If you’re searching for the best side hustles for teachers, you already know the frustrating reality: despite being responsible for educating the next generation, teachers are chronically underpaid. You might love teaching, find it genuinely fulfilling and consider it your calling, but that doesn’t pay for student loans, mortgage payments or the classroom supplies you buy out of your own pocket because your school’s budget doesn’t cover them. You’re not looking for side hustles because you’re greedy or materialistic. You’re looking because your salary simply doesn’t reflect the value you provide or the education you’ve invested in.
The data paints a bleak picture. According to recent statistics, the average teacher salary in the United States is approximately $66,000 annually, but this varies dramatically by state, with some teachers earning as little as $45,000. When you account for the hours spent on lesson planning, grading, parent communication and professional development outside school hours, the effective hourly rate is often shockingly low. Meanwhile, teachers with master’s degrees often earn less than people in other professions with bachelor’s degrees. It’s no wonder that approximately 20% of teachers work second jobs to make ends meet.
This guide provides practical, realistic side hustle options specifically designed for teachers. I’ve focused on opportunities that leverage your existing skills, respect your limited free time during the school year, offer flexibility during breaks, and actually pay decent money. Whether you want something you can do from home after school hours, opportunities to maximise summer earnings or ways to build long-term income streams, you’ll find options here that make sense for your unique situation as an educator.
Why Teachers Make Outstanding Side Hustlers
Before diving into specific opportunities, let’s acknowledge why teachers often excel at side hustles compared to other professionals.
Transferable skills in abundance. Teaching requires communication, organisation, patience, curriculum development, public speaking, mentoring, conflict resolution and project management. These skills apply directly to dozens of side hustles. What you do daily in the classroom prepares you better than most people realise for entrepreneurial work.
Built-in seasonal flexibility. Unlike most professions, teaching includes extended breaks. Summer particularly offers 8-12 weeks when you can dedicate substantial time to building a side income without juggling your primary job. This seasonal structure lets you pursue opportunities that might not work for people with typical year-round schedules.
Credibility and trust. Being a teacher carries inherent credibility. Parents trust you with their children’s education and development. This trust transfers to other services you might offer, from tutoring to curriculum development to educational consulting.
Understanding of how people learn. Whether you’re creating online courses, writing educational content or coaching others, your expertise in pedagogy gives you advantages others lack. You know how to break down complex concepts, identify learning gaps and create effective learning experiences.
Network of parents and families. Over years of teaching, you’ve built relationships with hundreds or thousands of families. This network becomes valuable when launching side hustles, especially local services or education-related offerings.
Passion for helping others. Most teachers entered education because they genuinely care about helping people learn and grow. This authentic desire to provide value (rather than just making money) makes you more successful in service-based side hustles.
The challenge? Your time and energy are already stretched thin during the school year. Between teaching responsibilities, grading, meetings, professional development and trying to maintain some personal life, adding another commitment feels overwhelming. That’s why the best side hustles for teachers must offer flexibility, leverage existing skills and provide worthwhile returns on your limited time.
Understanding the Teacher Side Hustle Landscape
Side hustles for teachers generally fall into several categories, each with different characteristics regarding time commitment, earning potential and seasonal flexibility:
Summer-Intensive Opportunities
These maximise earnings during your extended break when you have more time and energy. Examples include intensive tutoring, curriculum writing or teaching summer programmes. The goal is earning a substantial income (potentially $5,000-15,000) during the summer to supplement your year-round salary.
Year-Round Flexible Work
These fit around your teaching schedule with work you can do evenings, weekends or whenever you have spare hours. Examples include online tutoring, freelance writing or virtual assistant work. Income is steadier but per-hour commitment is lower during school terms.
Passive and Semi-Passive Income
These require upfront work but then generate income with minimal ongoing effort. Examples include creating Teachers Pay Teachers resources, writing ebooks or building an educational blog. Initial time investment is substantial, but income can continue indefinitely.
Skill-Building Opportunities
These not only provide income but also develop skills that enhance your teaching career or create future career options. Examples include curriculum consulting, instructional design or educational technology training.
Understanding these categories helps you choose opportunities that match your current situation and goals.
If you’re interested in building a legitimate online business through courses or content creation, I’ve created a comprehensive guide walking through the entire process
The Best Side Hustles for Teachers (By Category)
Let’s examine specific opportunities organised by type and earning potential.
