21 Best Side Hustles for Teachers Who Are Tired of Being Underpaid

This post is all about the best side hustles for teachers who want to make extra money without giving up every evening, weekend, and ounce of sanity they have left.

TL; DR Side Hustles for Teachers

If you’re looking for the best side hustles for teachers, start with:

• Blogging
• Selling lesson plans
• Tutoring
• Freelance writing
• Printables
• Virtual assisting
• Online courses
• Pinterest management
• Proofreading
• Etsy

The best teacher side hustles let you use skills you already have while creating extra income during evenings, weekends, summer break, or even while you sleep.

What Are Side Hustles for Teachers?

Side hustles for teachers are flexible ways to earn extra income outside of the classroom. Many teachers use their existing skills to make money through tutoring, blogging, selling educational resources, freelance writing, and other online businesses. The best side hustles for teachers can generate income year-round and may eventually grow into full-time businesses.

Why So Many Teachers Are Looking for Side Hustles

Let’s just say what everyone is already thinking.

Teachers deserve to be paid more.

There. I said it.

You spend your days teaching, mentoring, planning lessons, answering emails, attending meetings that could have been emails, buying classroom supplies with your own money, and somehow still finding time to smile at parent-teacher conferences.

Meanwhile, your paycheck sometimes feels like it forgot to show up.

That’s why so many teachers are looking for ways to make extra money.

The good news?

Teachers already have some of the most valuable skills on the internet:

• Communication
• Organization
• Patience
• Writing
• Teaching
• Problem-solving

In other words, you’re already sitting on a gold mine of marketable skills.

Let’s talk about how to turn those skills into extra income.

21 Best Side Hustles for Teachers

#1 Start a Blog That Pays You Long After the Bell Rings

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on Maya Waters, you probably knew this one was coming. 😄

Blogging is still one of my favorite side hustles for teachers because it gives you multiple ways to make money from the same piece of content.

You can earn through:

• Affiliate marketing
• Display ads
• Sponsored content
• Digital products
• Email marketing
• Courses

Unlike tutoring, where you get paid once for your time, a blog post can continue bringing in traffic and income for years.

I have blog posts that are older than some people’s TikTok accounts and they’re still making money.

Potential income: $2,000 to $50,000+ per month.

#2 Get Paid for the Lesson Plans You’ve Already Made

Imagine getting paid twice for the same lesson plan.

That’s basically what happens when you sell educational resources online.

Teachers everywhere are looking for:

• Worksheets
• Lesson plans
• Classroom activities
• Unit studies
• Educational games

Instead of letting those resources collect digital dust on your computer, you can upload them to sites like Teachers Pay Teachers and sell them repeatedly.

Some teachers earn a few hundred dollars a month.

Others earn enough to replace their teaching salary entirely.

Not bad for work you’ve already done.

#3 Turn Your Teaching Skills Into a $50/Hour Side Hustle

Tutoring is one of the easiest side jobs for teachers because you’re already doing the hard part every day.

Teaching.

The difference is that tutoring often pays much more per hour because you’re working one-on-one with students.

You can tutor:

• Math
• Science
• English
• Test prep
• Reading
• Foreign languages

Many tutors charge $25 to $100+ per hour depending on their specialty.

And unlike classroom teaching, nobody is throwing paper airplanes while you’re trying to explain fractions.

#4 Write Blog Posts Instead of Report Cards

If you’ve ever written a parent email that accidentally turned into a 3-page novel, you may already have the skills for freelance writing.

Businesses need content constantly.

They need:

• Blog posts
• Emails
• Website content
• Newsletters

The problem?

Most business owners are too busy running their businesses to write it themselves.  That’s where freelance writers come in.

Many freelance writers earn $3,000 to $10,000+ per month once they gain experience.

A great place to get started is Fiverr. Create a profile, list your services, and start applying for gigs. It may take a little time to land your first client, but once you get a few reviews under your belt, things can start snowballing quickly.

#5 Catch Grammar Mistakes for Money

You know that feeling when somebody uses the wrong “your” on Facebook and you physically can’t ignore it?

Congratulations. You might be a proofreader.

Proofreaders help catch spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting mistakes before content gets published.

Many proofreaders work from home and create their own schedules.

Potential income: $20 to $60+ per hour.

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#6 Become the Teacher Pinterest Can’t Stop Sharing

Pinterest isn’t just for recipes you’ll never make and home renovations you’ll never finish.

It’s actually a massive search engine.

Businesses hire Pinterest managers to:

• Create pins
• Schedule content
• Research keywords
• Grow traffic

Many Pinterest managers charge $500 to $2,000+ per month per client.

