Turn Your Summer Side Gig into Year-Round Income: 4 Tips for Teachers
After a long year in front of the classroom, many teachers look forward to the two-month summer break. Others, however, dread those long, hot boring days with nothing to do and no income rolling in. While summer can be a great time to take a vacation or get involved in your church or community, it can also be a time of high anxiety, especially for those who need to bring in extra income over those months.
Educators have a wealth of knowledge and experience that is highly sought after in many part-time or freelance positions. Since so many of these side gigs provide the freedom and flexibility of working from home or setting your own hours, teachers can really use these experiences to pad their incomes. Because these positions are so malleable, many teachers find they can keep these side gigs going year-round.
Ideas Make Money
Starting your own business may seem intimidating at first, but it can be quite simple to do and quite profitable in the long term. You can use the downtime of the summer to kick your startup into gear. You’ll want to begin with a niche idea, one that incorporates what you know and what you’re good at, like starting a kids or family fitness class or clean and organize homes with messy kids. You can also take advantage of popular trends in business ideas, such as decorative cell phone cases, wireless earbuds or organic tea.
Experience Gets Sales
Your creativity in the classroom is unmatched--and you’ve seen it work firsthand with students. Why not share that wisdom and experience with others? There are several ways you can make extra cash by using what you already have and know. Over the summer, build a website (it’s easier than you think) that allows people to purchase and download your lesson plans, classroom activities and test prep projects. If you have a special skill set, such as using music to teach history or helping kids with disabilities with reading comprehension, you can create an online course that people pay to take on learning platforms like Udemy.
Educators Offer Expertise
As a teacher, you have specialized experience and knowledge with what students need to understand in order to get into college. That’s why testing sites such as ACT like to hire educators to help with writing questions and answers and assisting with quality assurance. No one knows if the test questions really reflect classroom education like a teacher does. There are other organizations including eNotes that hire teachers to work from home to help kids with homework. Another side gig that can turn into year-round income is online tutoring.
Tutors in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and math) are always in high demand. However, there is a need for the arts and humanities, as well. Armed with a computer and an Internet connection you can teach English to second-language learners.
Homes and Cars Can Bring in a Buck
If you don’t want your side gig to be an extension of your professional life, you can always try your hand at ridesharing, home rentals or food delivery. A summer sig gig driving for Uber or Lyft can turn into a weekend job year-round. You can add to that income by delivering food to customers who use UberEats or GrubHub. If you have an extra bedroom and enjoy meeting new people, list your space for rent on Airbnb. These ideas all allow you to decide when and where you work.
Whether you need to supplement your income or you just enjoy staying busy, summer side gigs can really make an impact on your bank account. From paying off a car to saving for a vacation, year-round side gigs not only fit into your schedule, but they fit into your lifestyle.
- Joyce Wilson
joyce@teacherspark.org
Teacherspark.org
Educators have a wealth of knowledge and experience that is highly sought after in many part-time or freelance positions. Since so many of these side gigs provide the freedom and flexibility of working from home or setting your own hours, teachers can really use these experiences to pad their incomes. Because these positions are so malleable, many teachers find they can keep these side gigs going year-round.
Ideas Make Money
Starting your own business may seem intimidating at first, but it can be quite simple to do and quite profitable in the long term. You can use the downtime of the summer to kick your startup into gear. You’ll want to begin with a niche idea, one that incorporates what you know and what you’re good at, like starting a kids or family fitness class or clean and organize homes with messy kids. You can also take advantage of popular trends in business ideas, such as decorative cell phone cases, wireless earbuds or organic tea.
Experience Gets Sales
Your creativity in the classroom is unmatched--and you’ve seen it work firsthand with students. Why not share that wisdom and experience with others? There are several ways you can make extra cash by using what you already have and know. Over the summer, build a website (it’s easier than you think) that allows people to purchase and download your lesson plans, classroom activities and test prep projects. If you have a special skill set, such as using music to teach history or helping kids with disabilities with reading comprehension, you can create an online course that people pay to take on learning platforms like Udemy.
Educators Offer Expertise
As a teacher, you have specialized experience and knowledge with what students need to understand in order to get into college. That’s why testing sites such as ACT like to hire educators to help with writing questions and answers and assisting with quality assurance. No one knows if the test questions really reflect classroom education like a teacher does. There are other organizations including eNotes that hire teachers to work from home to help kids with homework. Another side gig that can turn into year-round income is online tutoring.
Tutors in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and math) are always in high demand. However, there is a need for the arts and humanities, as well. Armed with a computer and an Internet connection you can teach English to second-language learners.
Homes and Cars Can Bring in a Buck
If you don’t want your side gig to be an extension of your professional life, you can always try your hand at ridesharing, home rentals or food delivery. A summer sig gig driving for Uber or Lyft can turn into a weekend job year-round. You can add to that income by delivering food to customers who use UberEats or GrubHub. If you have an extra bedroom and enjoy meeting new people, list your space for rent on Airbnb. These ideas all allow you to decide when and where you work.
Whether you need to supplement your income or you just enjoy staying busy, summer side gigs can really make an impact on your bank account. From paying off a car to saving for a vacation, year-round side gigs not only fit into your schedule, but they fit into your lifestyle.
- Joyce Wilson
joyce@teacherspark.org
Teacherspark.org
Photo by Pixabay - https://pixabay.com/en/office-tax-business-finance-620822/
side gigs - https://www.weareteachers.com/ways-teachers-can-make-extra-money/
kick your startup - https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249674
popular trends - https://www.oberlo.com/blog/business-ideas-that-make-money
it's easier than you think - https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/how-to-build-a-website/
lesson plans - http://www.businessinsider.com/teachers-making-millions-online-lesson-plans-2017-4
Udemy - https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229605508-Getting-Started-How-do-I-Create-my-Udemy-Course-
ACT - https://www.act.org/content/act/en/working-at-act.html
teach English - https://t.vipkid.com.cn/?refereeId=6586149&transactionId=102654087c5fd9453c5604bb1044ff
side gigs - https://www.weareteachers.com/ways-teachers-can-make-extra-money/
kick your startup - https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249674
popular trends - https://www.oberlo.com/blog/business-ideas-that-make-money
it's easier than you think - https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/how-to-build-a-website/
lesson plans - http://www.businessinsider.com/teachers-making-millions-online-lesson-plans-2017-4
Udemy - https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229605508-Getting-Started-How-do-I-Create-my-Udemy-Course-
ACT - https://www.act.org/content/act/en/working-at-act.html
teach English - https://t.vipkid.com.cn/?refereeId=6586149&transactionId=102654087c5fd9453c5604bb1044ff