Have you ever wondered how a teacher can make extra money? Do you know that it definitely is possible? There are many different ways that teachers can make money online. Here are 15 of them!
You may have heard of some, but others might be new to you. Some require little effort and others take a bit more work. But all in all, they’re worth it if you want to earn an extra income from home while still being able to do what you love – teach!
If 2020/ 2021 has taught us anything, it’s that no job is really secure, unless of course, you are a doctor. But what about the teachers?
Schools shut down for undetermined periods of time, most classes were moved online, and some teachers decided it was time to retire. Paid hours were reduced for many, but so were the salaries. Many teachers, amongst others, needed to find alternate ways to make additional money.
But the great news is that the world has been inevitably propelled into the online space, creating ample ways for teachers to make extra money, or replace their 9-to-5 salary!
And now, as a teacher, you have the option to earn more due to everything being online, even if it’s just picking up one additional class per week in the evenings when your students halfway around the world are online!
A student’s success story
I recently listened to a talk given by a university student in Japan who started teaching English lessons online. She took a maximum of three learners at a time (junior school age) and was charging them each US$35 per lesson. That’s $105 per week. That’s $420 a month.
And that is only for one lesson, once a week. Offer two classes a week with a total of 6 students and that’s $840 a month! How could that additional $840 per month make a difference in your life?
The world has literally become your oyster, and the online space is booming… so, let’s get into it!
1. Online Tutor or Online Teacher
This one is most probably the most obvious one, but if you are a teacher you are able to tutor other people. Depending on your experience, this can range from grade one level right up to adults who are furthering their education.
With the way the world has been propelled forward during the COVID pandemic, there are a LOT of opportunities available.
In the traditional schooling system, most classes are large and it is difficult at times for children to fully grasp what is being taught. And instead of admitting it, many children would rather remain quiet to save themselves from the ridicule and taunting from their peers… and fall behind.
When schools were closed in 2020 and 2021 and children stayed at home, and while their parents were also at home but still had to work virtually, some children have also been left behind. Some are at a complete loss, through no fault of their own, of what is happening in their grade level.
This is where you step in and help. You can choose whether you would prefer to tutor one-on-one, or tutor small groups of children together with a maximum class limit.
If you’re a past teacher and have the time, you could offer your services to homeschooling families and assist them during the day.
Nichelle Nelson and her two daughters have done just this and have started a business teaching American history classes to children around the world. They follow the American schooling calendar year and between them offer a variety of courses. We have just signed up for this and Nichelle has been extremely encouraging in getting started and I really do believe that this is going to be one exciting history class!
2. Designing and selling worksheets and lesson plans online
The great thing about making some money as a teacher by doing this is that it becomes a passive income stream.
You need to put in the hard work to create your product, but once it is done, you can set it up online and make money from it.
Who would buy these types of products from you? Other teachers locally as well as in other countries could, and homeschooling families. Tutors could buy them to help them with their teaching too. Students currently training to become teachers could be potential customers – it all depends on who your target market is.
Once you have created your digital product, you need to find platforms from where you can sell your digital products. You can sign up with online platforms such as:
* Teachers Pay Teachers
* Share My Lesson
* Etsy
… and there are a lot more!
You can also sell directly from your own blog through a product such as ThriveCart or SendOwl.
3. Start your own blog and go in-depth
If you are serious about making extra money, and have the time available, setting up your own blog is something you should seriously consider.
It belongs to you, and you also keep all the profits from the sales. But then marketing falls upon your shoulders too – however, it’s not all bad. Social media is available, you can hire a social media manager, you can create Facebook Ads or Google Ads; there are such a variety of ways that you can reach your target audience FOR FREE!
Choose the subject that you are most passionate about, or that you know people struggle with and go deep.
Is it biology? Are you a plant nerd that wants to teach 6 to 13-year-olds all about the gorgeous plant kingdom? What types of plants does this include? What do kids need to know about cells? What are the functions of different parts of a flower? Will you dissect a flower? Do they need a microscope? Are there experiments that you can do? Should you partner up with someone who can teach high school biology and you both share the blog?
You can also find other products that you can recommend and that will benefit your students, such as stationery, equipment, books, etc, and include links on your posts and make commission through affiliate sales.
Psst – let me let you in on a secret: When I was looking for assistance in the high school space for my daughter, there is not a lot of information available in comparison to what is available for middle school. There is definitely a gap in the market there.
4. Holiday clubs
When parents need to work, whether at home or in the office, they need to focus. A holiday club is a brilliant idea for the school holidays so that children can be entertained and still socialize, while mom and dad get to work, and teachers make some extra money.
Find a large enough space, get your helpers, create a daily routine, organize games and activities, and market it far in advance.
Just for now, be wary of COVID requirements in your area.
5. Arts & crafts
If your passion lies with arts and crafts, you can provide lessons in the afternoons, over weekends, and during the holidays. Pottery, mosaics, water painting, sewing, how to draw…. the list goes on and on. And this is certainly not only limited to children.
Many adults are looking for creative outlets, learning a new skill, or just picking up a new hobby. Don’t forget about the adults. so working with adults might be another avenue that you can try.
Have a look at Painting with a Twist. These two ladies started off this business with the goal of contributing towards the rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. And now, because people absolutely loved this concept, they have helped to create millions of paintings across the USA!