If you already spend time on Pinterest, you may as well see if someone will pay you for it.

#7 Sell Classroom Resources While You Sleep

This is similar to selling lesson plans, but it goes beyond the classroom.

Think:

• Checklists
• Printables
• Classroom organizers
• Student trackers
• Parent communication templates

The beauty of digital products is that you create them once.

Then they can continue selling while you’re sleeping, watching Netflix, or hiding in your car for five minutes of peace before walking into Target.

#8 Create an Online Course Once and Sell It Forever

People will pay to learn things that feel completely normal to you.

Seriously.  The thing you’ve been doing for ten years without thinking about it?  Well, someone else is Googling how to do it right now!

You can create courses on:

• Classroom management
• Teaching strategies
• Homeschooling
• Organization
• Productivity
• Curriculum planning

Create it once and sell it over and over again.

#9 Get Paid to Explain Things to Adults

Teaching isn’t just for kids.

Adults pay good money to learn new skills too.  You can coach or teach people in areas where you have experience and expertise.

Examples include:

• Study skills
• Time management
• Career coaching
• Life coaching
• Organization

Sometimes the thing that feels easy to you is exactly what somebody else struggles with.

#10 Become a Virtual Assistant for Busy Business Owners

Teachers are basically professional organizers disguised as educators.

That’s why virtual assisting can be such a great fit.

Virtual assistants help with:

• Email management
• Scheduling
• Customer service
• Data entry
• Content uploading

Many VAs earn $20 to $50+ per hour.

And unlike teaching, nobody’s asking if the assignment is graded.

#11 Turn Your Summer Break into a Printables Business

Summer side hustles for teachers don’t get much better than this.

You can create things like:

• Budget planners
• Meal planners
• Goal trackers
• Chore charts
• Family organizers
• Classroom printables
• Student trackers
• Homework planners

People buy these types of printables every single day.  That’s what makes this niche SO profitable.

The best part is that you don’t need inventory, shipping supplies, or a garage packed with products. You create the file once on your computer, upload it, and customers download it instantly.

It’s one of the reasons printables are such a popular source of passive income for teachers.

And if you’re thinking, “This sounds great, but what the heck would I actually sell?” you’re not alone.

When I first heard about selling printables on Etsy, I assumed you needed to be some super-creative graphic designer or something. Turns out, that’s not true at all!

If you’re curious about selling printables on Etsy, I highly recommend checking out the FREE WORKSHOP from Gold City Ventures. It walks you through:

• Printable ideas that are already selling
• How to open an Etsy shop
• What it really costs to get started
• How successful Etsy sellers make sales

Their students have earned millions of dollars selling printables, and many of them started with zero graphic design experience.

Honestly, before you spend hours creating random printables and hoping someone buys them, I’d watch the free workshop first. It can save you a lot of trial and error and give you a much better idea of what shoppers are already looking for on Etsy.

Potential income: Anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to a few hundred dollars a day.

And let’s be honest… getting paid while you’re sitting on the deck enjoying summer break sounds a whole lot better than spending your vacation laminating things. 😄

#12 Get Paid to Recommend Products You Already Love

This is called affiliate marketing.

Instead of creating your own product, you recommend products you already use and earn a commission when someone buys through your link.

Think about all the teacher supplies, books, software, and tools you’ve recommended over the years.

Now imagine getting paid for those recommendations.

Potential income: A few dollars a month all the way up to six figures.

The rest depends on your audience and traffic.

#13 Make Educational Videos Without Becoming an Influencer

Good news.

• You don’t need to dance on TikTok.
• You don’t need to become famous.
• You don’t even need to show your face.

Many teachers create educational videos, YouTube channels, and learning resources that generate income through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing.

#14 Start a Seasonal Etsy Shop

Etsy isn’t just for handmade jewelry anymore. Who knew!

Teachers are selling things like:

• Printables
• Classroom decor
• Lesson plans
• Personalized gifts
• Digital downloads

And the crazy part?

Many successful Etsy sellers started with just ONE product idea.

The hardest part for most beginners isn’t opening an Etsy shop.

It’s figuring out what to sell.

That’s why I recommend grabbing the free Seasonal Products Secret eBook from Gold City Ventures if you’re interested in selling printables on Etsy.

Inside, you’ll get a list of best-selling products by month and learn how successful Etsy sellers take advantage of seasonal trends throughout the year.

Think about it.

A printable that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day probably isn’t going to sell very well in July. Just like Christmas gift tags aren’t exactly flying off the virtual shelves in March.

The eBook helps take some of the guesswork out of the process so you’re creating products people are actually looking for.

