5 Ways for Teachers to Make Money This Summer

I’m sure you’ve seen the memes, mugs, shirts and more that light-heartedly mock a teacher’s salary.

But teacher salaries have a bad rap for being low, and with good reason.

While summer is a great time to relax and recharge, it is also a great time to reimburse that wallet that takes a punch at the Starbucks drive-thru as a result of a rushed morning!  Here are a few ways to make some extra mulah this summer if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and dedicate some personal time!

Ways for Teachers to Make Money This Summer and Throughout the School Year  

1. Sell your materials & content.

You have the hard work done — you’ve created the materials and they were a success for you and your students. Stretch that success a little further by posting it to TeachersPayTeachers and make money from your brilliant teaching ideas!

Tip: research “how to start selling on TeachersPayTeachers” before jumping into it.

2. Sit.

No… not sit and do nothing. Sorry! Summer is a great time for vacations. Take advantage of people’s travels and do some work for them.

• • Dog-sit.

• • House-sit.

• • Child-sit.
  • Plant-sit 🙂

Tip: Create a list of friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to contact. I’d advise to let them know up front what your intent is. For example, you could shoot a text or an email like:

“Hey! I’m trying to put my downtime to good use this summer and make some extra money! Please know that if you ever need a sitter, I would be glad to help!”

I get it: money can be an uncomfortable topic of conversation; however, being up front with your intent and the work you’re willing to do is a is a credible trait.

3. Serve.

Ever thought about being a waitress or a bartender? Restaurants want your nights and weekends, so that would be something to ponder. Think about how much you tip at a restaurant and consider if that would be worth it: having all the other customer’s tips going straight to your pocket.

Tip: Make a list of pros and cons to serving and see if it is something for you! Restaurants hire regularly, as the turn-over rate can be high.  

4. Sell your craftiness, interests, & talents.

• • Like to bake?

• • Like to make use your cricut or silhouette machine to craft?

• • Like to write?

• • Like to clean houses?
  • Like to edit papers?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, there’s financial opportunities out there for you.  

1. 1. You could start a business on Etsy if you’re ready offer your services around the world.
   2. You could create a contact list, let them know what service you’re offering. 
   3. You could freelance (check out the site Upwork).

Tip: It would be more credible to let people know your money-making intent and to provide them with some images of your work.

5. Teach or Tutor.

You’re already a teacher, and a darn good one at that, right?! Put your hard-earned education to good use:

• • teach summer school
  • become a camp counselor
  • or tutor, online or in person

Tip: Let your administrator know you’re available to tutor this summer, or check out some online teacher opportunities, like Wyzant, VIPKID or QKIDS.

Don’t give up!

The money-making ideas don’t end there. The hardest part is giving up that “teacher-on-summer-break” free time. I get it: the schedule is so rigid during the school year that you’d pay for summer’s freedom (not literally, but….). However, once you start seeing the cash add up, or the direct deposit to your checking account, you’ll see and feel the rewards, especially if you are journeying to a more financially savvy lifestyle.

Did you know… ClassTag can help with teacher expenses?

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