Education-Focused Opportunities (Leveraging Your Core Skills)
1. Online Tutoring
Private tutoring offers the highest hourly pay for most teachers while leveraging exactly what you already do professionally.
What you’ll do: Help students understand difficult concepts, prepare for exams, improve grades or develop study skills via video calls or in-person sessions.
Platforms to consider: Wyzant, Tutor.com, Chegg Tutors, Varsity Tutors or advertise independently through local networks.
Realistic earnings: $25-45 per hour on platforms, $50-100+ per hour working independently, depending on subject and credentials.
Time commitment: Completely flexible. Work 2-3 hours weekly during the school year, 20+ hours weekly during the summer.
Best timing: Year-round, with increased availability during summers and school breaks.
Pros: Direct application of teaching skills, flexible scheduling, high hourly rate, rewarding work, can specialise in your subject area, and regular students provide a predictable income.
Cons: Income fluctuates with the school calendar (summer is often slower unless you pursue test prep), requires consistent availability for regular students, and evening and weekend hours are often needed.
Tips for success: Mathematics, science, and test preparation (SAT, ACT, AP exams) command the highest rates. Specialise in your strongest subjects. Build a reputation through results and you’ll have waiting lists. Consider small group tutoring (2-3 students simultaneously) to increase effective hourly rate whilst keeping individual costs manageable for families.
2. Creating and Selling Teaching Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers
Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) lets you create educational resources once and sell them repeatedly to other teachers.
What you’ll create: Lesson plans, worksheets, unit plans, classroom activities, assessments, bulletin board materials, digital resources or complete curriculum units.
Realistic earnings: $0-100 monthly initially, $200-1,000+ monthly once you have a substantial catalogue, $2,000-10,000+ monthly for very successful sellers.
Time commitment: Front-loaded work creating resources, then passive income. Invest 10-20 hours weekly during the summer, building inventory.
Best timing: Create resources during summer and breaks, earning continues year-round.
Pros: Truly passive income once resources are created, unlimited earning potential, use work you’re already creating for your classroom, help other teachers, and build a valuable portfolio.
Cons: Takes months to build meaningful income, competitive marketplace, TpT takes 45-50% commission on sales, requires design skills or learning new software, and copyright considerations if using school-created materials.
Tips for success: Fill specific gaps in the marketplace rather than creating generic resources. High-quality design matters enormously for sales. Focus on grades/subjects you teach (authenticity shows). Create resource bundles to increase average transaction value. Promote through Instagram and Pinterest, where teachers search for materials.
3. Curriculum Development and Writing
School districts, educational publishers and EdTech companies need teachers to write curriculum, assessments and educational content.
What you’ll do: Write complete curriculum units, create assessments aligned to standards, develop scope and sequence documents or write teacher guides and instructional materials.
How to find work: Browse Teachers Pay For You, contact educational publishers directly, join curriculum writing projects through your district or network with instructional coordinators.
Realistic earnings: $25-75 per hour, or $1,000-10,000+ per project for complete curriculum development.
Time commitment: Project-based work, typically requiring 20-100+ hours per project.
Best timing: Summer for intensive projects, though some can be completed gradually during the school year.
Pros: Excellent pay, intellectually engaging, directly related to teaching, builds professional credentials, work from home, and leverages your expertise.
Cons: Finding projects can be challenging initially, deadlines can be tight, requires strong writing and organisational skills, and some projects require specific grade/subject expertise.
Tips for success: Start by reaching out to your district about curriculum writing opportunities. Join professional teaching organisations that post curriculum projects. Build a portfolio of sample units, even if created independently initially. Consider specialising in specific subjects or new educational initiatives (social-emotional learning, STEM integration).
4. Test Prep Instruction
SAT, ACT and AP exam preparation commands premium rates, especially during spring when students prepare for summer/fall tests.
What you’ll do: Teach test-taking strategies, review content, practice tests, reduce test anxiety and help students improve scores.
How to start: Join test prep companies (Princeton Review, Kaplan), advertise independently or create small group prep courses in your community.
Realistic earnings: $50-150+ per hour, $500-2,000+ for small group courses.
Time commitment: Seasonal (intense in spring and fall), typically 5-15 hours weekly during peak seasons.
Best timing: March-June and September-November primarily.
Pros: Exceptional pay rates, directly uses teaching skills, strong demand, seasonal nature fits teacher schedules, and helping students achieve college dreams is rewarding.