Honestly, before you spend a weekend making random printables and hoping somebody buys them, I’d grab the free eBook first. It can give you some great ideas and help you spot trends you might have otherwise missed.

Potential income: From a few extra sales here and there to a full-blown Etsy business that pays for a lot more than your Starbucks habit. 😄

#15 Help Businesses Manage Their Social Media

Businesses know they should be posting on social media.

They just don’t want to do it.

Or more accurately… they start off strong, post three times in one week, disappear for a month, and then wonder why nobody is engaging with their content.

That’s where social media managers come in.

As a social media manager, you help businesses stay active online by:

• Creating content
• Scheduling posts
• Writing captions
• Answering comments and messages
• Finding content ideas
• Keeping their accounts updated

The great thing about this side hustle is that many small business owners don’t need a full-time employee. They just need someone reliable to keep things running behind the scenes.

And let’s be honest, teachers are already pros at planning, organizing, and keeping people on track. Those skills transfer surprisingly well to social media management.

Potential income: $300 to $2,000+ per client each month.

Get a few clients, and suddenly your side hustle starts looking a lot more like a second paycheck.

#16 Teach English Online From Your Kitchen Table

Teaching English online remains one of the most popular work from home jobs for teachers.

Many companies connect English learners with native English speakers through video calls, allowing you to teach from the comfort of your own home.

One of the biggest perks is flexibility. Depending on the company, you may be able to choose your own schedule and teach before school, after school, on weekends, or during summer break.

Some popular places to find online English teaching jobs include:

• VIPKid (when hiring)
• Cambly
• Preply
• italki
• AmazingTalker
• EF Education First
• Open English
• Skooli

The requirements vary by platform. Some prefer certified teachers, while others are more interested in your ability to communicate clearly and help students improve their English skills.

And don’t worry if the thought of teaching adults sounds intimidating. After managing a classroom full of 10-year-olds on the day before Christmas break, teaching one motivated adult over Zoom will probably feel like a vacation.

Potential income: $15 to $50+ per hour, depending on the platform, your experience, and the type of students you teach.

#17 Become the Woman Everyone Calls When Their Resume Needs Help

Teachers spend years helping people prepare for the future.

Resume writing is simply another version of that.

People pay for help with:

• Resumes
• Cover letters
• LinkedIn profiles

And trust me, some resumes desperately need saving.

#18 Create Canva Templates People Keep Buying

Canva has created an entire business opportunity.

You can design:

• Planners
• Social media templates
• Classroom resources
• Worksheets

Then sell them online repeatedly.

#19 Get Paid to Type What You Hear

Transcription is one of the more beginner-friendly online jobs for teachers because the concept is pretty darn simple.

Someone sends you an audio recording.  You listen to it.  You type out what was said.  That’s it, that’s all! 

You might transcribe things like:

• Podcasts
• Interviews
• Meetings
• Webinars
• Training videos

The best part is that transcription is flexible. You can work from home, choose your own hours, and often work as much or as little as you want.

Many transcriptionists start out earning a little extra money on the side and eventually turn it into a steady income stream.

If you’re curious about getting started, I recommend checking out Transcribe Anywhere. They offer a free training that explains what transcription is, how the industry works, and whether it’s a good fit for your personality and skills.

Potential income varies depending on experience and specialty, but many transcriptionists earn anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month to a full-time income.

And honestly, if you’ve survived a classroom full of students talking over each other, you’re probably already halfway qualified. 😄

Before you go down a 3-hour Google rabbit hole and somehow end up watching videos about baby goats wearing pajamas (don’t ask 😄), check out my guide on general transcription for beginners.

#20 Turn Your Hobby into an Online Business

Love gardening?
Photography?
Baking?
Crafting?

There’s a good chance someone would pay to learn from you, buy from you, or just follow your content for that matter!

Sometimes the best teacher side hustles start with hobbies.

#21 Build a YouTube Channel That Makes Money Year-Round

YouTube can take time to grow, but it has huge income potential.

You can create videos about:

• Teaching
• Productivity
• Homeschooling
• Classroom hacks
• Personal finance
• Pretty much anything else people want to learn

Unlike social media posts that disappear after a few days, YouTube videos can continue generating views for years.

The Bottom Line

Teachers spend their careers helping other people succeed.

There’s nothing wrong with finding a side hustle that helps you succeed too.

Whether you want an extra $500 a month or a business that eventually replaces your teaching income, there are more opportunities available today than ever before.

And honestly?

If anyone deserves a little extra income, it’s probably the person who spent their own money on classroom supplies this year. 😄

Side Hustles for Teachers FAQ