Side hustles for teachers: 10 ways to earn with the skills you already have

Teachers have skills that businesses, parents and students pay good money for: explaining hard things simply, designing learning materials, assessing work fairly, and staying calm with a room full of people. Yet many teachers assume their only side option is a summer job in retail.

Here are ten side hustles for teachers that build directly on what you already do, what each involves, and the district rules to check before you start.

Side hustles for teachers at a glance

Side hustle	When	Uses which skill
Private tutoring	Evenings and weekends	Subject expertise
Selling lesson resources	Any time, sells continually	Material design
Exam scoring (e.g. AP Reading)	June	Assessment
Curriculum writing	Summer or contract basis	Lesson design
AI training for subject experts	Flexible	Subject expertise and marking
Online teaching	Flexible	Teaching
Test prep coaching	Before exam seasons	Exam knowledge
Summer camps and programs	Summer	Classroom management
Education writing	Flexible	Writing and expertise
Workshops for parents or teachers	Evenings, school breaks	Presenting

1. Private tutoring

The best-paid option per hour for most teachers. Parents value a real teacher, especially before exams. Tutor online to reach students beyond your area. Check your district's policy: many don't allow tutoring your own current students for pay.

2. Selling lesson resources

Worksheets, unit plans, task cards and classroom decor sell on marketplaces like Teachers Pay Teachers. According to its seller fees page, Basic sellers keep 55% of each sale minus a transaction fee, and Premium sellers pay an annual fee and keep 80%. Resources compound: a good unit can sell for years. For selling more widely, see how to sell digital products on Etsy.

3. Exam scoring

The College Board recruits AP teachers and college faculty as AP Readers to score exam responses every June, with both in-person and at-home options, as explained on its page about how to become an AP Reader. Other testing organisations also hire experienced educators as scorers.

4. Curriculum writing

Publishers, edtech companies and online schools hire teachers to write lessons, assessments and teacher guides. It often runs on summer contracts and pays per project.

The skills that fill a classroom every day are worth money outside it too. Photo by Nathan Cima on Unsplash.

5. AI training for subject experts

AI companies pay experts to judge and improve answers in maths, science, history, languages and more, which is essentially marking with detailed feedback. Specialist projects pay considerably more than general ones. See how to get paid to train AI.

6. Online teaching

Online schools and language platforms hire teachers for live classes. Hours are flexible, and some platforms serve students in other time zones, which suits early mornings or evenings.

7. Test prep coaching

Families pay well for help before entrance exams and standardised tests. Small group sessions let you earn more per hour while keeping prices affordable for parents.

8. Summer camps and programs

Academic camps, enrichment programs and summer schools want experienced teachers. It's reliable summer income with familiar work.

9. Education writing

Parenting sites, education publishers and edtech blogs pay for articles written by real teachers. Your classroom stories are exactly the first-hand experience that editors want.

10. Workshops

Run paid workshops for parents (how to support reading at home) or professional development sessions for other teachers, in person or online.

How to price tutoring

Research what other tutors charge locally and online for your subject and level, then position yourself as a qualified teacher, which usually justifies a higher rate than a student tutor. Offer packages of several sessions, set a clear cancellation policy, and consider small groups before exams, which lowers the price per family while raising what you earn per hour.

Check these rules first

• Outside employment policies. Some districts require you to report side work.
• Ownership of materials. Resources made on school time or with school equipment may belong to the district.
• Tutoring your own students. Often not allowed for pay.
• Use of student work. Never sell or share student work or data.

Protect your energy

Teaching is exhausting, and a side hustle shouldn't cost your health. Many teachers keep term time light (a couple of tutoring sessions a week) and do the bigger projects in summer. Our guide to making money on the side with a full time job has more on setting sustainable limits, and freelancing for beginners helps if you want to turn curriculum or writing work into steady clients.