Cons: Requires thorough knowledge of specific tests, competitive field, seasonal income, evening and weekend work required, and can be intense during peak periods.
Tips for success: Get certified through test prep companies initially to learn their systems. Take the actual tests yourself to maintain current knowledge. Develop a reputation for score improvements and referrals handle your marketing. Consider online group courses to maximise earnings per hour.
5. Educational Consulting
School districts and educational organisations need external expertise for professional development, programme evaluation, curriculum review or strategic planning.
What you’ll do: Provide professional development workshops, evaluate educational programmes, advise on curriculum implementation, support new teacher mentoring or consult on specific educational initiatives.
How to start: Build credibility through presenting at education conferences, develop a specific expertise area, network with district administrators and create a simple website outlining your services.
Realistic earnings: $500-2,000+ per day for workshops, $75-150+ per hour for ongoing consulting.
Time commitment: Project-based, typically requiring full days or multiple-day commitments.
Best timing: Summer and school breaks for intensive work, though some consulting fits around teaching schedule.
Pros: Exceptional earning potential, leverage your experience, intellectually stimulating, builds professional reputation, respected position, and potential to transition into full-time work if desired.
Cons: Requires significant credibility (typically 5-10+ years teaching experience), finding clients takes time, competitive field, may need advanced degrees, and travel is sometimes required.
Tips for success: Develop expertise in specific high-demand areas (literacy instruction, classroom management, technology integration, equity initiatives). Start with your own district or region. Publish articles or present at conferences to build credibility. Consider partnering with established consultants initially.
If you’re interested in building a legitimate online business through courses or content creation, I’ve created a comprehensive guide walking through the entire process
Online and Remote Opportunities
6. Teaching English Online
Several companies hire teachers to provide English instruction to international students, typically based in Asia.
What you’ll do: Teach English conversation, grammar or test preparation to students (mostly children) in other countries via video calls.
Companies hiring: VIPKid, Cambly, Magic Ears, Qkids, iTalki.
Realistic earnings: $14-25 per hour, depending on the company and your qualifications.
Time commitment: Very flexible, typically 30-minute to 1-hour sessions.
Best timing: Early mornings before school (5-7 am due to time zones) or during summer for intensive hours.
Pros: Work from home, completely flexible scheduling, no lesson planning (curriculum provided), relatively easy work, interesting cultural exchange.
Cons: Early morning hours during the school year, moderate pay, requires a bachelor’s degree, reliable high-speed internet is essential, and some companies have strict cancellation policies.
Tips for success: Create an engaging, energetic teaching persona (especially important for young students). Peak demand times are early mornings, your time. Work for multiple companies to fill more hours. Summer offers an opportunity for substantial income if teaching 20-30 hours weekly.
7. Freelance Educational Writing
Educational publishers, websites and companies need teachers who can write engaging educational content.
What you’ll write: Lesson plan articles, educational blog posts, curriculum materials, parent resources, student worksheets or standardised test questions.
How to find work: Pitch to educational websites and publications, join platforms like Contently or register with educational content agencies.
Realistic earnings: $50-300+ per article, depending on length and client, $30-75+ per hour.
Time commitment: Very flexible, work whenever you have free time.
Best timing: Year-round, but easier to commit more time during summer and breaks.
Pros: Work from home, complete flexibility, build a writing portfolio, use your expertise, and specialise in your subject area.
Cons: Finding clients initially takes time, pay varies significantly by publication, some clients are demanding, and requires self-motivation.
Tips for success: Create a portfolio with 3-5 strong sample articles about education topics. Pitch to educational websites and teacher-focused publications. Specialise in your subject area or grade level where you have authority. Join education writer groups on LinkedIn to find opportunities.
8. Virtual Assistant for Teachers or Educational Businesses
Busy teachers, principals, educational consultants and EdTech companies need administrative support.
What you’ll do: Manage emails, schedule appointments, organise materials, create presentations, handle social media, customer service or administrative tasks specific to the education sector.
How to start: Advertise to fellow teachers who’ve started businesses, educational consultants, EdTech startups or teacher-influencers with large social media followings.
Realistic earnings: $18-35 per hour, depending on services.
Time commitment: Flexible, typically 5-15 hours weekly.
Best timing: Year-round, though you might reduce hours during busy school periods.
