. The hourly pay is quite high and the work is often on weekends when you might have time off.

language teacher side gigs

Language teacher side gigs

Get your Teacher Side Gigs On!

So you’re teaching English in your home country, or abroad, but perhaps you’re wishing that you were making a lot more money? It’s a sad fact that teachers around the globe are often overworked, and underpaid.

Whether you want to earn a couple of hundred dollars extra per month to pay some bills, or if you want to find a way to get out of the classroom, you’ll need to check out this new book, Side Gigs for Teachers: Ways to Actually Make Money on Amazon.

You’ll learn how to make money in your spare time so that you can live the life you want. Financial freedom really is within your grasp.

An additional income stream besides your day job is the new job security these days. 

Active vs. Passive Income Streams

In the book, you’ll learn all about two kinds of income streams: active and passive. You’ll also learn why it’s much preferable to work on passive streams! Of course, we’ll explain how to get started doing this so don’t worry.

Side Gigs Active Income

The first part of the book is all about building active income streams. By active, we mean that one hour of work equals one hour of pay. If you need money fast, then this is what you should start with. In Side Gigs for Teachers, you’ll learn about tutoring, working as a virtual assistant, ghostwriting resumes, and 11 other equally awesome things.

You can do as little, or as much as you want. If you need only an extra hundred dollars a month, work only a couple hours a week on it. If you want to turn it into your full-time job, that’s possible too.

Passive Income

Passive income requires a lot of work (or capital) up-front, but then you can keep earning money for months, or years down the road. The major downside is that it can take months or even years to start earning any money at all, so it might not work for some.

In the book, for passive income streams, you can find information about investing in the stock market, Etsy, teaching online courses, and four more equally good ideas.

ways for teachers to make extra money

Ways for teachers to make extra money

Make Extra Money as a Teacher: About the Authors

Jackie Bolen and Jennifer Booker Smith met way back in the day while they were both teaching English in South Korea. Since that time, they’ve collaborated on more than 20 books, while developing various side gigs on their own. Jackie is all about investing, and building niche websites, while Jennifer is the guru of all things Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers.

Neither of them live in South Korea these days—Jackie has returned to her home country, Canada while Jennifer is still a world traveller. They both hope that this book will put you about 10 steps ahead of where they were when they started doing all this stuff. Learn from their mistakes.

Where to Buy the Book

Side Gigs for Teachers: Side Hustles and Other Ways for Teachers to Actually Make Money (Teaching...
Side Gigs for Teachers: Side Hustles and Other Ways for Teachers to Actually Make Money (Teaching...
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Bolen, Jackie (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 162 Pages - 01/29/2018 (Publication Date)
Check Price on Amazon

If you’re serious about improving your finances by starting a side hustle of some kind, then you’ll need to get your copy of Side Gigs for Teachers: Ways to Actually Make Money.

It’ll be the best few bucks you spend all year because it has the potential to turn into thousands.

The book is available in both digital and print formats, and the (cheaper) digital copy can be read on any device by downloading the free Kindle reading app. It’s easier than you might think!

You can check it out for yourself on Amazon if you want to find out more about side jobs for teachers.

—->Side Gigs for Teachers<—

Side Jobs for Teachers FAQs

There are a number of comm0n questions that people have about side hustles for teachers. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

What can teachers do to make extra money?

There are lots of ways for teachers to make extra money in their spare time. Some nice options include tutoring, coaching or working at camps during summer vacations. You may also consider selling lesson plans and resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, or putting up lessons on YouTube.

What are good second jobs for teachers?

The best second jobs for teachers are ones that only require evening and weekend work. You could consider tutoring or coaching, or working at a restaurant. Or, ones that focus on vacation time such as working at a camp.

How can a teacher become rich?

The good news for teachers who want to become rich is that they usually have a pretty good pension plan. Max out your contributions to this if possible. Besides that, save a good portion of your monthly income and buy investment properties, or invest it in the stock market.

What jobs can teachers do from home?

There are a number of jobs that teachers can do from home. Here are a few ideas:

  • Online teaching or tutoring.
  • Developing materials.
  • Teaching videos on YouTube.
  • Writing.
  • Editing.

Side Gigs and Hustles for Teachers: Join the Conversation 

Do you have any advice or recommendations for teachers who want to get started with a side gig? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other teachers, like yourself who are looking to make a bit of extra cash find this useful resource.

Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 20 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 100 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder, 67 ESL Conversation Topics,and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults. She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

You can find her on social media at:
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