7 Easy Teacher Side Hustle from Home Ideas for Extra Cash

I have always been a go-getter, someone who is not content with sitting still doing nothing. Everything I do has to have a purpose. Now, what I’m about to say may sound crazy, and you may not think it is humanly possible, but I have 4 side hustles and teach full time! Yes, I do sleep and eat… don’t worry! But my motivation is my family, and I will do anything to provide for them and make a great life for us!  Between teaching full time, my Llearning Llama store, being a part-time piano teacher, an Etsy seller, and an eBay reseller, I am working towards my goal of a dream home with my husband.  Think about the impact just one side hustle from home could have on your life. It could fund your summer vacation, be the extra money you put into your child’s college savings fund, or just make month-to-month bills easier to pay!

Most people know Airbnb to be an alternative to the traditional hotel search, but did you know that you can also buy “experiences” to enhance your vacation stays?  Let’s say you take a long weekend trip to Washington D.C., you can search “experiences” or even “online experiences” and add some adventure to your trip! Maybe a photo shoot on the National Mall or a guided tour through the local museums or a cooking class with your loved ones! People like you and me are leading these experiences for tourists and locals alike. You can be one of the people leading an experience! If you love hiking, offer a hike through the local trails.  If you want to put your teaching skills to use, teach a language course or host a game or Escape room!

Think about all of the lesson plans, flash cards, worksheets, tests, etc. that you have created over the years. You put every ounce of effort into making it perfect for your kids, and then what? You use it once a year and no one else can share in your efforts?  With a super user-friendly system, you can easily upload your lessons to Teachers Pay Teachers for all to see and purchase.  My TpT journey began when I was sitting in my tiny apartment during the summer after my first year of teaching.  I used Integrated Performance Assessments and quickly learned how valuable they are, but how time consuming they are to create. So I thought, well why not try to post a few on TpT and see if anyone shows interest. Even if I sell just one, I’d be ecstatic.  To my surprise, I started to sell quite a few!  After that, I knew this side hustle from home was one I needed to continue to nurture!

Not only am I a Spanish teacher, but also a piano teacher. I have personally used Wyzant to find piano students, and have had some really great success! To be completely honest, once one family uses you as a teacher or tutor, they will spread the word! Encourage them to share with the child’s classmates, neighbors, cousins, and more! Word of mouth can be your greatest resource for growing your tutoring business. Plus, you can tutor from your couch if the families are open to virtual lessons. You can also find students on Care.com and other babysitting/tutoring websites.

Outschool is similar to tutoring, but you can get more bang for your buck! You design the curriculum, teach when, and where you want! You get paid per student, so the more students, the more money per session.  Take any content area or passion of yours and you can teach it! For example, as a Spanish teacher, I love teaching about Hispanic artists, so I could make an Outschool course about Hispanic artists.  Plus, the students are choosing to sign up for these classes, so you will have a class of motivated, engaged students!

Teachers are naturally talented in many areas: organization, writing and revising, translating (language teachers), design, finance, and more.  Boy, we really are superheroes, aren’t we?! Take your skills and put them to use as a Virtual Assistant or Freelancer. With websites like Fiverr and Upwork, you can apply for jobs that fit your best skills. This is a great summer job or part time job for teachers, since you determine how much time to devote.

Many teachers use teaching as their creative outlet.  We love designing bulletin boards, making cute name tags, or coming up with fun Halloween costumes. We tend to channel all of that creativity into the classroom, but if you think about your strengths, you may be able to turn them into a small business! My mom and I (both full time teachers), have an Etsy shop where we sell mini hand knit Christmas sweater ornaments and other unique items. Check out our mini llama sweater here!  We learned to knit from my grandmother and are continuing with her talents by sharing our products with people around the world. I know many other teachers who make jewelry, do woodcrafting, graphic design, and painting… they all attend craft shows or have Etsy shops as their side hustle! If you have a hobby, you can take a class to fine tune your skills, then you can start making a profit!

If you are into photography, you can sell stock photos online.  Many teachers, online business owners, and entrepreneurs are in need of stock photos.  As a Teachers Pay Teachers seller, I am always on the lookout for school themed stock photos. Let’s take Molly Brett or Speaking of Images as examples. They have created memberships for teachers or business owners to join and gain access to their photo galleries!

There are lots of options to choose from with these 7 teacher side hustles from home. My biggest tip is to think about your skills and what you are passionate about.  You want your side hustle to bring you joy. With all 7 options, you are in control! You set the schedule, you take on as much or little as you can handle, and you call the shots! Let me know which side hustle from home you feel called to in the comments below!