Pros: Work from home, flexible hours, leverage organisational skills, relatively straightforward work, and can build to multiple clients.
Cons: Moderate pay, managing multiple clients can be stressful, some clients are demanding, and require reliable availability for client communication.
Tips for success: Specialise in serving the education sector where you understand the unique needs and language. Offer packages (10 hours monthly) rather than hourly rates. Focus on building 2-4 steady clients rather than constantly seeking new work.
9. Creating and Selling Online Courses
Package your teaching expertise into online courses that students or adult learners can access globally.
What you’ll create: Subject-specific courses for students, professional development courses for teachers, parent education courses or hobby/interest courses leveraging your expertise.
Platforms to use: Teachable, Udemy, Skillshare or your own website.
Realistic earnings: $0-200 monthly initially, $500-3,000+ monthly once established, unlimited upside potential.
Time commitment: Front-loaded (40-100+ hours creating course), then passive income with minimal maintenance.
Best timing: Summer for intensive course creation.
Pros: Passive income once created, unlimited earning potential, help people globally, leverage your teaching skills, and build authority in your subject area.
Cons: Significant upfront time investment, competitive marketplace, requires technical skills (video recording, editing), marketing is challenging, most courses never generate substantial income.
Tips for success: Validate demand before creating a course by surveying potential students. Focus on specific transformation (what students will accomplish) rather than just information. Invest in decent audio quality (more important than video quality). Start with a mini-course (2-3 hours of content) rather than a massive programme. Build an email list to market your courses effectively.
If you’re interested in building a legitimate online business through courses or content creation, I’ve created a comprehensive guide walking through the entire process
Creative and Content-Based Opportunities
10. Educational Blogging with Monetisation
Create a blog focused on education topics and monetise through advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored content or selling products.
What you’ll write about: Teaching strategies, classroom management, specific subject instruction, educational technology, parent resources or teacher lifestyle topics.
Realistic earnings: $0-100 monthly months 1-6, $200-1,000 monthly months 6-18, $1,000-5,000+ monthly year 2+ if successful.
Time commitment: 5-10 hours weekly consistently for content creation.
Best timing: Start during the summer, maintain during the school year, increase efforts during subsequent summers.
Pros: Passive income potential, creative outlet, build authority, unlimited upside, help other teachers, own your platform.
Cons: Takes 6-12 months minimum to generate meaningful income, requires consistency when results aren’t visible, competitive field, demands multiple skills (writing, SEO, marketing).
Tips for success: Choose a specific niche (don’t just be “another teacher blog”). Focus on genuinely helping readers rather than just making money. Build an email list from day one. Monetise through multiple streams (ads, affiliates, own products). Be extraordinarily patient through the early months.
11. Educational YouTube Channel
Create video content for teachers, students or parents and monetise through ads, sponsorships or selling products.
What you’ll create: Teaching tutorials, classroom management advice, educational content for students, study tips, teacher vlogs or subject-specific instruction.
Realistic earnings: $0-50 monthly initially, $200-2,000+ monthly once monetised with substantial following.
Time commitment: 10-20 hours weekly for consistent content creation.
Best timing: Start during the summer, maintain consistency during the school year.
Pros: Growing platform, engaging format, passionate education community on YouTube, multiple monetisation options, and build a substantial following.
Cons: Takes months to monetise (need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours), time-intensive, requires comfort on camera, competitive space, and technology learning curve.
Tips for success: Find a specific content angle that’s underserved. Consistency matters more than perfection initially. Engage authentically with your audience. Promote videos on teacher social media communities. Study successful education channels to understand what works.
12. Educational Podcast
Start a podcast focused on education topics and monetise through sponsorships, affiliate marketing or promoting your own services.
What you’ll discuss: Teaching strategies, education policy, teacher interviews, classroom stories, professional development or subject-specific content.
Realistic earnings: $0-100 monthly initially, $500-3,000+ monthly once established with sponsors.
Time commitment: 5-10 hours weekly for recording, editing and promotion.
Best timing: Summer to launch, maintain during the school year.
Pros: Lower barrier than video, growing medium, build authority, loyal audiences, and can record efficiently.
Cons: Oversaturated market, monetisation takes time, requires consistent content, audio quality matters, and promotion is challenging.
