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When the last bell of the final period of the school year rings, you’ve packed up your desk, attended your last meeting, and handed in the last set of grades. Now, it’s time to walk out the door and relax for a few weeks — before it all starts again.
Teachers need a summer break to recharge their batteries just as much as kids do. However, if you view summer as an opportunity to earn a few bucks to pay down student loans, save for a wedding, buffer your savings account, eliminate credit card debt, sharpen your skills, or buy that new Xbox One X you’ve been coveting, check out some of these side gigs.
Bonus: Many of these gigs can generate income year-round once you’ve gotten established.
Sell Your Lesson Plans Online
Passive income, once it’s established, is great. Why not use the lesson plans, worksheets, and other resources you created throughout the year to earn some money? Sites like Teachers Pay Teachers will net you a profit of between 60 and 85 percent on each sale. Stay digital and you’ll never worry about snail-mailing resources.
Share Your Knowledge
Another site, eNotes, offers study guides, practice quizzes, and general help for students. The company hires teachers as academic experts. Learn how the program works.
Research for Others
If you enjoy research and analysis, consider joining the Wonder Research Network. Questions pay between $8 and $40, and top researchers earn between $20 and $30 an hour. Also, you can work as much or as little as you like.
Spend the Summer Outside
If you enjoy the outdoors, consider working at a summer camp. You’ll have the chance to work with kids in a more relaxed setting. If your hobbies include outdoor activities or sports, take advantage of the opportunity to teach others about your other passions. Look for summer camps abroad where you can teach English to ELL campers.
Monetize Your Local Area Knowledge
If you live in a popular tourist destination, work as a tour guide. As an “inside expert,” you can show visitors the local hot spots and hidden gems your city offers. These four sites are great resources to help you become a local guide.
Get Your Home Involved
If you live near a sports or event stadium, rent out driveway space for people to park. Sign on with JustPark, MoneyParking, or ParkAtMyHouse.com. Have an extra room or heading to the shore for a few weeks? Rent that room — or your whole house — through Airbnb. Learn about 10 benefits of hosting an Airbnb (besides additional income).
Write, Edit, or Help with Content Strategy
Teachers — by the very demands of their profession — must communicate effectively, and there’s a dearth of efficient, qualified writers out there. Freelancewriting.com is a good place to start. If you’ve got specialized knowledge in a particular area and enjoy academic writing, consider joining Peerwith.com — a company that offers writing, editing, and researching services for clients pursuing publication in academic and professional journals.
Work One-on-One with Students as a Tutor
Many kids use the summertime to improve their skills or prepare for the upcoming year — you’re in a perfect position to help. You can advertise at the local library, use sites like Tutor.com, or visit the local Sylvan or Huntington Learning Center.
Plan Parties
You’re already accustomed to creating units and lessons that engage your students, right? And multitasking is probably your middle name, so that transition from teacher to party or event planner isn’t so far-fetched. Whether you’re planning birthday, anniversary, and retirement parties or more, you can choose to specialize or try them all.
Helping Out with Pets
You’re probably not the only person on vacation this summer — lots of pet and dog-owners are, too. Understandably, many are reluctant to board their pets. Why not start your own dog-walking or dog-boarding service? Or go bigger and offer a full array of pet-sitting for homes of cats and other critters. It’s fun, fulfilling, and gets you outside.
If these suggestions don’t appeal to you or you’re curious about other possibilities, check out this list of 21 companies that hire teachers during the summer.
