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5 Lucrative Side Hustles for Teachers

By Julieann Samayoa
on March 09, 2023
5 Lucrative Side Hustles for Teachers

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!

5 Lucrative Side Hustles for Teachers

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!  5 Lucrative Side Hustles for Teachers

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.

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.

5 Ways for Teachers to Save Money On Back to School Supplies

By Julieann Samayoa
on January 17, 2019
5 Ways for Teachers to Save Money On Back to School Supplies

Back to school time means empty your wallet time. But, it doesn’t have to! While times may be tight and pennies may be pinched in school buildings across the country, buying your own supplies doesn’t mean going bankrupt! Read on to learn about five easy ways you can save money when picking up some of your back to school supplies!

1. Take Advantage of Teachers Pay Teachers

If you haven’t visited this site yet, you’re missing out! Teachers Pay Teachers is a site created by teachers for teachers. They share their most effective ideas and make products for you to purchase (inexpensive) or download for free! If you find yourself purchasing name tags each year or even borders to decorate your bulletin board-think again. You can choose from at least twenty designs of name tags and print them out in color, in a flash! Simply click on the ones that you like, print them, laminate them, and label them! It’s that easy!

When I started teaching fourth grade for the first time, I was shocked how much time I was spending getting ready for school on the weekends. I had to learn the curriculum, create activities, grade papers, and more. I even had my husband shopping and laminating for me. After a few months of spending all my time working on school stuff, my husband and I had a discussion. He told me he was worried about me and about “us”! He confessed that he didn’t want me working all weekend every weekend and we needed to find a balance between work and home. I looked to Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) and I’m
so glad I did. I found an Ecosystems Unit that followed the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) exactly! It was just what I was looking for! Absolutely Perfect. And it only cost $8.95 with over 50 pages and a week worth of activities for my students! I downloaded it, printed it, and showed my husband. The bottom line is I got my weekends back, precious time with my family, time to relax, time for myself, all for under $10! It's a true time saver and lifesaver!

2. Shop Consignment Stores

If you are an Early Childhood Educator (K-3), don’t turn your nose up at consignment shops or Goodwill. They are the perfect place to visit if you are in need of some toys for your indoor recess
center. You can also use them as inspiration for writing prompts, or even a motivator for a lesson. You can also find cute playhouses, art tables, and even puzzles and books for an unbelievably affordable price.

3. Dollar Store Pit Stop

The dollar stop should be a teacher’s best friend. You don’t need to go to expensive department stores to stock up on crayons, glue, and other school essentials. You can literally find everything you need to start the year off right all in one place. You can also pick up toys and candy to put in your prize box. Sometimes the store will boast a sale around back to school time so you could end up getting supplies priced two for a dollar!

4. Create a Giving Tree for the Classroom

For more expensive items like hand sanitizer, construction paper, pencil boxes, and tissues; consider
constructing a giving tree on your chalkboard during Meet the Teacher or Open House
night. Make a bunch of leaves and attach them to the body and branches of a tree you make out of chalk (or construction paper). Tell parents if they are interested in donating any items, they can take a leaf off of the tree and return the item the first week of school! I attach these donations to a Homework Pass that students can use for a donated item. Parents love this idea, many times, I’ve had parents hang on the homework passes until the holidays so they can use it during the busiest time of the year. What a great give back! Get the FREE "Giving Tree" template and donation idea list here!

 Giving Tree Freebie for Meet the Teacher and Open House Night

5. Save from the Year Before

Send a letter home the last week of school asking if parents would be interested in donating their child’s used school items for students next year. Children can leave behind their rulers, scissors, notebooks, and folders. You can even take their stray crayons and toss them in a giant art bin. Every little item counts, so take what you can get! This is a wise collection to start for when students misplace their supplies during the school year.

Being a modern-day teacher means being clever and thrifty. Consider the five tips above to ensure that you don’t break the bank when buying supplies this fall! Wishing you a great start to your school year!