So if you are a creative soul, turning your arts & crafts skills into a business could be the perfect opportunity for you!
6. Proofreading
Do you have a knack for the English language? Do grammatical errors, punctuation errors, and spelling mistakes stand out to you like a sore thumb when you’re reading a website?
Proofreading for people might be a great opportunity for you.
7. Help the homeschooling parents
Having recently started homeschooling, I can honestly say it’s incredibly overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to do it as a one-woman team.
I can say without a doubt in my mind, there is an opportunity here.
Besides tutoring or teaching, you can help the parent/s get prepared.
Teach them how to create a lesson plan, show them where to find XYZ information, show them how to create a timetable for the quarter, semester, or year, explain the different methods of teaching and learning and how they can figure out which one is best for their child.
By offering these services, you will take the stress away from the parent, and create a smooth transition into this new phase they are moving into.
8. Become an online test scorer
This is limited to certain countries, and quite often you do need to have a degree. Sometimes companies allow any degree, but others have stricter requirements, for example, you might need to have a degree in mathematics or a degree in English.
Grading papers is seasonal work and the grading is done online.
Have a look at these five companies:
Measurement, Inc.
ACT
Pearson
Creative English Solutions
Literably is another online company where you grade the orals of students through transcription work where you transcribe the errors. You do not need a degree or any special requirements, although you do need to pass their sample tasks.
Their pay has been reported to be between $10 – $20 per hour.
9. Create your own online course
Again, this does not have to be limited to teaching children. There are many adults in this world trying to get their GED and other high school qualifications.
There are many adults who want to learn something for the sake of learning something new, as well as those who want to upskill to become more proficient in their job or to start a new career.
If you are an expert in a specific field, consider creating a course and then selling it through an online platform such as Teachable.
10. Conversational English
They say the best way to learn a new language is to move to that country (French – go to France), and by being thrown in the deep end you will be fluent in a couple of months. But, as awesome as that sounds, we can’t all do that now, can we?
All around the world, people are learning English. If they weren’t, TEFL wouldn’t be as successful as it is. But once the lesson is finished, how do people practice?
By nature, MOST people won’t do much further until the next class. Usually, because they don’t know any native English speakers that they can talk to.
You can have people set up appointments with you online through Calendly, and offer to have a ‘coffee chat’ just so that they can practice. And you gently correct their errors.
Yes, people will pay for this.
11. Write for other people’s websites
There are many companies, online magazines, as well as bloggers, who will pay you to write blog posts and articles for them.
Blogging, for example, can take up a lot of time if you are one person doing it on your own, so bloggers do reach a point where they often outsource some of the tasks that are needed to be done, and one of these would be writing blog posts.
Some articles and posts might need a ghostwriter (you do not get a byline for this), some will do an exchange, but there are those that will pay.
If you think that you have a lot of great knowledge and writing is for you, but you can’t find anyone to pay you, then starting a blog of your own might be a very good idea!
12. Music lessons
Can you tickle the ivories or pluck a tune on a banjo?
Then why not teach online! This wasn’t really a concept until the world shut down during early 2020, but it happened and it forced people to think about working differently, and teaching music online became a successful thing!
Sign up with TakeLessons and get teaching. You are your own boss and you can set your own hours and work as much, or as little, as you want to while the company handles the marketing, billing, and payments.
Step 1: Go to TakeLessons
Step 2: Create your online profile
Step 3: Start teaching
And you aren’t restricted to teaching online; you can teach classes in your home or travel to your students’ homes if you do prefer face-to-face. For those who do love the online space, you can choose to teach via Zoom, Skype, or any platform that you are comfortable with.
13. Teach English Online
This is a great option for current teachers, past teachers, retired teachers who are looking for a way to make money that is flexible, and that they can still do in their stretchy pants!
The most popular teaching company to work for is VIPKid (LINK) but that is not the only one. There are many online companies that you can apply to.
14. Look on teacher’s job boards
Another option is to look on teacher’s job boards, especially if you are interested in teaching in another country. Experience a new culture, different food, explore new lands! All the while getting paid for it.
Have a look at these job boards if this option interests you:
1. Teachaway.com
2. Overseas Visitors Club
3. Go Overseas
4. Go Abroad
15. More writing opportunities
Besides writing articles and blog posts for other people’s websites that I mentioned earlier, there are many, many ways that you can make money with your writing skills. The best part about this type of work is that it is flexible, it doesn’t cost you to get started, and every single business or website that is online needs content to be written for them. And that includes social media platforms too!
If you are interested in writing to earn money, whether as a side hustle or to generate a full-time income, there are many niches that you can get into. Writing opportunities are incredibly varied and provide so many ways for teachers to make extra money.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter whether or not your school has shut down; these opportunities will help keep your income secure no matter what the future holds. And even if your school hasn’t closed its doors, there’s always the chance that another strain or another wave could sweep through the nation. Nobody knows.
So why not start making some extra cash now?
The sooner you get started with one or two of these ideas, the more prepared you will be for your future. So get started right away!
I’ve given you fifteen great ideas on various ways for teachers to make extra money from home without having to leave our current teaching positions behind completely. Okay, most of these ideas allow that.
Which one interests you? Do you have any other ideas you’d like to share?
