12 Best Side Hustles for Teachers (Summer & Year-Round)
Leverage your teaching skills to earn $500–$5,000/month extra
By the Monthly Income Booster editorial team · Updated · How we research and fact-check
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Teachers have a unique skill set — explaining hard things, creating lessons, managing groups — that translates beautifully to side income. Here's how to monetize.
1. Sell Lesson Plans on TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers)
A small number of sellers build a full-time income; most earn far less. Even hobby sellers make $200–$1,000/month from lessons they already created.
2. Online Tutoring
Wyzant, Outschool, Preply pay $25–$80/hr. Outschool is especially great for teachers — design and teach your own classes.
3. Test Prep (SAT/ACT/AP)
Charge $50–$150/hr. Local students will pay premium for proven test-prep teachers.
4. Curriculum Writing
Companies like Kiddom, Newsela, and Khan Academy hire teachers to write content. $30–$75/hr.
5. Education YouTube Channel
Math, science, and history teaching channels regularly hit 6 figures. Fastest growth: AP exam prep, classroom hacks for new teachers.
6. Substitute Teaching
Summer/breaks: substitute in nearby districts or teach summer school. $150–$300/day.
7. Camp Counselor / Summer Director
Premium summer camps pay teachers $5K–$15K for 8–10 weeks.
8. Teach English Online
VIPKid, Cambly, Outschool. $14–$25/hr, teach in PJs from home.
9. Educational Consulting
Help families navigate IEPs, college admissions, or homeschool curriculum. $75–$200/hr.
10. Children's Book Author (Self-Published)
KDP makes self-publishing easy. Top teacher-authors earn $1K–$10K/month from book series.
11. Etsy Shop (Classroom Decor & Printables)
Bulletin board sets, classroom organization printables, holiday-themed worksheets. Reliable $500–$3K/month.
12. Online Course (Teacher-to-Teacher)
Teach other teachers your specialty — classroom management, ELL strategies, special ed tools. $500–$5K per course launch.
Best Side Jobs for Teachers by Time Available
Under 5 hrs/week: TPT listings and Etsy printables you have already made. 5–10 hrs/week: online tutoring and test prep, the fastest path to a reliable $800–$1,500/month. 10+ hrs/week or summers: curriculum writing, camp leadership, and summer school, which pay in lump sums of $3,000–$15,000.
Summer-Only vs Year-Round
Summer work pays more per hour but stops in August. Digital assets — lesson plans, printables, courses, a YouTube channel — pay less at first and then keep paying during the school year when you have no spare hours. Most teachers who reach $2,000+/month run one of each.
Check Your District Rules First
Many districts require outside-employment disclosure, and most prohibit selling materials you created on paid contract time or using district-owned resources. Build TPT and Etsy products on your own time with your own tools, and keep your school email out of it.
Taxes for Teacher Side Income
Side income is self-employment income. Set aside 25–30%, track mileage and supply costs, and file quarterly estimates once you clear about $400/month. Home-office and software deductions apply to TPT and Etsy sellers.
Related reading: Back to School Money Ideas. To see what your classroom hours are really worth before you price a side hustle, try the teacher hourly pay calculator. School speech-language pathologists can compare their pay too: how much speech pathologists make.
Official sources
Tax rules, limits and pay data change. Check the current figures with the primary source before acting on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best side jobs for teachers?+
Online tutoring and test prep pay fastest ($25–$150/hr). Selling lesson plans on Teachers Pay Teachers and printables on Etsy pay less at first but continue earning during the school year.
How much can a teacher make from a side hustle?+
$500–$5,000 a month depending on hours. Tutoring 8 hours a week reliably produces $800–$1,500; established TPT stores and summer camp leadership reach the higher end.
Can teachers sell lesson plans they made for their classroom?+
Usually only if the materials were created on your own time with your own resources. Many districts claim ownership of work produced on contract time, so check your employment agreement before listing anything.
What side hustles work during the school year?+
Evening online tutoring, digital product sales, curriculum writing on deadline, and educational consulting all fit around a teaching schedule.
What are passive income ideas for teachers?+
Selling lesson plans and printables you already made (Teachers Pay Teachers, Etsy), a recorded course or exam-prep video series, and an education YouTube channel. None is passive at first — each needs a block of up-front work — but once listed they keep selling through the school year. Check your contract before selling anything made on school time.
How much do teachers make an hour?+
About $55 an hour on contract hours at NEA's 2025-26 average salary of $76,552, or about $39 on the 53-hour weeks teachers report working. The teacher hourly pay calculator on this site works out yours.
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