Guest post by Susan Good from Retired Educator
As a teacher, you might have struggled through a difficult, tumultuous few years in the workforce. Right now, many people in education are facing numerous challenges at work, from tough conditions in the classroom to wages that aren’t sufficient to meet the rising costs of living. If you’re interested in starting a side hustle for extra income, Heart 2 Heart Teaching has some tips and resources to help you get started!
Start Your Own Business
No matter what side hustle you choose to focus on, you might benefit from officially forming your own business. Even if you’re only working on these projects for a few hours per week, you can still gain some perks for registering with the right business structure! By filing for LLC status in your state, you can protect your personal financial assets with limited liability. Furthermore, you’ll get some tax breaks to help you save even more money!
If you don’t want to pay a lawyer to handle the filing process for you, you can either submit the documents on your own or work with an online formation service for additional support. Remember, every state has its own list of requirements for forming an LLC, but there are online formation services that can be a big help, so do some research on the best LLC services in your area before you get started.
Next, don’t forget to advertise! Infographics are a great way to spread the word, thanks to their unique combination of eye-catching pictures and linguistic brevity. If you aren’t sure where to start, there are a number of infographics templates that you can use for free! From there, you can share your new infographics via Instagram to reach a large audience of potential customers.
Tutoring
Lots of teachers pick up tutoring as a side hustle. If you want to maximize your earning potential as a private tutor, We Are Teachers recommends researching tutoring rates in your area and factoring your professional experience into your rates. Make sure to let families in your area know that you’re offering tutoring services, and don’t be afraid to promote yourself online and in-person!
Pet Care
Do you love animals? Why not offer dog walking services on the weekends? You could also walk dogs in your neighborhood before or after school hours. Walking dogs can be a great way to get some exercise, enjoy the fresh air, and de-stress! 
Pet sitting can also be a fantastic side hustle for teachers. While watching your clients’ pets, you can grade papers, write up lesson plans, and tackle other tasks related to your teaching job.
Become a Freelancer
You’re an expert in the world of education, and you can share your wisdom with the world through writing. If you’re interested in becoming a freelance writer, Wise recommends setting up a personal website with a few writing samples and then networking to land your first clients. Many Teacher-trepreneurs hire Virtual Assistants (VAs) to help them run their businesses.
A virtual assistant is an independent contractor who provides administrative services to clients. Virtual Assistants often specialize in specific tasks from marketing to product photography to website design. A great place to start looking at freelancing jobs is Upwork. You can also search for Ffacebook groups that are specific to your niche.
In addition to writing for websites and publications that cover education, you can sell worksheets and lesson plans that you've already created. While designing your own worksheets and templates does require some basic graphic design skills, free design apps make it easier!
Create an Online Course
What if you don’t have the time, or desire, to tutor students one-on-one? You can still bring in additional income by offering an online course that parents or older students can download at any time. Developing an online course does take time and effort, but once you’ve finished it, you can put it up for download and earn passive income. Just remember that you may have to update certain modules as time goes on - you want to make sure that the information provided in the course is always accurate and relevant.
For teachers, having part-time jobs is nothing new. Today, you have more options than ever for starting a side-hustle that doesn’t interfere with your full-time teaching position. By taking on one of these side hustles, you’ll be able to boost your income and expand your skill set.
Heart 2 Heart Teaching offers a variety of activities to use in your classrooms. Please feel free to follow us on Facebook, or browse our Pinterest boards for inspiration on everything from bulletin board displays to seasonal crafts to do with kids.