Tips for success: Interview interesting guests to provide value and leverage their audiences. Focus on a specific niche within education. Promote in teacher Facebook groups and on Instagram. Be consistent with the publishing schedule.
If you’re interested in building a legitimate online business through courses or content creation, I’ve created a comprehensive guide walking through the entire process
Summer-Intensive Opportunities
13. Summer School or Summer Camp Teaching
Many districts and organisations run summer programmes needing experienced teachers.
What you’ll do: Teach summer school classes, lead specialised camps (STEM, arts, sports), coordinate camp activities or develop summer curriculum.
Realistic earnings: $2,000-8,000+ for summer, depending on programme and hours.
Time commitment: Typically 4-8 weeks, full-time or part-time.
Best timing: June-August.
Pros: Straightforward extension of teaching skills, steady income for summer, social interaction, structured work, often less stressful than school-year teaching.
Cons: Commits a significant portion of the summer, may limit other opportunities or vacation, modest pay, working with students year-round can lead to burnout.
Tips for success: Apply early (often hired in spring). Consider speciality camps (STEM, coding, arts) that pay better than general summer school. Some private camps pay significantly more than district summer programmes.
14. Nannying or Childcare
Families need reliable summer childcare, and teachers are ideal candidates given your experience with children.
What you’ll do: Provide full-day childcare, create educational activities, supervise children and maintain daily routines for families.
Realistic earnings: $15-25 per hour, potentially $3,000-8,000+ for the full summer.
Time commitment: Typically full-time (40+ hours weekly) for 8-12 weeks.
Best timing: June-August.
Pros: Consistent summer income, work with children (your expertise), often builds lasting family relationships, and some positions include benefits (meals, outings).
Cons: Commits entire summer, can be demanding, working with other people’s children full-time, and has less professional development value.
Tips for success: Network with families at your school who need summer care. Consider “nanny shares” (caring for children from 2-3 families) to increase income. Establish clear expectations and contracts upfront.
15. Teaching Summer Enrichment Programs
Organisations run summer enrichment programmes needing qualified instructors for specialised subjects.
What you’ll teach: STEM, creative writing, art, coding, foreign languages, theatre or other enrichment topics.
Realistic earnings: $25-50+ per hour, $2,000-6,000+ for summer.
Time commitment: Usually part-time (10-20 hours weekly) for 4-8 weeks.
Best timing: June-August.
Pros: Share your passion areas, less formal than school teaching, often more fun, decent pay, leaves time for other summer activities.
Cons: Shorter timeframe, part-time income, need specialised knowledge beyond general teaching, and some programmes are poorly organised.
Tips for success: Contact community centres, libraries, museums and youth organisations in spring about summer programmes. Propose new classes if your expertise fills gaps. Private enrichment companies often pay better than public programmes.
Leveraging Non-Teaching Skills
16. Fitness Instruction or Coaching
If you’re passionate about fitness, teaching classes or coaching leverages similar skills to classroom teaching.
What you’ll do: Lead group fitness classes, provide personal training, coach youth sports or teach specialised fitness (yoga, Pilates, cycling).
Realistic earnings: $25-75 per class, $40-100 per hour for personal training.
Time commitment: Flexible, typically early mornings, evenings or weekends.
Best timing: Year-round.
Pros: Stay fit whilst earning, leverage teaching skills, flexible scheduling, positive atmosphere, and social interaction.
Cons: Requires certification, physical demands, evening and weekend hours, building clientele takes time, and seasonal fluctuations.
Tips for success: Get certified through reputable organisations (ACE, NASM). Consider specialising (prenatal yoga, senior fitness). Morning classes before school and evening classes after school fit teacher schedules well.
17. Freelance Graphic Design
If you have design skills (many teachers do from creating classroom materials), freelance design work pays well.
What you’ll create: Educational materials, social media graphics, presentations, marketing materials, logos or website graphics.
Realistic earnings: $25-75+ per hour, $100-500+ per project.
Time commitment: Very flexible, project-based.
Best timing: Year-round, more availability during summer.
Pros: Creative work, flexible hours, work from home, leverage skills you may already use, decent pay.
Cons: Requires design software proficiency, finding clients initially, a competitive field, and client revisions can be extensive.
Tips for success: Build a portfolio with samples. Market to fellow teachers, small local businesses or educational companies. Specialise in educational design where your teaching background provides an advantage.
18. Photography
If photography is your hobby, various opportunities exist from portraits to events to stock photography.
What you’ll shoot: School events, family portraits, teacher headshots, educational stock photos or senior pictures.
Realistic earnings: $100-300 per portrait session, $500-2,000+ for events, passive income from stock photos.
Time commitment: Flexible, typically weekends and occasional weekday evenings.
Best timing: Year-round but especially busy in spring/fall (senior pictures, family photos).
Pros: Creative outlet, flexible scheduling, decent pay, leverage hobby into income, combination of client interaction and independent work.
Cons: Requires equipment investment, editing time after shoots, weekend work is common, competitive field, and building a reputation takes time.
Tips for success: Start with teacher colleagues who need headshots or professional photos. Offer school event photography. Educational stock photography (classroom scenes, learning activities) is less saturated than general stock photos.
If you’re interested in building a legitimate online business through courses or content creation, I’ve created a comprehensive guide walking through the entire process
Local Service Opportunities
19. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking
If you love animals, caring for pets offers a flexible income, especially during the summer.
What you’ll do: Walk dogs during the day, care for pets when owners travel or provide drop-in visits for feeding and companionship.
Realistic earnings: $15-30 per walk, $30-75 per night for pet sitting.
Time commitment: Very flexible, accept as many or as few jobs as desired.
Best timing: Year-round, especially busy during school breaks when families travel.
Pros: Flexible scheduling, enjoyable if you love animals, can fit around teaching schedule, repeat clients provide steady income, and good exercise.
Cons: Responsibility for living creatures, weekend and holiday work common, outdoor work in all weather, clients’ schedules dictate availability.
Tips for success: Sign up for platforms like Rover or Wag. Market to families at your school. Focus on building regular walking clients for a predictable weekly income. Summer, when you have more availability, is ideal for intensive pet sitting.
20. Officiating Youth Sports
If you’re knowledgeable about sports, officiating games pays reasonably well for a short time commitment.
What you’ll do: Referee or umpire youth sports games (soccer, basketball, baseball, volleyball, football).
Realistic earnings: $25-75 per game, depending on sport and level.
Time commitment: Games typically 1-2 hours, schedule completely flexible.
Best timing: Evenings and weekends during the school year, more availability during the summer.
Pros: Decent pay for short-term commitment, stay involved with sports, physical activity, flexible scheduling, and social interaction.
Cons: Requires certification and rules knowledge, dealing with angry parents occasionally, physical demands, primarily evening and weekend work, and weather-dependent for outdoor sports.
Tips for success: Start with younger age groups where expectations are lower, whilst you learn. Join local officiating associations. Spring and fall sports fit teacher schedules well (summer is slower for most sports).
Maximising Your Teacher Side Hustle Income
Landing on opportunities is one thing. Making them genuinely worth your limited time is another. Here’s how to maximise success:
Protect Your Teaching Career First
Your primary job provides benefits, stability and pension contributions. Never let side hustles compromise your teaching effectiveness or risk your position. Set clear boundaries around time and energy.
Leverage Summer Strategically
Your 8-12 week summer break is a competitive advantage. Consider intensive summer work (curriculum writing, substantial tutoring hours, summer programmes) that generate $5,000-15,000 to supplement your year-round income rather than spreading yourself thin during the school year.
Build Systems and Efficiency
Whether creating TpT resources or tutoring regularly, develop efficient processes. Templates, checklists and repeated formats let you produce quality work faster, increasing your effective hourly rate.
Stack Related Opportunities
Combine complementary side hustles. For example: tutor students, create TpT resources from your tutoring materials, write blog posts about common student struggles and promote an online course addressing those issues. Each effort reinforces the others.
Focus on High-Value Activities
When your time is limited, focus on opportunities offering the best returns. An hour of curriculum writing, paying $60, is worth more than an hour of virtual assistant work, paying $20. Always consider opportunity cost.
Set Financial Goals
Be specific: “Earn $6,000 this summer for an emergency fund” or “Generate $300 monthly during the school year for student loan payments.” Clear targets keep you motivated and help evaluate whether opportunities are worth pursuing.
Use School Resources Ethically
You can leverage your teaching experience and knowledge, but be careful about intellectual property. Materials created during school time or using school resources technically belong to your district. Create side hustle materials independently on your own time.
Track Everything
Record income, expenses and time invested. This helps at tax time, shows which opportunities are actually profitable and guides decisions about where to focus energy.
Common Concerns for Teacher Side Hustlers
“Will side hustles affect my teaching?”
They can if you’re not careful. Set firm boundaries around time and energy. During the school year, limit side work to 5-10 hours weekly maximum. Prioritise sleep and self-care. Your students deserve a teacher who’s present and energised.
“What about taxes?”
Side hustle income is taxable. If working as an independent contractor, you’ll pay self-employment tax (15.3%) plus income taxes. Set aside 25-30% of earnings for taxes. Consider quarterly estimated payments if earning substantial amounts. The IRS self-employment tax centre provides detailed guidance.
“Do I need permission from my district?”
Policies vary. Some districts restrict outside employment, especially during school hours or if it involves students from your school. Check your contract and employee handbook. Most districts permit outside work as long as it doesn’t interfere with your teaching responsibilities.
“How do I find time during the school year?”
Honestly? Most teachers can’t commit substantial time during the school year without sacrificing either teaching quality or personal well-being. Focus on either flexible opportunities requiring minimal hours (3-5 weekly) or concentrate income generation in summer and school breaks.
“What if I burn out?”
Teaching is already demanding. Adding side hustles increases burnout risk. Watch for warning signs: resenting teaching, neglecting self-care, constant exhaustion, and diminished patience with students. If side hustles are causing burnout, scale back or stop. Your health and primary career matter more than extra income.
If you’re interested in building a legitimate online business through courses or content creation, I’ve created a comprehensive guide walking through the entire process
Resources for Teacher Side Hustlers
For finding education opportunities:
- Teachers Pay Teachers (creating and selling resources)
- We Are Teachers (job postings and side hustle ideas)
- EdSurge (EdTech companies hiring teachers)
For building a teaching business:
- Simple K12 (professional development and resources)
- Teaching Channel (videos and ideas)
- Teacher Facebook groups in your subject area
For business and tax help:
- SCORE (free business mentoring)
- IRS self-employment resources
- QuickBooks Self-Employed (tracking income and expenses)
The Bigger Picture
Here’s what’s important to understand: pursuing side hustles as a teacher isn’t a failure or an indictment of your choices. It’s a pragmatic response to a broken system that undervalues one of society’s most important professions.
The best side hustles for teachers aren’t just about making ends meet. They’re about:
Financial security that reduces stress and lets you focus on teaching effectively.
Professional development through opportunities that expand your skills and open future career options.
Creative outlets that remind you of interests and abilities beyond the classroom.
Autonomy and control over your time and earning potential that teaching positions don’t provide.
Validation of your worth through compensation that better reflects your education, skills and expertise.
Many teachers discover that side hustles eventually create opportunities to transition into educational consulting, instructional design, curriculum development or educational entrepreneurship if they choose. Others use side income to reduce financial pressure whilst staying in classrooms where they belong and where students need them.
Your Next Steps
If you’ve read this far, you’re serious about finding side hustles that work for your situation. Here’s what to do:
Step 1: Assess your current situation. How much time can you realistically dedicate? What skills beyond teaching do you have? What’s your target income? Do you want year-round work or summer-intensive opportunities?
Step 2: Choose 1-2 opportunities from this guide that match your assessment. Don’t try everything. Better to execute one well than several poorly.
Step 3: Take one action today. Not next week or “when summer starts.” Today. Send one email, create one profile, write one outline or research one opportunity thoroughly.
Step 4: Give it a genuine try. Most side hustles take 30-90 days minimum to gain traction. Don’t quit after two weeks because you haven’t earned $1,000 yet.
Step 5: Evaluate after 90 days. Is the income worth the time investment? Are you enjoying it? Is it sustainable? Adjust accordingly.
Remember that teachers earning substantial side income started exactly where you are: overwhelmed, underpaid and looking for options. The difference between them and teachers who stayed stuck is simply that they started and persisted through the challenging early period.
Your teaching skills, educational credentials and ability to connect with people have significant value beyond your classroom. The best side hustles for teachers leverage those assets whilst respecting your limited time and energy. Choose opportunities aligned with your goals, take that first step and remember that every dollar earned through your side hustle represents value the school system should be paying you but isn’t.
The extra income you need is achievable. More importantly, the financial security, professional growth and expanded opportunities that come from successful side hustles can genuinely improve both your teaching and your life. The best side hustles for teachers are waiting for you to start them.